A report of a possibly dangerous deviant roaming the halls of an office building downtown brought Connor and Hank to the scene with very little information at their disposal, and a lot of questions that still needed answers. The office building itself was located in an area of the city that had been known, almost infamously, for its anti-android policies which meant that there was still a lot of social hostility in the area. The air was thick with xenophobic tension that made the human and android detective both anxious upon their arrival.

It didn't help matters when Gavin arrived on the scene with his usual impatient attitude to 'assist' with the search through the building. Whether Gavin volunteered out his mutual anti-android spite resonating through the neighborhood, or if it was because he was attempting to brown-nose some rich contacts into donating funds to the precinct, no one could say.

The occupants of the building had been successfully evacuated and led to safety while the responding officers began their search for the supposedly dangerous deviant reportedly trespassing inside the building. After checking the floors of the building one by one for the mysterious deviant the two detectives found no one of interest, but they did find an abundance of xenophobic bigotry.

"First week back on the job and we get called in to find one deviant in a building full of paranoid suits." Hank righteously grumbled as he and Connor walked through the corridor together. "I don't know what's more of a waste, our time or the taxpayer's money!"

Connor and Hank had reached the top floor of the massive building and found no sign of anyone anywhere. There were no other androids beyond Connor on the premises, or any sign that any other androids had recently been through the area.

"Did your scanner find anything Connor?"

The android's L.E.D. flashed yellow as he looked up at the white ceiling as his scanner detected a trace amount of something that registered as explosive material just beyond a single tile that was slightly out of place. He stopped short and stared straight up at the offending tile without blinking.

"Possibly."

Hank turned around and followed Connor's gaze upward to the tile in question. "What's up?"

"I'm unsure, but I believe it warrants a closer inspection."

Hank's instincts as a detective told him that Connor was onto something. Planting his feet firmly Hank squared his shoulders as he dropped his hands down a little in front of himself as he prepared to support a heavy weight.

"Yeah. Here, I'll give you a boost up."

"My frame allows me to stand completely stable while supporting additional weight. It'd be more beneficial for me to support you instead."

"Yeah, but your balance is better than mine, you're lighter than me, AND you can see without a flashlight." Hank argued sharply without moving from where he stood. "Up."

"Very well."

Obediently Connor stepped forward and stepped down into Hank's hands as the detective hoisted him upward toward the ceiling. Putting one hand down on Hank's shoulder as the detective lifted him up high enough to press on the ceiling, Connor reached up with his other hand to slide the already loose tile to the side before he peered up into the ceiling itself.

Hank looked up and watched as Connor peered into the opening of the ceiling to examine the small space. "See anything?"

Meticulously Connor looked about the dark space that occupied the ceiling, his flashing yellow L.E.D. illuminated the area with a faint amber glow as his eyes fell upon a large metallic cylinder lined with various wires, small connected containers with liquid explosives, and a single trigger that had numerous failsaves protecting it.

"Hank, I see something."

"What is it?"

"A bomb."

Hank immediately lowered Connor to the ground, the abrupt movement caught the android off guard and made him sway a little as he put his feet back down on the floor in front of the detective.

"Did you say 'BOMB'?"

"Yes. It appears to be remotely activated."

"Shit! Find Gavin." Hank walked over to the wall and pulled down on the nearest fire alarm to cause the people lingering around outside to evacuate even further from the building. As the alarm sounded off with an extraordinary sound Hank had to raise his voice in order to be heard over it. "Contact the precinct, let them know what's going on. We have to make sure everyone got out of here, and we need to do it FAST."

"Done." Connor's L.E.D. had flashed yellow rapidly for a few seconds as he sent out the distress call and filed the report. "Sergeant Reed is currently three floors down, and heading our way."

"Fine, we'll head him off on our way down as we finish checking these rooms." Hank pushed open an unlocked door to en empty room just to make sure no one was actually inside.

"Agreed." Connor mirrored Hank's motions along the opposite side of the corridor, heading toward the staircase in favor of using the elevator.

Working together the two detectives painstakingly checked the top two floors, and every room, heading down from where the bomb had been located on the top floor when they met Gavin who was approaching them with an angered and impatient glare. The hotheaded Sergeant hadn't been informed of the possible bomb as the use of radios had been temporarily banned, and therefore disabled, in the event a broadcast could accidentally trigger the remote bomb before it could be disposed of.

"Lieutenant, what the fuck is happening?" Gavin shouted over the blaring fire alarm as he huffed toward the two detectives. "What did you do?"

"There's a bomb in the building," Hank yelled in response as he and Connor continued to check the rooms lining the corridor. "we need to evacuate and make sure everyone got their sorry ass out of the area."

"Shit..." Gavin frozen for only a second before proceeded to help with the room check without asking twice. "The six floors below us were already cleared because of the reported deviant. If anyone was still here they were at the bottom floors of the building. They gotta' be outside by now."

"Keep looking!" Hank ordered gruffly as he made his way past Gavin toward the next stairwell. Stopping short Hank saw that Connor was staring through an open door into a seemingly empty room. "Connor?"

"The deviant." Connor replied sternly, his L.E.D. flashed red suddenly as he alone witnessed something alarming inside the dark room. "It's-"

A deafening explosion suddenly rocked the building as the bomb only three floors away from the responding officers detonated unexpectedly. Thick black smoke and bright orange fire erupted from the top of the building as the three floors above imploded downward creating a gray plume of choking dust and debris that rained down over the streets below. Heavy support beams, slabs of drywall, portions of the floor and the ceiling above collapsed inward while the surrounding windows shattered into a cascade of thousands of shards of sharp glass outward.

Onlookers and bystanders on the street ran for cover and away from the building as police cars, fire engines and ambulances bravely converged on the scene to aid those trapped within the radius of the detonated bomb.

The search for survivors and victims alike had only just begun.

Hank coughed harshly as he lifted his aching head up from the floor and struggled to look around the destroyed corridor. The explosion had sent Hank flying backward and he landed down hard on his back causing the muscles to tremble from the impact. Judging from the severe, chronic ache in his head and the lingering taste of blood in his mouth Hank knew had also been rendered unconscious by the blast, but he couldn't tell just for how long. A steady weight against his torso was indicative of heavy debris being knocked on top of him as the building's interior was torn to shreds.

Using one hand Hank pushed aside a large piece of drywall that was resting over his chest down to his hip as he slowly unburied himself as he laid alone on his back in the ruined corridor. Free of the debris Hank coughed and tried to breathe through the heavy air as best as he could. Rolling from his back onto his hip he used his arm to push himself up from the ground as he gazed about the immediate area to take in the sight of the carnage, and to look for his two missing officers.

Wires hung down from the unstable ceiling and sparked randomly in white and blue colors. Thick pipes jutted outward from gaping holes in the walls, and dripped water or possibly leaked gas. The floors were littered with piles of debris that ranged in both height and depths depending on the material that had been collected in the mounds, and their proximity to the explosion. It was dark and smokey making it difficult for the human to see, but not impossible.

"Connor?" Hank called out as loud as he could, and coughed immediately afterward. Clearing his throat he called out again. "Gavin? Can you hear me?"

"H-Hey!" From somewhere behind Hank he heard a large portion of the debris get shoved aside as Gavin stumbled forward and joined him in the middle of the wrecked corridor. "Lieutenant... You hurt?"

"A few bruises." Hank admitted as he ignored the trail of blood running down the side of his face from a cut over his left eye. The taste of blood in his mouth was still prevalent, but also ignored. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Gavin looked as beaten up as Hank felt. Numerous small cuts marred his face, neck and hands, but he was fully lucid and able to move about on his own with little difficulty. "What the hell happened?"

"What do you think happened, jackass? The damn bomb went off."

"Shit."

"Have you seen Connor?"

"No. I was looking for a way to get down the stairs when I heard you callin' us."

"Stay here." Hank ordered as he stood up slowly and set off clumsily over the debris on the floor in the opposite direction from where Gavin had arrived to look for his partner. He had a little more difficult in moving than Gavin thanks to his sore back, but he was managing just fine. "I'll check the other end of the hallway."

"Whoa, whoa. You want to risk your life over a piece of-"

"Shut the fuck up. He's my partner, dipshit."

"He's a machine!"

"And you're a piece of shit. That doesn't stop Fowler from giving you a paycheck, now does it?"

"...Whatever. If you want to waste your time lookin' for him, then by all means, go for it. I'm going to look for a way outta' here."

Annoyed but not deterred Hank resumed his search for his missing partner. Making very careful steps to ensure he didn't fall or disturb anything that could cause a second collapse Hank trudged through the corridor and checked every accessible area diligently before moving on to the next area.

"Connor?" Hank continued to call out for the android as he searched for him. "Connor? Where are you?"

As the detective ducked down under a low hanging support beam that had broken through the ceiling his eye caught sight of a faint red glow emanating from beneath a layer of debris just a few inches from where he was standing. The glow was blinking on and off slowly as if it were a pulse, or a signal. It was then Hank's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the source of the glow as an android's L.E.D.

It was Connor's L.E.D.

"Connor?!"

Hank quickly fell to his knees, ignoring the painful protest of the joints as he knelt on the ground. Without hesitation he began hefting aside the slabs of drywall, splintered wooden support beams and shards of broken glass as he desperately dug his partner's body out from under the smothering pile of debris. The sight of the android's uncovered chest did little to ease Hank's worried mind as Connor was unburied.

"Connor... No."

The android was laying on his back with his head lolled just enough to the left to let the red L.E.D. glow through the darkness created by the surrounding debris. His arms were splayed outward at his sides and his legs were straight, but pinned beneath a heavy chunk of the collapsed ceiling from above. A massive stain of blue tinted Thirium bled over Connor's white dress shirt over his chest, but mostly over his abdomen. Additional blue blood ran from the corner of Connor's mouth and from his nose, dripping down onto the floor beside his head in a growing sapphire puddle. There was a massive cut along Connor's right cheek that oozed blue blood steadily as he laid motionless on the floor next to Hank.

"Connor?" With a light touch Hank patted the side of Connor's face, but the android didn't respond. It didn't even look like Connor was breathing! Turning back toward the corridor where Gavin had been searching Hank called out to him as loud as he could. "Gavin! Get you ass over here!"

Bending his head down Hank pressed his ear to the center of Connor's chest and didn't budge until he heard the distinct heartbeat like thrum of Connor's Thirium pump in his chest still functioning. While his heart was beating Connor wasn't breathing, and with that lack of respiration his core temperature was steadily beginning to rise.

"No, kid. Come on..." Uncovering Connor's arm from beneath the pile Hank picked up the android's limp, cold hand and held it in his own. "Connor? Squeeze my hand!"

No response.

"Come on, Connor, I know you can hear me. Squeeze my hand."

Still nothing.

Gavin rushed over the littered hallway as quickly as he could and stood behind Hank as he watched the detective rock back on his knees and proceed to try and push additional debris from atop Connor's torso. The massive Thirium stain over Connor's chest made Gavin wince inwardly as he recognized the distinct blue tint as blood.

"Jesus..." Staying back Gavin looked down at the android's body as Hank continued to unbury him. "is it... dead?"

"No! He's still alive." Hank turned his head slightly to look at Gavin, revealing the smear of blue blood staining the side of his face and gray hair. Gently Hank placed Connor's hand back down on the floor beside him as he focused on the remaining debris. "But he can't breathe, help me move this junk off of him!"

"Breathe? What the fuck..."

Surprisingly Gavin did as he was told without protest or even hesitation. Working alongside Hank the two men managed to lift up and a slide the heavy slab of dirty drywall aside and away from Connor's body. Without the weight pressing down against his torso Connor would be able to breathe on his own, but his body remained just as still as it had been since Hank found him.

"Connor?" Hank tried again as he put his hand down lightly on Connor's bleeding abdomen. The lack of motion beneath his palm made Hank's own blood run cold. "Come on, son, breathe! You need to breathe!"

"Seriously he breathes?" Gavin stepped back at the horrific sight of Connor covered in his own blood. "Fucking piece of plastic can breathe?!"

"Come on." Hank begged as he kept his hand firmly in place on Connor's abdomen. "Just one breath, that's all I ask."

Connor remained motionless.

"Connor?" Applying a light pressure to Connor's torso Hank shook once and addressed the android in a louder voice. "Connor, breathe damn it! I need you to breathe!"

A weak gasping sound escaped Connor's bloodied lips as he took in a shallow breath at last. It was followed by another breath, then another.

"That's it." Hank encouraged as he released his own breath; a breath he didn't even know he was holding. The weak motion under his palm managed to ease his fears, but only in the slightest. "Good. That's good."

Hank pulled his hand back as Connor started to breathe on his own, very rapidly and with great difficulty, but at least he was breathing again. With each shuddering, weak breath he took more Thirium began to ooze from beneath his bloodied shirt over his abdomen, only to pool onto the floor beneath his body.

Gavin took another step back as the growing puddle of blood began to turn his stomach. "Shit..."

"We have to stop the bleeding." With his instincts as a first responder kicking into full gear Hank pulled open the buttons on Connor's shirt to reveal the android's abdomen beneath. "Ah, shit. Connor..."

"Oh, man..." Gavin put a hand over his mouth as if he needed it to keep himself from screaming, or getting sick at the gruesome sight. "How the fuck is it still alive?!"

A gaping hole in the middle of Connor's abdomen exposed the numerous delicate biocomponents, leaking Thirium lines and damaged wires within. A massive collection of lost Thirium had collected in his abdomen and had been seeping out over the edges of the opening as his abdomen steadily filled with his own blood.

Massive shards of metallic shrapnel from the bomb, as well as the surrounding room, had become embedded over Connor's body. Unfortunately a majority of the carnage was seemingly focused primarily at his torso. The bomb evidently had been sitting on a desk or a chair, a surface that was waist high, upon its detonation.

"Shit, he's bleeding internally." Hank realized with a sick grimace on his face. "We need to do something fast."

Slipping his heavy coat from over his arms Hank set it aside and unbuttoned his bright blue shirt beneath it. Wiping the palms of his hands down over the untouched black t-shirt underneath he was able remove some grime and debris that covered his hands. Taking a deep breath Hank hovered his right hand over the opened wound and prepared to drop his fingers inside the bloodied body before him.

"Okay, kid... I have to do this."

Reaching his hand into Connor's abdomen Hank felt the pressure of leaking Thirium and used it to guide his hand. Using his fingers Hank located the main source of the bleeding and pinched it off tight with his index fingertip and thumb. As he applied steady pressure he felt the bleeding stem, but he wouldn't be able to hold the pressure with his just his fingers.

"Gavin, I need your help."

"What? No way!"

"Yes. Come here." Hank snapped firmly as he used authority in his voice. "Wipe off your hands. I just need you to slip off his tie and hand it to me so I can tie off the bleed."

"...Fine." Gavin kept hie eyes as far away from Connor's face as possible as he wiped his hands down over his shirt, and he bent down over the android to loosen the tie to hand the garment to Hank. "Here."

"Now," Hank quickly grabbed Gavin's wrist and made him kneel down on the floor beside Connor. Forcing Gavin's hand down into Connor's abdomen he placed Gavin's fingers where his own hand had holding off the leak for the past few seconds. "just apply pressure."

"Ah, man, this is so nasty!" Gavin moaned as he closed his eyes tight and tried not to think about the fact that his hand was inside Connor's bloodied body. The warmth and consistency of the Thirium felt exactly like human blood, and the feeling of Connor's weak breaths around as well as the rhythm of the android's thrumming heart so close to Gavin's hand felt so eerily... human. "Sick!"

"Shut up." Hank sternly scolded as he used Connor's tie to absorb as much of the leaking blue blood in Connor's abdomen as he could, before wrapping the tie around the leak just under Gavin's fingers. Using the strong fabric of the garment Hank was able to use it to tie off the damaged line, Connor's ascending right Thireal line at that, and keep Connor from bleeding any further. "Okay, let go."

Gavin pulled his hand back from the blood like he was trying to avoid a snapping bear trap. Keeping silent Gavin opened his eyes as he wiped off the blood on his jacket, and watched as Hank expertly used the tie to stem the leaking line in Connor's abdomen. Hank wisely used the remaining slack at the ends of the tie to pack off the surrounding damaged bleeding biocomponents as well.

"That should hold for a while..." Carefully Hank retracted his blue stained hands and sighed as a majority of the bleeding mercifully stopped. "That should be bide him some time."

"H-How the hell did you know what do? ...What the fuck?"

Hank gave Gavin a blank stare as he answered curtly from where he knelt. "Because I've experienced this once before. You never forget something like that." Motioning to the stairwell behind him with a thumb over the shoulder Hank issued his next order as he began tearing swatches of fabric from his blue dress shirt to use as additional bandages in Connor's abdomen. "Go back over to the stairs and find something make some noise with. Let search and rescue know where we are."

"Y-yeah... okay."

Attentively Hank packed the added fabric from his shirt into Connor's abdomen to try cover as many of the visibly injuries to his partner's biocomponents as possible. The sight of Connor's chest and abdomen rising and falling frantically was a bittersweet experience; it meant Connor was still alive, but it also meant he was in great physical distress.

Maybe even in pain.

"Just hang on, kid." Picking up his heavier coat from the floor Hank draped it protectively over Connor's broken body to shield his opened wounds from as much airborne debris as possible. Hank sat on the floor near Connor's shoulders as he put his hand beneath Connor's head and pulled the android upward slightly to let him rest against his leg. "I'm here with you. It'll be okay, son."

The sound of Gavin shouting for help in the distance as he began banging a piece of debris, most likely a chunk of metal pipe, against the walls to try and make as much noise as possible to help the rescue team locate them as soon as possible, echoed loudly. Rhythmic banging accompanied with loud, demanding shouts created a loud commotion that was sure to drawn in any searching personnel to their location.

"Help's coming." Hank stated as he pressed his hand over Connor's forehead and absentmindedly ran his thumb through Connor's dark hair. With his other hand he picked up Connor's limp, cold hand again as he spoke to the android. "Come on, squeeze my hand. I know you can do it."

Connor's hand remained motionless in Hank's grip.

"Shit... Just hold on a little while longer, okay? I'll get you some help."

Hank stayed beside Connor for the countless minutes that ticked into hours as Gavin continued to call out for help and make as much noise as he possibly could to draw the search party closer, quicker. The blank, peaceful expression on Connor's face reminded Hank of the way Cole used to sleep, it was actually one of many ways Connor reminded him of Cole. But this particular moment was especially haunting. After all, Cole was sleeping all those times but right Connor was unconscious, possibly dying.

Gavin pounded on the walls with his fist and the metal pipe as he continued to shout to the point where he was beginning to go hoarse. "Hey, hey! Come on! We're right in here!" Banging as hard as he could on the walls the Sergeant was determined to get out of that building alive. "HEY! IN HERE! HERE! Come on already...""

Intense flashlight beams suddenly shone through the gaps between the large chunks of debris that blocked the doorway to the stairwell and illuminated Gavin's dirty, bloody face in white light. Two male firefighters had finally located the three officers and were preparing for extraction.

"Hello?" A loud, calm voice called out to Gavin through the gap in the doorway. "How many are in your party?"

"Finally..." Gavin sighed as he tossed the metal pipe aside onto the floor at his feet. "Hey, get us out of here! There's three of us in here!"

One of the two firefighters continued to address Gavin in a calm, authoritative tone while the second radioed for help. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Uh..." Gavin was at a rare loss for words since it meant regarding Connor as a person. "I'm okay, but my Lieutenant took a blow to the head, and his android partner is... uh... broken."

The second firefighter got on his radio again to request assistance to the floor, specifically for any available paramedic and technician to join them at the scene of the rescue.

"Alright, step back."

As the first firefighter raised his axe to swing against the debris blocking the stairwell Gavin wisely stepped back and rejoined Hank who was watching over Connor like a hawk.

"They'll get us out of here in a few minutes." Sitting down on a large pile of rubble next to Hank the usually surly detective couldn't help but feel bad for Connor, who was still laying motionless in a puddle of his own blood. "How's he doing?"

"Still alive." Hank stated firmly without looking away. "That's all that matters right now."

"Right... 'Alive'." The Sergeant nearly scoffed at the idea of Connor being a living person. "...Whatever you say, Lieutenant."

"You know Gavin, I can't tell you stop hating something or someone, but I can ask you to lighten up on Connor." Hank turned to look at Gavin with a stare of discipline, but not aggression or even anger. "I know you hate androids, hell, I used to hate them just as much as you, but I can honestly say from experience that you're wasting your time and energy on hating them. They aren't just machines, they ARE alive. Connor is alive. It doesn't make any damn sense to hate something or someone just for existing."

Gavin didn't know what to say, or even how he could say anything at all. Instead he folded his hands together over his lap as he stared at the weeping cut above Hank's eye with mild interest. "How's your head?"

"Killing me. How about you?"

"Landed on my back against something hard. Definitely going to have a bruise tomorrow, that's for sure."

The blockage over the stairwell access door had been removed by the responding firefighters who aimed their flashlights at the trio gathered in the ruins of the corridor. Spying the large slab of debris that was pinning Connor's legs to the ground the two firefighters swiftly worked together to lift up, and set aside the heavy weight, freeing the android's lower extremities at last.

"You two," the fist firefighter addressed both Gavin and Hank. "can you walk?"

"Yeah, I'm good Gavin admitted."

Hank shook his head slowly. "I'm not going anywhere until my partner is safe."

"Sir, we have to-"

"Forget it!" Hank refused to budge as he kept his eyes on Connor's face. "I'll leave when he does."

"Okay, fine. I don't have time to argue!"

Grabbing Gavin's arm the first firefighter escorted the (slightly) more cooperative detective out of the corridor and through the stairwell to safety, while the second firefighter stayed with Hank and Connor. Kneeling down beside the android the second firefighter ran his lands down Connor's legs to feel for any breaks or damage as he would with any human victim.

"Nothing broken," he drew back his gloved hands and saw that there was some Thirium staining his hands from the numerous cuts that lined all of Connor's lower body up to his abdomen. "but he does have numerous lacerations."

"It's not his legs you have to worry about." Hank reluctantly let go of Connor's hand, gently placing it back down on the floor, before peeling back the fabric of his coat to show the firefighter the massive abdominal trauma that Connor had suffered. "I stopped the bleeding, but he's already lost a lot of Thirium."

"Jesus..." Grabbing his radio the firefighter requested a gurney be brought up to carry Connor out and to have the responding technicians meet them up on the designated floor. Carefully, he leaned over the wounds and checked Hank's handy work without disturbing the injuries in the process. Putting his hand down on the center of Connor's chest he shook his head incredulously at the sight of Connor's rapid, shallow breaths and still beating heart. "How in the hell is this guy even still alive?"

"He's stubborn." Hank answered without missing a beat as he picked up the android's hand again hoping to feel Connor finally squeeze back. "I know you're not a technician, but level with me 'cop-to-firefighter', what do you think his chances are?"

"Honestly, I wish I could tell you. But I've never seen android so... broken." He noticed that Connor's L.E.D. was still flashing in red which meant that Connor's systems were still functional. But the red tint and massive Thirium were all signs in the negative. "I'd give his odds... one in five."

"I'll take that bet."

Two additional rescue personnel, each carrying emergency satchels slung over their shoulders, entered the decimated corridor with a gurney and backboard in tow. One was a paramedic to tend to Hank ,and the other was a technician who'd work on Connor until it was time to move.

"Here." The firefighter stepped back and prepared the gurney for transport while the paramedic and technician set about their work. "The android's in rough shape, I don't want to risk moving him until he's been stabilized."

The paramedic, a younger man with blonde hair knelt beside Hank and began checking his pupils for any sign of severe head trauma, while also wrapping his fingers around Hank's wrist to check his pulse. "Pupils are sluggish, but equal and reactive to light." The paramedic announced confidently as he assessed Hank easily. "Strong pulse, tachycardic at one-hundred and forty."

The technician, a young long-haired brunette woman with hazel eyes, pulled aside Hank's coat and looked at the extensive damage to Connor's abdomen. Without flinching the technician reached into her bag and pulled out a massive white bandage wrapped in protective plastic. Ripping the plastic open she unfolded the bandage to double its size as she placed it down over Connor's abdomen, then used strong medical adhesive to secure the bandage in place over his artificial skin.

Gently she tilted Connor's head still resting against Hank's leg to the left so she could see his L.E.D. faintly glowing before she put her hand on his chest to count his rapid heart beat.

"Thirium pump is still functioning, but his Thirium volume is dangerously low. He doesn't have the strength to activate his self-healing program."

The firefighter observed the scene carefully before asking the next crucial question. "Can the android be moved?"

"Yes." The technician confirmed without hesitation to her soft voice. "But he needs to be lifted carefully otherwise it'll exasperate his internal trauma."

"Right, no problem." Clearing a spot on the floor the firefighter set down the backboard before moving over to Connor's legs. "Life on three."

Hank nodded as slipped his arms under Connor's shoulders and the paramedic put his arms beneath Connor's back for additional support.

"One," the firefighter counted down rhythmically. "two, three!"

Working in unison the three humans managed to lift Connor up from the floor just high enough to place him down against the firm support of the backboard. The technician slipped the security straps attached to the board around Connor's legs, chest and shoulders as she was unwilling to put any unnecessary pressure over his damaged abdomen.

"Okay." She checked the straps one last time before she moved away to give the others some space to work. "He can be put on the gurney."

Hank watched as the firefighter and the paramedic lifted the backboard at both ends and placed Connor down onto the gurney to be transported out of the building. Connor's head lolled limply as he was moved, but he didn't react to the motion on a conscious level.

"Almost there, kid." Hank reassured quietly as tucked his dropped coat under his arm and stood beside the gurney. The detective was watching intently as the firefighter and the paramedic secured the additional straps on the gurney to keep him completely stable as he was taken from the destroyed building. "Just hang on a little longer, okay?"

Gavin was outside sitting on the bumper of the ambulance patiently allowing the second paramedic to clean the numerous and painful cuts that marred his face, neck and his hands. As his right hand was being wrapped up in gauze to keep the swollen cuts in his palm from getting an infection he glanced to the front of the building waiting for any sign of Hank or Connor to reappear.

"Any word on the guys still inside?"

"Nothing yet." The paramedic sympathized as she pressed the gauze around his hand carefully. "I'll keep you posted if I hear anything."

"Thanks..."

"Gavin!" Captain Fowler spotted the Sergeant being treated at the back of the ambulance and approached him with a hasty gait. "You okay?"

"A few bruises, nothing major, Cap."

"What about Hank and Connor?"

"They were still inside when I was taken out. Hank's a little banged up but Connor... he's in bad shape."

"Where were you when the bomb exploded?"

"Three floors down. Do we know what set it off, yet?"

"Definitely a remote trigger. We're looking for the suspect now."

"We didn't see any deviants inside the building as we cleared it out. Did... Did anyone else get trapped inside?"

"Fortunately no, you three were the last ones inside."

"Guess that's something to be proud of."

The gurney carrying Connor was wheeled through the front doors of the barricaded building with Hank at his side and the firefighter, paramedic and technician working together to get the injured android to safety.

"Shit. You weren't kidding." Fowler could see even from a distance that Connor was in rough shape. "Gavin, you and Hank are going to go the hospital. I'll meet you there in an hour or so."

"Right, Captain."

Fowler walked over to the second ambulance, once designed exclusively for androids, as it was set to take Connor to nearest Android Emergency Care Facility. Moving quickly Fowler headed Hank off before he could stubbornly try to hop in the back alongside Connor.

"Hank, come on, you need to get checked out at the hospital."

"Jeffrey, I'm not leaving-"

"For now, you are. Just get cleared at the hospital ,and then you can check in with Connor."

Before he could protest further the paramedic who had helped carry Connor outside the building put his arm out across Hank's chest to keep him from climbing into the back of ambulance after the technician.

"Relax Lieutenant, Abby is the best technician I've ever worked with." The paramedic reassured him in a sincere tone of voice. "Your partner's in good hands."

Fowler and the paramedic forced Hank to step back as the doors were slammed shut in front of the detective. Unable to see through the back windows to Connor laying unconscious on the gurney Hank begrudgingly watched the ambulance speed off down the street with his still unconscious partner in tow.

"Come on, Hank." Fowler insisted patiently. With the help of the paramedic he managed to coax Hank over to the first ambulance where Gavin was still sitting. "I want to know what the fuck happened in there before all hell broke loose."

"Yeah, sure..." Hank bitterly walked over to the ambulance to be examined as he answered Fowler's questions about the bomb. "Not a problem."

Connor remained completely unconscious during the transport to the facility. While Abby worked to replenish his dangerously depleted Thirium volume she reported on his condition to the facility, informing the other technicians awaiting their arrival of the extensive, critical damage Connor had sustained during the explosion.

While she was on the radio Connor's back suddenly arched as he began to cough and choke on blue blood collecting in the back of his throat.

"No, no, no!" Abby reacted quickly and pulled a small suction pump from the storage compartment to her right and placed the pump in Connor's mouth to remove the excess Thirium. She had to move swiftly before the blue blood collected in his ventilation biocomponent and caused them to fail. "You're not dying in the back of my ambulance after surviving a bomb explosion!"

As Abby drained away the blood Connor steadily relaxed and he began to breathe slightly easier.

"Come on, now." Placing a small pillow under Connor's head and neck she lifted him up enough to keep the blood from collecting in the back of his throat a second time. "Your partner seemed really worried about you," Abby spoke to Connor in a very compassionate voice as she used her audioscope to listen to his battered chest carefully. "don't disappoint him by giving up on us now."

Understandably frustrated, annoyed and in pain Hank angrily batted away the nurse's hand as she tried to adjust the bandage over the freshly stitched cut just above his eye. Through the haze of his mild concussion Hank had already given his account of the events that had taken place, events that Gavin corroborated himself, and was now waiting to be discharged from the hospital so he could go check on Connor.

"I'm fine, stop fussing over me."

The nurse gave him a sympathetic glance as she pulled her hand back and decided to let him alone. "Okay, call if you need anything, Lieutenant."

"Yeah, sure."

Fowler entered the room as the nurse left and folded his arms over his chest as he stared at his reputedly stubborn Lieutenant. "At least that nurse didn't run out of the room screaming. Nice to see you aren't taking out your frustration on nurses anymore."

"Not now, Jeffrey. Is there any word on Connor?"

"Yeah, I contacted the facility that's taking care of him. They had to replace a few non-vital biocomponents that had been destroyed by the bomb and give him almost four pints of Thirium, but he's going to be okay. The technicians also collected fragments of the bomb from his body for our boys at the lab to analyze."

"Jeffrey, I can see it in your eyes. What aren't you telling me? No bullshit this time, just the straight, honest truth."

Fowler took a deep breath and gave Hank the respect of telling him the truth as requested. "During transport he started to choke on Thirium, which meant he started to bleed again. BUT it was handled long before he got to the facility."

"...But he was still bleeding internally? Fuck."

"Easy, he's in good hands. You'll see."

"Jeffrey, just as the bomb went off Connor was saying something about the deviant, but I have no idea what he saw. Now we may never know."

"Alright, well, the doctor said you're good to go. So go stay with Connor at the facility and we'll piece everything together at the precinct. Call me when he wakes up."

"Yeah, sure."

"I'll hail a cab for you. I don't want you driving with a concussion."

Connor was laying shirtless and completely unresponsive and motionless on the exam table in the facility's recovery wing as his attending technician hovered close by. A tube of blue blood had been inserted down his throat to replenish his depleted Thirium volume to a stable level, and a sensor pad was placed on the center of his chest. The sensor was connected to a Thirium pump monitor to keep track of the rate of his heart as his Thirium pump continued to thrum rapidly to compensate for his low Thirium pressure.

In that moment Connor was suffering from the effects of android hypovolemia.

While the damage to his biocomponents had been repaired, some of the biocomponents replaced entirely, the artificial skin covering his abdomen had yet to regenerate due to the strain of his self-healing program attempting to repair the residual damage to his internal systems. Additional gauze wrapping was placed over his otherwise exposed abdomen to keep foreign matter from entering his plastimetal frame or damaged Thirium lines until his skin could finally regenerate properly.

Hank was shown into the recovery wing by the facility's reception, and was left alone with Connor. Leaning down over the table Hank spoke to the android kindly as Connor was in fact conscious and alert.

"I knew you'd pull through, kid. But we still need to know what happened at the building." Hank picked up Connor's hand from the table and held it firmly in his grip just as he had done at the scene of the explosion. "You saw something before the bomb detonated, what was it? Can you tell me?"

Connor was still quiet and unconscious despite his repairs and the sound of Hank's voice speaking to him.

"You were about to something about the deviant, what was it?"

No response.

"Okay, kid, I can wait for you to tell me what you saw, but I can't wait to know if you can hear me." Squeezing Connor's hand lightly Hank raised his voice slightly as he spoke to his unconscious partner. "Squeeze my hand."

Connor's hand remained limp in Hank's grasp.

"Connor, come on. I know you can hear me. Squeeze my hand. Please, I need you to do this, son."

As Connor's hand refused to budge Hank was about ready to give up and let Connor alone to rest, but a weak pressure around Hank's palm caught his attention. In a steady pulse Connor's L.E. flashed from red to yellow.

"There you are, I knew you could hear me." Hank tightened his grip around Connor's hand put his other hand against Connor's forehead lightly. "I need you to squeeze my hand again, and open your eyes. Please kid."

Steadily Connor's brown irises appeared between partially opened, heavy eyelids and stared blankly at the ceiling above. Blinking slowly Connor's body suddenly tensed up from the gnawing pain in his abdomen and tried to move.

"Hey, hold still, you're hurt. Just look at me." Hank urged as he moved his thumb gently through Connor's hair. The small contact and gentle voice was enough to get Connor to lay still again. "That's it. Focus on me."

Connor blinked again as his eyes slowly drifted over to Hank's face and stayed focused.

"I know you can't talk because of the tube going down your throat, but I need to know what happened before the bomb went off. Do you remember what you saw just before the explosion? Blink if you can remember."

Connor's eyes moved from left to right a little before focusing back on Hank's face. Blinking once to acknowledge a 'yes' his eyes remained fixed where they were.

"Good. You said something about a deviant, did you actually see the deviant in the room?"

Connor didn't blink.

"Okay, you did NOT see the deviant, is that right?"

Connor blinked 'yes'.

"What did you see? Another person?"

Yes.

"Not an android, though, a human."

Yes.

"The report stated it was a deviant on the premises..." Thinking about the details and what they could've overlooked in their initial investigation. "Wait, Connor, was the person you saw dressed to look like an android? Is that what you saw?"

Connor blinked 'yes' again.

"Shit... I knew that neighborhood hated androids, but to think they'd make a bomb and blow up a building just to frame one..." Hank squeezed Connor's hand again in distressed irritation. "If there was another person in the building why didn't they find a body?"

Connor tried to speak but he only choked on the tube inserted down his throat.

"Whoa, whoa, don't do that." Hank took his hand from Connor's hair and rested it on the android's chest near the sensor pad. "It's okay, we'll figure this out. The technicians removed bomb fragments from your body and they were sent to the lab at the precinct for analysis, will that help anything?"

Yes.

"Good. What should we look for?"

Connor's eyes darted down suddenly then back up at Hank as he lifted his opposite hand and made a writing motion in the air.

"You can write it down?"

Yes.

"Perfect." Hank laid Connor's hand back down on the table as he took a small notepad and pen from his coat pocket. Clicking the pen he placed it in Connor's hand and held the pad as still as possible for him to write on. "Okay, tell me what happened."

Despite his weakness from his Thirium loss the android managed to perfectly write and spell out every word, every detail in perfectly legible handwriting on the pad. When he finished he took his hand from the pad of paper and blinked again to let Hank know he finished.

Hank turned it over the pad to read what he wrote, only to shake his head in disgust. "Great... Just great. I'll call Fowler and let him know what you uncovered. Just rest a little longer, okay?"

Connor blinked 'yes' and then let his eyes shut slowly to fall into his much needed rest mode.

After an hour into Connor's recovery the technician who treated him, Abby, returned to the recovery wing to extricate the tube from Connor's throat. In that time Hank had called Fowler at the precinct to tell him Connor's statement, and within that same hour the criminal responsible for the bomb had been located and arrested.

The criminal was in fact a human who had lost his job due to layoffs at the office thanks to poor profits, though he was convinced it was because of androids. The man had lost his job just two weeks before the android revolution and had been holding a grudge ever since. Attaching a spare L.E.D. to the side of his head the man entered the building disguised as a deviant with a bomb hidden under his coat. He stashed the bomb in the ceiling of the floor that had been shutdown due to budget cuts, and hid in another room of the building to detonate it.

Unfortunately the man's bomb had only partially detonated, which is why only the top floors of the building were damaged, not the entire building itself. Because the bomb failed to detonate at its full strength the man wasn't killed in the explosion as he had planned and had been forced to sneak out when the fire department checked the building for survivors.

The fingerprints found on the inside of the still intact bomb casing, as well as the remote detonator, connected the man directly to the attack and ensure he was sentenced to life in prison. Found hiding in his closet in his apartment the soot covered man surrendered without a fight.

"Okay, Connor. We can take this out now." Abby stated confidently as she began to slowly pull the tube out of Connor's throat. "Coughing will help and ease the pain."

Connor began to cough as instructed as Abby removed the tube with a steady pull, and he instantly put his hand to his sore throat once it was gone.

"I got ya'." Hank put his hand on Connor's back as the android sat upright on the table and caught his breath after coughing for a few more seconds. "You did good. We caught the asshole responsible."

Connor nodded slightly as he responded with a very hoarse voice. "...Good." Too pained to speak in full sentences just yet, Connor pointed to the bandage over Hank's eye as he slipped on his tattered shirt and then his dirty gray jacket. "...Hurt?"

"Just a cut. You're the one who got blown up." Hank sheepishly shrugged his shoulders a little. "Mostly, anyway."

"Move slowly." Abby instructed as she helped Connor to slide down off the table and onto the floor.

She gave him clearance to return home to rest provided that he had someone to keep a watchful eye on him in the event his system began to reject his replacement biocomponents. The bandages were to remain in place as well, until his artificial skin fully regenerated.

"Remember, you're still recovering." Abby reminded Connor gently. "Take it easy for the next forty-eight hours, and don't exert yourself."

"Any weird side effects I should know about?" Hank asked in an almost fatherly manner as he watched Connor sway a little on his feet before he regained his balance. "You know, just in case he needs more help."

"Aside from fatigue," Abby replied nonchalantly. "he might experience mild overheating as a result of the numerous replacement biocomponents that his system needs to fully register and accept after several cycles. Maybe a little Thirium rejection as well since so much of it was replaced in such a short frame of time."

"Oh. Sounds... interesting."

"If you think he needs to be re-examined by a technician, then here," handing Hank a business card with an emergency phone number on it, Abby patted Connor's arm once and nodded at Hank. "I'm just a phone call away."

"Thanks." Hank pocketed the card and turned to look at his partner after giving Abby an appreciative nod. "Come on, Connor." He put his hand on the android's shoulder to help guide him out of the facility. "Car's out front."

Connor nodded again as he walked slowly, his hand pressed against his still sore abdomen as he walked.

"You know, Fowler said that because this nutjob tried to frame androids as the ones responsible for the bomb a massive donation of charitable funds toward New Jericho have been pouring in all evening from sympathetic pro-android supporters. Turns out this guy's master plan was far from masterful."

Clearing his throat Connor's yellow L.E.D. finally turned transitioned back to its healthy blue color as relief fell over him. "...At least we know we have allies on the street. Not just at New Jericho."

"Yeah, you're right." Sighing with a heavy tiredness Hank stepped outside the front doors of the facility with Connor at his side. "By the way, since Gavin was also at the scene of the explosion Fowler gave him the responsibility of filing the report while we recover at home."

"Gavin's going to be pissed." Connor's voice was already regaining strength as his healing program kicked in. "Should we feel bad?"

"Don't worry about Gavin." A grin appeared on his face as he and Connor entered the car and took their usual respective seats. "I get the feeling that after today he's going to start seeing androids in a whole new light."

"And why is that?" Connor fastened his seatbelt and flinched slightly as the strap over his sore abdomen tightened.

"Because I think today was the first time he ever saw an android as a living, breathing being." Turning the key in the ignition the car roared to life and pulled onto the street. "Not just a heartless machine."

"...I'm glad that you already see me as such, Hank."

"I just hope I don't have to see your actual beating heart in your chest ever again."

"The feeling is mutual."

-The End