With his caseload finally completed Hank leaned back in his seat away from his desk and sighed as he folded his hands behind his head. He had finished all his paperwork, all of his assigned cases had been handled appropriately, every report was filled out and filed, there were no active incidents with any suspects and Gavin hadn't bothered the Lieutenant, or Connor, all day long. Satisfied with his accomplishments for the day Hank looked past the turned off terminal on his desk toward Connor sitting quietly on the other side.

"Finished." Hank stated confidently as he looked to his partner across his desk. "Let's get out of here and catch the game."

Connor was sitting silently still at his desk with his eyes shut and his L.E.D. rhythmically flashing yellow in his temple.

"Connor? You okay?"

The deviant android's eyes opened slowly and his L.E.D. returned to its normal blue color. "...Pardon. Did you say something?"

"I asked if you're okay, but I think you just answered my question." Hank leaned forward in his chair toward his desk again and studied Connor's face carefully. There was something amiss and he was determined to figure out what it was. "You seem a little off."

"I have been feeling... off." The admission to not feeling entirely functional was in itself a strange reaction from Connor. "I've run a self-diagnostic on my system three times today and I've found no apparent errors. My systems are all running at optimal capacity, but still..."

"Are you sick? I mean, you know, can androids even get sick?"

"We do not become ill in the same sense as a human becomes ill, but if there is a malfunction in our software we can function improperly for an extended period of time until the malfunction has been corrected. The after effects can imitate human ailments as well."

"Like what?"

"We can overheat and become delayed in responses like when a human becomes hyperthermic or feverish. We can also be forced to initiate and expulsion program that is similar to a human becoming ill and vomiting."

"Well then, are you malfunctioning? You were cleared when the precinct technician gave you and the other androids an evaluation two days ago."

"Yes. My systems were functioning appropriately and I was given fresh Thirium to ensure my biocomponents remain in optimal condition."

"...But?" Hank could feel the hesitation in Connor's voice.

"But... I... I do not feel as though I'm operating at fully functional parameters, yet my diagnostic program has failed to detect any anomalies. It's very confusing and I find it difficult to explain."

"Want to go see another technician?" Hank chuckled a little at the idea of Connor going to see a technician in the same way that Hank would go see a doctor when feeling ill. "Get a second opinion?"

Connor shook his head in the negative. "No. Perhaps I should go into rest mode and run another self-diagnostic."

"If your diagnostic didn't find anything the first three times why do you think it'll find something the fourth time?"

"I-"

"Ah, forget it. You're just imagining things." Hank rose from his chair and grabbed onto Connor's arm around his bicep. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Connor didn't try to resist as Hank pulled him out of his chair and toward the front doors of the precinct. Walking at Hank's side Connor tried to go about as normal but deep down inside he could sense that something was amiss with his programming.

During the drive home Connor continued to run his self-diagnostic program and listened to Hank talk excitedly about the basketball game currently in progress. Making sure to appear as normal as possible Connor was able to maintain a conversation without the senior detective suspecting him of being faulty or arguably ill.

Once back home Hank turned on the basketball game and eyed the current score anxiously. It was the final quarter but Hank didn't mind, all he really cared about was the final score and winning the bet he made earlier with Captain Fowler. Hank and Connor hung their respective coat and jacket on the hook on the wall beside the front door and kicked off their shoes after returning home and setting foot in the livingroom. Connor casually loosened and then draped his tie around his jacket and proceeded to lay down in just his white dress shirt and jeans across the couch, while Hank threw off his day clothes in favor of a pair of gray sweatpants and an old gray t-shirt from his bedroom.

With his soulful brown eyes closed Connor laid down on the couch flat on his back with one arm under his head and the other draped tiredly over his chest. Sumo was laying on the floor beside the couch looking up at Connor as if even the dog knew something was wrong with the deviant android. A few feet from the couch Hank sat down in the recliner and kicked his feet up to relax and watch the came.

From the corner of his eye Hank caught sight of Connor's L.E.D. suddenly flashing yellow and addressed the deviant android accordingly. "Another diagnostic? Really?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed without opening his eyes or turning off the routine maintenance check. "I am compelled to do so."

"Find anything wrong, yet?"

"...No." Connor sighed as his yellow L.E.D. returned to blue. "There has been no anomaly detected within my program."

"Try getting some sleep instead. Whenever I don't feel one-hundred percent I get a few extra hours of shut eye and it works wonders."

"I'll try."

Hank watched as the blue L.E.D. began to slow its pulsing cycle as Connor slipped into rest mode for the night and fell into the human equivalent of a deep sleep on the couch.

"Wish it was that simple for me." The senior detective commented as he watched Connor for a moment longer before returning his attention to the game on the television screen. Once the game was over he'd head off to bed himself. "See you in the morning, kid."

The night went on peacefully without any disturbances and Hank went to bed knowing he'd be fifty dollars richer the next time he saw Captain Fowler. What was a little unusual however was the following morning when Hank awoke without his alarm going off, and without the sound of Connor walking through the house going about his usual morning routine to prematurely awaken him. Reaching over to his nightstand Hank picked up his alarm clock and noted the current time of day: 11:47 am.

Sensing something was wrong Hank got out of bed and traded his sweatpants for a pair of jeans and a fresh t-shirt as he ventured out into the livingroom to check on Connor. The deviant android was still in rest mode on the couch, laying completely motionless and quiet. Sumo was sitting beside the couch looking alert and eager as he watched Connor sleeping.

"Outside, Sumo." Hank called to the dog as he opened the backdoor and let the Saint Bernard out into the backyard for the morning.

Standing beside the couch once again Hank looked down at Connor's face and arched a brow in puzzlement. Connor is always awake and alert at seven in the morning, every morning, without fail. If he were in fact human it wouldn't be too odd to have him oversleep if we wasn't feeling well, but as an android this massive shift in his behavior was very alarming.

"Connor?" Hank put his hand on Connor's arm and shook him a little. "Wake up."

The blue L.E.D. in Connor's temple blinked quickly then returned to it's slower pace.

"Connor!" Hank shouted as he shook the deviant android more forcefully. "I said 'wake up'!"

Connor's head lolled slightly to the right as his L.E.D. blinked more rapidly and his eyes partially opened. "...Lieutenant?" The deviant android sounded groggy and disoriented. "What's wrong?"

"Apparently you." Hank grabbed onto Connor's arm to force the deviant android to sit upright on the couch. "You're sure your diagnostic-whatever didn't find anything wrong?"

"I'm... certain." Connor's eyes opened fully and his L.E.D. flashed to yellow as his systems came back online and noted the current time of day. "It's almost twelve in the afternoon?"

"Yup."

"I... failed to exit rest mode at the appropriate time."

"Yeah, I noticed. Not that I'm going to complain about being able to sleep in."

"Hank," Connor swung his legs over the edge of the couch and stood up quickly. "There is-"

Connor's brown eyes suddenly rolled up in the back of his head as L.E.D. flashed to a blood red color. His legs gave way beneath him and the deviant android suddenly collapsed in a cold faint right in front of Hank.

"Connor!" Hank reacted quickly and caught the unconscious deviant android in his arms. Guiding Connor down to the floor between the couch and the coffee table gently Hank knelt over his partner and patted the side of Connor's cheek. "Hey, Connor? Connor! Can you hear me?"

The deviant android was completely unresponsive to Hank's voice or his touch. Hank kept his hand against Connor's face as he became aware that the deviant android's artificial skin felt unusually hot compared to what would be considered normal for an android and a human alike.

"Shit." Hank cursed as he reached for his phone sitting on the small table beside the couch. Scrolling through his contacts he found the number provided to him by Markus after their meeting in New Jericho, and hit dial. The line rang only once before he got an answer. "Markus, it's Lt. Anderson. I think there's something wrong with Connor."

'Connor?' Markus sounded genuinely worried over the line. 'What's happened? Was he injured?'

"I don't think so. Connor said something about not feeling right, even after his diagnostic thing didn't find anything wrong. Four times! Then this morning he didn't wake up from his rest mode on time. Also, his skin temperature feels too hot, and now he's passed out on the floor."

'It sounds like he's suffered some kind of software error. Most likely a result of him severing his connection to CyberLife's monitoring program.'

"Can you help him?"

'I can try. Bring him to New Jericho Tower, we can run a more extensive diagnostic on his system.'

"Yeah, I'll be there within the hour. Thanks Markus." Hank ended the call and slipped the phone into his pocket. "Okay Connor, we're going to take a little trip and get you fixed up."

Hank grabbed his shoes and his coat from by the front door as he pocketed his car keys. Quickly slipping on his shoes Hank threw his coat on over his arms and returned to where Connor was laying on the floor.

Taking a firm grip on Connor's arm Hank bent down and pulled Connor up and over his shoulders into a "fireman's carry" to get Connor outside and into the backseat of the car parked in the drive beside the house. Laying Connor down across the backseat as carefully as possible Hank pulled his car keys from his pocket and slammed the door shut.

"You couldn't get sick during a workday, could ya'?" Hank grumbled as he sat behind the wheel and turned over the engine. "Typical bullshit..."

The drive to New Jericho Tower only took about twenty minutes, but with Connor unresponsive and quiet the entire trip the journey felt more like twenty days. Passing down the lone drive that led to and away from the tower Hank's car was permitted to pass by security without any questions asked as both Connor and Hank were given special clearance by Markus when they aided him in the refurbishment of the tower.

"Almost there." Hank told himself and Connor as he passed over the lowered barricade and neared the front of the tower. The detective could see Markus waiting out front with Josh at his side. There was a type of gurney sitting between the two deviant androids as they prepared to take care of Connor. "And it looks like you're getting the special treatment."

Pulling up in front of the tower Hank parked the car and stepped out just as Markus opened the backseat door to look down at Connor. Markus ran a quick scan over the unconscious deviant android and looked back at Josh over his shoulder. "His ventilation program is running at fifty percent power."

"We'll take cooling measures." Josh replied as he watched Markus awkwardly yet easily slip his arms under Connor's shoulders and legs to lift the malfunctioning deviant android out of the backseat and onto the awaiting gurney. "I'll let Simon know."

Hank followed as Markus and Josh wheeled the gurney supporting Connor's body inside the tower and to the elevator at the far end of the main lobby.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?" The senior detective asked as he followed protectively after his unconscious partner.

Markus nodded his head slowly. "I have a hunch. We've seen other late model deviants suffering from a similar condition after CyberLife went offline."

"Is it serious?"

"It can be." Markus confirmed as they entered the elevator and descended through the tower to Sublevel fifty-one. "But it if he's only just begun to suffer from this condition then it's very likely we can correct the error before it does any permanent damage to his programs."

The elevator quickly reached its destination deep beneath the tower with the four occupants in tow. The elevator doors opened and granted the group access to the floor where an android emergency repair bay had been created to protect all deviants and androids who sought shelter in the tower.

"Over here." Markus directed the gurney over to the large exam table in the center of the room where Simon was already waiting. "We'll run a quick diagnostic to confirm our suspicions."

"But Connor already did that." Hank reminded the three deviant androids as they carefully lifted Connor from the gurney and transferred him over to the examination table. "He didn't find anything wrong."

"Right, but his diagnostic program was connected to CyberLife. Without the connection the program can't run properly, which means his problem may in fact be the diagnostic program itself."

"Huh, sounds cruelly ironic." Hank observed as he stood by the table and looked down at Connor. "That's just like a cold corporation to find a way to screw someone over, even after going out of business..."

Simon turned on a special modem designed to run the same type of diagnostic program that androids can perform on themselves, but the modem was designed to keep permanent records of every android in the tower in the event of an emergency.

"This will only take a minute." Simon told Hank as he took a long black cable attached to the modem and placed the other end against Connor's L.E.D., and began running the diagnostic. "This will find the problem for us."

Connor's L.E.D. flashed from red to yellow under the cable, then back to red once the program finished running.

"Well?" Hank asked impatiently as Simon examined the results recorded in the modem's display screen.

"We in fact found the problem. His Thirium needs to be replaced." Simon announced worriedly as he analyzed the results. "All of it."

"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" Hank didn't like the sound of replacing the entirety of Connor's blood without knowing the reason why. "You're going to replace his blood?"

Markus stepped up to explain things to the worried senior detective. "Thirium can become contaminated if a bad batch gets through the supply line. Connor must've been exposed to a contaminated batch without knowing it."

Hank gave Markus an approving glance as all the pieces fell into place. "Two days ago Connor received a fresh cycle of Thirium, as did the other androids at the precinct. It wasn't long after that he started to feel unwell."

"Simon," Markus looked to his technician ally with worried eyes as he rolled up the white sleeves of Connor's shirt pass the elbows. "contact the Detroit Police Department and inform them their androids may have been exposed to contaminated Thirium."

"On it." Simon did as he was instructed and prepared a small case for transporting their unaffected Thririum to the precinct to aid the possible affected deviants in need. "I'll update you on the situation when I return."

"This won't look pretty." Josh removed the cable and pressed his fingers to Connor's L.E.D. and pressed his other hand down on Connor's left arm to retract the artificial skin from his plastimetal frame beneath. Sliding open a panel in Connor's arm Josh exposed a line in the limb to access the Thirium coursing through his system. "We'll need to replenish his Thirium as quickly as it's drained."

"How long will that take?" Hank sounded completely unsure about the entire situation.

Markus wheeled a a second, modestly sized machine that was reminiscent to dialysis for human blood, over to the exam table for use. "Maybe an hour."

"What's that machine going to do?"

"It'll examine Connor's Thirium and isolate any contaminants for us to identify as it cleanses his blood and restores it to his system."

Josh attached a tube from the machine to the exposed line in Connor's arm and fastened it into place with an audible 'click'. "Ready?"

Markus took a second tube from the machine and exposed the same line in Connor's opposite arm. As he attached the second tube he nodded to Josh to confirm everything was set. "Ready."

With a cybernetic command the machine turned on with a low, rhythmic hum and in a matter of seconds the tube in Connor's left arm turned dark blue as Connor's Thirium was extracted from his system to be cleansed by the machine, and replaced to his body through the second tube into his right arm.

Watching the blue blood cycle through the machine made Hank feel sick to his stomach. It wasn't the sight of the blood itself that upset him, it was the memory of seeing a very similar machine hooked up to his own son, Cole, as he laid dying in the hospital bed three years ago that really affected him. Hank watched with unspoken worry as the machine did its rather macabre work to save Connor from remaining in a state of unconsciousness due to an error in his program.

Markus could see the fear in Hank's eyes and decided to speak with him in private. "Josh, can you double-check our supplies and make sure none of our Thirium came from the same contaminated batch?"

"Yeah, no problem." Josh took the hint and left the room to give his allies a sense of privacy. "I'll be back a few minutes."

"Hank." Markus addressed the senior detective with a kind and calm tone. "He's going to be okay. You got him here pretty quick, and we've had androids affected for a lot longer than him pull through just fine."

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. I just... Seeing him hooked up to a machine just brings back some pretty dark memories for me."

"Your son?"

"Yeah." Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder as the machine continued to cleanse his Thirium effectively. "Both of them."

Hearing Hank referring to Connor as his 'son' made Markus smile. It was amazing how similar yet completely different Hank was compared to Carl, but the kindness in their hearts spoke volumes of their character despite their outward disposition saying otherwise. They both carried a relatively gruff facade that concealed hearts of gold, and only those who were fortunate enough to get close to them got to see that very heart beating loud and proud.

The red L.E.D. in Connor's temple suddenly flashed to a yellow illumination as Connor's eyes began to open slowly. Lifting up his head he glanced about confusedly and only stopped when he felt a steady pressure against the center of his chest.

"Connor? Can you hear me?" Hank put his hand down against Connor's chest to push him back down against the table as the deviant android tried to sit up fully. "Hey, don't move, relax. Markus figured out the problem and we're getting you fixed up."

Connor's brow furrowed slightly as he looked down at his arms and saw his Thirium being cycled through an exterior machine beside him. "Thirium contamination." He realized with a heavy grimace on his face. "Damn it..."

Markus smiled a little at the very human response from his deviant android friend and reassured him with an honest voice. "Like Hank said, we're getting you fixed up and you'll be just fine. It'll be over in an hour."

"Thanks, Markus." Connor sighed and laid back down as he still felt tired and wanted to rest. "Was anyone else affected?"

"No, at least not yet. Simon is taking fresh Thirium to your precinct at this moment in case other androids were affected, and Josh is checking our inventory to make sure no tainted Thirium was placed in our own storage."

"That's good." Feeling much more like himself Connor looked at Hank with a slightly mischievous grin and his previously dull eyes lit up "I told you there was something wrong with me."

...next story...