After bringing Connor back home to rest the day before Hank had carried Connor into the house and placed him in the bed to continue to recover in peace and quiet. The android was in the thirty-ninth hour of a deep sleep, his rest mode still trying to compensate for the horrific damage he had suffered to his heart three nights prior. The catastrophic injury he suffered as well as the emergency repairs he endured after being rushed to New Jericho Tower had drained him of his strength. His systems were functioning on low power mode as his self-healing program worked to recalibrate the repaired Thirium pump still gratefully beating away in his chest.
Standing in the dimly lit doorway of the bedroom Hank watched as his partner slept peacefully in the large bed beneath a thick brown quilt, with Sumo stretched out over the foot of the bed. Connor seemed very peaceful and human as he wore a plain black t-shirt instead of his work shirt. Slowly his head lolled slightly to the right against the pillow and easily smothered out the low blue glow of the L.E.D. in his right temple. The lack of light only emphasized his human appearance.
From the doorway Hank could see Connor slowly breathing and that his face was peaceful; no pain or distress on his face. Despite the reassurance from Lucas and Markus that Connor would make a full recovery before the week was over the detective couldn't help but worry for the android's health. It was a close call, Connor had nearly died from the wound and no one believed that he'd be able to survive. But he overcame the odds and persevered thanks to some clever ingenuity by Lucas himself.
Sumo suddenly lifted his head up from the bed and looked over at Connor. The St. Bernard's ears twitched as if he could hear something that Hank could not.
"Something wrong, boy?" Hank asked in a whisper as to not disturb Connor's sleep. Creeping into the bedroom Hank leaned over the bed and watched Connor more closely. It was then he saw that Connor's chest wasn't rising or falling anymore, and Hank felt a chill shoot up his spine. "...Son?"
Remaining calm Hank gently placed his hand down on the center of Connor's chest, his fear abating once he felt Connor's heart still thrumming under his palm. Shortly thereafter Connor took another breath and resumed a normal rate of artificial respiration. The android's eyes never opened and his rest mode never disabled.
"Fuck. Even in your sleep you can scare me." Hank quietly lamented as he retracted his hand from Connor's chest. Looking over at Sumo, who was still watching over the android, Hank rubbed the dog's ears as needed to reassure Sumo as well as himself. "He's okay."
Sumo let out a deep yawn before resting is chin back down atop his massive paws and settling down on the bed to sleep once more.
Creeping back out of the bedroom Hank shook his head at himself. "Man, I haven't had to check on a sleeping kid in years. And I still hate it..."
Exhausted himself from his own lack of consistent sleep and emotional distress Hank resided to himself on the couch with his feet kicked up on the coffee table and an untouched mug of coffee gripped in his hand. As he leaned back against the couch cushions Hank's eyes began to drift closed steadily, and was on the verge of his much needed sleep when a soft knock at the front door awoke him once more.
"Who the hell is that?" The detective asked himself as he put his mug down on the coffee table. Standing up from the couch he walked over to the front door and pulled it open only to find two unexpected but welcome visitors. "Lucas, Markus, what brings you by?"
Markus replied politely and kept his voice low as to not draw any unwanted attention from possibly nosy neighbors. "We're not intruding, are we?"
"No, no. You two are always welcome here. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."
Lucas was trying to conceal the support brace around his left arm beneath his jacket as he stood at the front door next to Markus. "I wanted to check in and monitor Connor's progress. Can we come in?"
"Yeah, sure." Hank stepped back and let the two deviants into the house. Closing the door quietly Hank motioned to the hallway and pointed Lucas in the right direction. "Bedroom at the end of the hall."
"Thank you." Lucas walked alone down the hallway while Hank reached out an arm to keep Markus from following.
"So, Markus," Hank gave the deviant a suspicious but lighthearted glance as he lowered his voice. "why is his arm in a sling?"
Lucas pushed open the already partially opened door to Connor's bedroom and crept inside the room to check on his recovering 'older brother'. As the android approached Connor with a calm demeanor Sumo raised his hand and gave a puzzled whimper as he watched Lucas curiously. Sumo had never met Lucas before and was now perplexed as to why there were suddenly two Connor's in one area.
The confusion was mutual as Lucas had never seen a dog before, and was unsure at how to approach the massive, but gentle animal.
"Uh... hello." Lucas noticed the massive dog watching him and decided to acknowledge Sumo directly. Reaching out his right hand toward Sumo very slowly Lucas let the dog take in his scent and recognize his movements as non-violent. "I'm here to help Connor."
Though seemingly still confused by the second Connor standing in the room Sumo laid his head back down and watched as Lucas sat on the edge of the bed to examine the real Connor.
"Are we... friends?" The tentative android asked Sumo and received a gentle wag of the tail in response. "I will take that as a positive sign."
Pulling an audioscope from the right pocket of his jacket Lucas somewhat clumsily placed the ear pieces in place with just one hand then pulled the quilt down from Connor's chest. Pressing the bell of the audioscope against the black fabric of the t-shirt over Connor's repaired heart Lucas listened intently to the Thirium pump thrumming in perfect rhythm as it should.
Connor never reacted to Lucas sitting beside him or to the sensation of something being pressed down, albeit lightly, against his chest.
"Normal rhythm. No faltering." Lucas commented with a relived grin as he reacted the audioscope and awkwardly pulled it from his ears to place back into his pocket. Placing his hand against the right side of Connor's face he tilted Connor's head to the left slightly to examine the L.E.D. cycling a healthy blue on Connor's temple. Next Lucas pressed his fingers against the L.E.D. and cybernetically connected to Connor's system's vital readings for a more thorough examination. "Thirium volume holding at one-hundred percent, core temperature nominal, Thirium pump rate at sixty-two beats per minute and respiration at fourteen. Full system reboot estimated in in six hours, thirteen minutes, fifty-four seconds."
Satisfied that Connor was completely stable and recovering at a steady clip Lucas pulled the quilt back up over Connor's chest and rose from the bed steadily. Passing by the foot of the bed Lucas paused and gently put his right hand on Sumo's head. As lightly pet the massive dog's ears Sumo's tail wagged harder and he seemingly approved of the second android before Lucas exited from the bedroom.
Hank was standing with Markus in the livingroom speaking with the deviant leader when Lucas return. The detective's arms were crossed over his chest and he was giving Lucas an odd look from where he stood. "So... what's with your arm?"
Lucas immediately froze and looked over to Markus who just gave him an indifferent glance. Returning to look at Hank with mild fear Lucas told him the truth. "I used circuitry from my left arm to repair and replace the damaged circuits in Connor's Thirium pump."
"Uh-huh. And why didn't you say anything about it after Connor pulled through?"
"Because... I..."
"You risked your own well being in the process, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes."
"Don't worry about it, Lucas." Hank let his arms drop away from his chest casually. "You did what you had to in order to save Connor. No one's mad at you."
"You're not?"
"No. We just wish you had told someone of your little idea before you performed a self-mutilating surgery on yourself."
"...I'm sorry."
Hank just waved it off and smirked as Lucas shared much of Connor's shy personality. "How's you arm holding up?"
"My... strength has diminished as have my reflexes. But in time my remaining circuitry will recalibrate for what I've lost and I will regain full use of my arm."
"And how's Connor doing?"
"Stable. He will awaken in six hours, nine minutes and twenty four seconds."
"So, his heart is functioning correctly?"
"Yes." Lucas confirmed with a confident nod of his head. "His self-healing program has accepted the replacement circuitry with no sign of rejection. The required recalibration is responsible for his slow recovery rate and why he is still unconscious."
"What about..." Hank was still righteously worried for the android's health. "Is there any other problems that could happen?"
Lucas gave Hank a concerned and confused stare. "What do you mean?"
"Last night I went to check in on him to make sure he was still... well... alive. And he stopped breathing for a few seconds. Is that normal?"
Markus stepped forward and clapped his hand on Hank's shoulder lightly. "Artificial respiration in androids is used solely to prevent our internal core temperature from overheating. If he stopped breathing for a few seconds, especially since he's already in low power mode as well as rest mode, his core temperature is going to remain cool without the need for constant respiration."
Hank was genuinely relieved to hear that. "Okay, that's good to know. I'm not being paranoid about him then."
Lucas smiled a little as he looked down at his left hand resting in the support at his side and flexed his fingers a little. "I should get back to New Jericho and run some tests on my arm." Returning his gaze to Hank the reformed android nodded in respect. "If you need anything don't hesitate to contact us."
"Yeah, thanks for coming by." Hank appreciatively patted Lucas's arm as the android passed him by. "And, the same goes to you guys. If you need anything call me or Connor. We'll be there for you."
Hank found himself dozing lightly on the couch for several hours after Lucas and Markus had stopped by to check in on Connor. Unwilling to return to his bedroom to sleep, at least not until Connor had finally woken up, the stubborn detective rested while fully stretched out on the couch with his eyes closed and his head propped up under his arm as he found the urge to sleep.
A sudden 'thump' followed by clicking along the hardwood floor in Connor's bedroom drew Hank's attention as Sumo had finally jumped off the bed and was now happily trotting down the hallway and into the livingroom. Pushing himself upright from where he was laying Hank looked over the back of the couch and caught sight of the blue colored L.E.D. in Connor's temple as the android slowly walked down the hallway toward the livingroom.
Connor's footsteps were shaking, uncertain and slow. The android looked confused and lethargic, but he was determined to move about and find Hank.
"Connor, 'bout time you got up." Hank commented dryly as he himself rose from the couch to greet the now conscious android at the end of the hallway. "How do you feel?"
Connor's brow was furrowed slightly as he pressed his left hand over his chest, his right hand gripped over his left forearm just below the wrist. "I feel... strange." As he stopped walking at the end of the hallway he swayed a little on his face, threatening to lose his balance entirely and fall over. "I also feel tired."
Hank quickly reached up and put his hands on Connor's shoulders to hold his steady where he stood. "Whoa, whoa. What do you mean 'strange'? Are you sick? Should I call New Jericho?"
"No. I'm not ill." Connor shook his head a little as he spoke. Slowly he lowered his hand from his chest but kept his other hand clutched around his arm. "I'm experiencing a new... I guess the most accurate word would be 'sensation'."
"What's going on? Talk to me." Hank pulled on Connor's arms to prompt the android to take a step forward. Lightly Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder to support the unsteady android as he walked over to the couch to sit down. "Please tell me you're not going into some kind of rejection to those new circuits."
"No. My system has recalibrated my Thirium pump to accommodate the more advanced circuitry." Connor sat down slowly on the couch and Hank sat down beside him. "It's not my heart that feels different. Releasing his hand he rested his arm atop his lap and began flexing his hand. "It's my... arm."
"Your arm?" Hank looked down at the limb curiously. There was no sign of damage or structural modifications. "Seems normal to me."
"I'm aware that Lucas had taken circuitry from his own system to repair the damaged circuits in my own system. Do you know which circuits he had used?"
Hank's own brow began to furrow. "Yeah. He took it from his arm."
Connor's L.E.D. flashed to yellow for a moment as he failed to get an answer for his question.
"Hey, hey, you're okay." Hank insisted calmly as he grabbed Connor's arm to 'look' at it as a means of keeping his partner from getting too worked up. "Lucas and Markus were both here a few hours ago, they checked in on you and you're perfectly stable."
The yellow transitioned back into blue as Connor did begin to relax a little. "Could you do me a favor?"
"Sure. Name it."
"Press your fingers down right here." Connor motioned to a point of interest on his arm just above Hank's grip. "Tell me if something catches your interest."
Flashing Connor an odd look Hank followed the request and pressed his index finger down against Connor's wrist. "If you're really-" Something did catch Hank's attention. Something unexpected. "What... the fuck?"
"You can feel it, too?"
"Connor?" Hank pressed down his two forefingers with additional pressure and noted the unusual motion fluttering beneath his fingertips. "Why do you have a pulse?"
"I... I believe it's an unintended result of the more advanced circuitry from Lucas's programming adapting to my own system. His programming is more advanced than my own, and despite my own sensors being the most advanced ever created by CyberLife they had given Lucas more... 'human'... anatomical responses."
"So... Lucas has human pulse points, and now you do, too?"
"...Correct."
Curious about Connor's claim Hank moved his fingers from the side of Connor's wrist to the side of the android's neck. Sure enough there was a pulse. It was racing as quickly as one might expect for someone who was dealing with a fearful new sensation.
"And... this scares you?"
"I... I'm not supposed to have such functioning constituents. The concept of a palpable pulse beyond that of a heartbeat- the rhythm from my Thirium pump," Connor needlessly corrected himself quickly. "is... worrying."
"How so?" Hank asked as he pulled his hand back and watched his friend sitting beside him lost in the throes of concern.
"Because... my sense of 'touch' feels greatly enhanced. My ability to register 'pain' has increased significantly as well."
"You've endured some pretty nasty wounds in the past," the empathetic detective stated curtly as he leaned back against the couch cushions and crossed his arms. "but I doubt feeling pain to a more extreme degree is going to stop you. You're too damn stubborn for your own good."
"I didn't enjoy the sensation of pain before, Hank. I'm afraid of how much more uncomfortable it will feel now."
"Want to go to New Jericho? Maybe Lucas can undo these changes now that your heart has been repaired."
"No... Adaptation has always been apart of my programming." Connor refuted with confident tone, though a modicum of doubt was still audible in his words. "This will just be a new challenge for me to overcome."
"I'm not surprised you'd say that."
After two additional days of rest and familiarizing himself with his enhanced touch Connor was ready to return to the precinct. While he had become more fond of petting Sumo, the dog's thick fur suddenly very soft beneath his palm, other objects were unsettling for him to grasp. The act of reaching for his gun had given him unexpected pause and made him wary of any potential fieldwork. While aware that guns were heavy, cold hunks of metal, Connor hadn't realized exactly how heavy and how cold the metal felt in his grip until after his sensors had been enhanced.
The same with the brutally cold chill of the spring rain settling in the air. Annoyingly late spring snow falling against his artificial skin was markedly colder than it had been before. Harsh gusts of wind seemed to cut into his skin like a knife, and made him shy away from the cold altogether. Reaching for a cold metal car door handle already sheathed in ice was just as unpleasant as the raw snow and seemed to hurt his skin as a result.
"How're you feeling?" Hank asked as he turned up the music on the radio before he adjusted the heat in the car slightly. Connor sat down beside him in the front an flexed his hands anxiously. "Too hot? Too cold?"
Connor stared out the front windshield as he danced his coin about his fingertips casually. It was the first time he truly felt every ridge on the sides of the coin, how cool the metal was against his skin, and he could feel the metal of the coin steadily increasing in temperature from its prolonged exposure to his touch.
"I'm... comfortable."
"Hell of a time to gain a boost in your senses, Connor. Horrible cold, deafening wind, slick ice. By next week this damn snow will finally move on and we can have a warmer spring. Fuck, we'll probably end up with a stifling summer now, too."
"This wasn't something I had anticipated happening." Connor flipped the coin up high with the flick of his thumb and caught gracefully in the palm of his hand. The quarter was already quite warm and it felt good in his grasp. "It's been a very interesting experience."
"Can you do anything to mellow it out? Even for a few minutes?"
"No." The android admitted as he resumed dancing the coin over his fingertips rhythmically. "I cannot reduce the sensitivity of my senses without shutting them off entirely. And as you can imagine having all of my senses functioning is crucial to my work."
"Yup. I know exactly what you mean."
Connor's fingers twitched causing him to drop the coin under the front seats. "...Should I refrain from work until I know the full extent of my senses?"
"Take my word on this, son. You'll never know the full extent of your senses. Ever."
As Connor awkwardly fished his coin out from under the seats he became uncomfortably aware of all the clutter that had collected beneath from months, if not years of neglect: old wrappers, crumbs, ticket stubs and a few wads of chewing gum tucked inside paper littered the floor.
"Hank..." Connor retrieved his coin and wiped his hand off against the side of his jeans, then resumed fidgeting with the quarter in his hand. "I think one of us should clean out the car."
"Uh-huh." Hank suddenly snatched the coin from Connor's hand and tucked it into the front pocket of his coat. "And you should find a reak hobby. Stop fiddling with that damn coin all the time. It's annoying."
"Sorry, Hank."
It didn't take long for the two detectives to find themselves working through a dangerous case revolving around deviant activity. While the deviant in question hadn't shown any aggressive tendencies toward humans, it had proven itself to be a dangerous thief who wasn't afraid to destroy anything it came across in order to escape with his stolen good.
Unfortunately for the deviant the original responding officer was Gavin, along with Chris. Gavin had aggravated the deviant into a violent episode and had taken into hiding within the confines of a junkyard to elude the police.
"Shit. This is going to take forever!" Hank lamented as he and Connor pulled up in the car in front of the junkyard. "Head East, I'll go West. We might be able to corner the deviant and take him in without incident."
"Hank..." The android clutched his hands into tight fists, his hands trembling with fear where he sat as his L.E.D. flashed yellow in color. "I'm not sure I can do this. At least not yet."
"Then stay here." Hank encouraged as he opened his door to exit the vehicle. "If you aren't ready to handle this then don't risk it. Just keep me posted if you see anything unusual, and if you see Gavin point him in my direction."
"...Okay." Connor hated to let Hank go in search of a potentially deviant without him, but he was admittedly too frightened to be of much use. "I'll report if I see the deviant."
"Good. Stay here."
Obediently Connor stayed in the front of the car and watched as Hank ducked down slightly to walk between the massive stacks of metallic debris without drawing any unwanted attention from deviant lurking unseen in the junkyard. As Hank drew his gun and kept the barrel pointed at the ground before him Connor thought about his own gun and how it suddenly felt strange to hold.
With that sense of dread came a sense of self-doubt.
Wanting to avoid as many uncomfortable sensation as possible Connor kept his hands firmly planted atop his legs to avoid making contact with anything unpleasant.
It didn't Hank long to locate the deviant through the expansive mess. The sound of clattering metal accompanying frantically running steps gave away the fleeing suspects immediate location. Raising his gun Hank stepped into a large aisle between the towering stacks of smashed cars and located the deviant with his back pressed up against a pile of metal.
"Hold it! Detroit Police." The deviant no longer had his L.E.D., but the enraged glare in his gray tinted eyes told Hank everything he needed to know about the state of mind the suspect was currently in. "Put your hands in the air. You're under arrest."
Slowly the deviant raised his hands, revealing he wasn't armed, and placed them behind his head.
"Turn around." Hank commanded as he took a step forward. "Slowly."
The deviant turned around fully, presenting his back to the detective as ordered.
"On your knees."
Keeping his motions slow and calculated, the deviant rested on his knees until Hank got closer to where he knelt. As soon as he felt Hank standing directly behind him the deviant spun around quickly and grabbed onto Hank's arm and snapped the human's wrist backward forcing Hank to drop the gun on the snowy ground as the strength in his hand failed.
"Son of a bitch!" Hank swore as the deviant disarmed him and rushed him in a flash of a few seconds.
The deviant got behind Hank and kicked the detective in his the back causing him to fall forward on the slippery ground. The detective was unable to regain his balance and was left prone to the attacking deviant as he fell to his stomach, and quickly rolled to his side.
"Back the fuck off!" Hank shouted as he tried to get up to his feet but the deviant put his foot down on the center of Hank's back and forced him to lay on his stomach in the snow again.
Hostile and desperate to get away the deviant reached into the crumpled hood of one of the nearby cars and pulled a bundle of wires free from the mangled engine. Pulling the wires taut the deviant slipped the thick cables around Hank's neck and began to pull back with all of his strength. Hank's hands, one still strong and the other weak, began to try to pull the constricting cables away from his throat but he couldn't get his fingers between the tightening wires and his neck.
"Con-" Hank wheezed desperately as he felt his strength waning from his entire body. Darkness encroached on the corners of his vision and his ears began to ring loudly. "...Con...nor."
Still enraged by Gavin's behavior earlier the deviant began dragging Hank backward toward the tower of crunched metal as he continued to strangle the disarmed detective. Climbing backward and oddly up onto the tower, the metal structure swaying and creaking under the added weight, the deviant looped the cables through jagged metal and deviant secured the end of the suffocating wires to the debris to effectively hang the detective out of a unnecessarily cruel act of misplaced hatred.
From the car Connor noted a disturbance in the tower of cars and scanned the area from where he sat. The deviant rushed out of the aisle from where he had attacked Hank and almost ran directly into Gavin as the hotheaded Sergeant finally caught up in the pursuit of the deviant. Connor's brow furrowed as he watched Gavin chase after the deviant without any sign of Hank in pursuit.
"Hank?" Opening the car door Connor stepped out into the icy cold and immediately shuddered in response. Wrapping his gray jacket tightly around his chest Connor crossed his arms over himself to stave off the merciless cold. As he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, the friction induced heat causing his L.E.D. to flash between yellow and blue as he endured the cold, he began a search for his missing partner.
Walking down the aisle from whence the deviant had fled Connor scanned the area and noted the disturbances in the snow, as well as the mildly swaying metal of the stacks of cars that created the aisle itself. Something in Connor's program, his instinct, told him that something was very wrong.
"Hank?" Venturing deeper into the aisle Connor continued his search for his missing partner. "Hank? Are you-"
It was then that Connor felt something in his heart that was colder than the winter that surrounded him as his eyes drifted up and locked onto the sight Hank hanging limp against the stack of cars. A reflex scan over Hank's body told Connor everything he didn't want know: no sign of consciousness, no pulse, no respiration.
"HANK?!"
Connor rushed over to where his partner was hanging s quickly as he could move. Putting his shoulder under the heels of Hank's shoes Connor tried to muscle his partner's body upward enough to loosen the cables around Hank's throat, but they were already too tight. Hank's face was horribly pale and his lips were already turning blue; but whether it was from suffocation or the cold Connor couldn't be certain.
"Come on, Hank! Take a breath!"
Grabbing onto the stinging ice cold of the metal cars Connor began to climb the stack as he made his way up to the cables to wrest them free of the cars.
Gavin, having heard Connor's frantic shouting, walked back down the aisle with the deviant in handcuffs. "What the fuck!?"
"Gavin!" Connor pleaded as he struggled and failed to free Hank by himself. "I can't get him loose!"
"Fuck!" Gavin swore again as he took a second pair of handcuffs and slapped one cuff around the deviant's wrist, and secured the second cuff to a nearby door frame of a car to keep him from getting away again. "Shit! Hold on!"
Connor initiated another scan to check for possible internal damage to Hank's cerebral spinal column or spinal chord: No internal damage. "Neck is stable, but he can't breathe!"
Gavin ran over to Hank and took his weight from Connor's shoulders. As he lessened the strain against the cables he pulled a pocketknife from the back of his jeans and held it out and up toward Connor. "Use this."
Reaching down with one hand Connor took the offered tool and flipped out the blade with a flick of the wrist. As his hand tightened around the metal hilt of the knife Connor raised it up toward the cable behind Hank's head and began cutting through the restraining wires with precise motions. As the cables severed free from around Hank's neck Connor pocketed the knife quickly and managed to press his hand up against Hank's chest to keep him from falling forward in a limp heap.
"He's free!" Connor shouted as he awkwardly began climbing down with one hand, the other still supporting Hank's body as much as possible. "Get him down!"
"I got him!" Gavin replied as he wrapped one arm around Hank's legs and let the detective fall limp over his shoulder. Kneeling down on the snow Gavin lowered Hank from his shoulder and laid him flat on the ground. Pressing his fingers against the side of Hank's neck the lack of activity set Gavin on edge. "Shit, shit, shit!"
Connor practically leapt down from the stack of cars and slid on his knees beside Hank. "Gavin?"
"I can't find a pulse, and he isn't breathing."
"Call for an ambulance!" Connor commanded as he cybernetically made the call himself before he carefully straightened Hank's neck and pressed his fingers against the carotid artery. Carefully Connor lifted up Hank's eyelids and stared at the distant gaze in Hank's blue irises. Just as his scanner had shown and as Gavin had previously noted; no pulse. Pulling open Hank's coat and the bright blue shirt beneath Connor rested the palm of his hand flat atop Hank's chest and felt no respiration. "Beginning C.P.R.!"
"You what?!" Gavin blurted as he fumbled for the phone in his pocket, and was shoved roughly aside by Connor as he assessed his partner's condition. "You can do that?"
Placing one hand over top of the other and interlacing his fingers together Connor squared his shoulders and began pressing downward with a single combined fist on the center of Hank's stilled chest over his motionless heart. Using perfect rhythm Connor compressed Hank's chest rapidly and firmly as he tried to force the stopped heart back into motion.
"Shit." Gavin swore again as he stepped back and called for an ambulance, and confirmed their location to dispatch.
"Please Hank." Connor begged as counted the compressions without breaking stride.
Hank's heart and entire body remained unresponsive beneath Connor's hands as the android tried to revive his fallen partner. The lack of motion beneath Connor's palms was as unsettling as the stinging cold against his skin as he endured the harsh weather in favor of saving his friend's life.
"Come on, Hank." There was still no response from Hank's heart, but a faint 'crack' was heard and felt under his hands as the compressions had resulted in at least one fractured rib. Refusing to stop even for a second, refusing to give up on his partner, Connor continued the compressions without hesitation. "Come on..."
Gavin crouched down beside Hank and watched silently as Connor fought to revive the detective.
Running another scan over Hank's body Connor felt his his fear rising with every pass of second that Hank remained lifeless under his hands. "Come on Hank!" Reeling back his arm Connor slammed one fist down in the center of Hank's chest in a desperate bid to try to jumpstart Hank's heart before beginning another round of compressions. "Hank!"
The deviant watched the scene unfold from where he was cuffed and began to sneer, almost laughing at the endeavor.
Gavin took notice and shouted at the captured deviant. "Shut your fuckin' mouth, asshole! You'll be lucky if you don't fuckin' torn into pieces on the way to your goddamn cell!" Quieting his voice Gavin shook his head a little and addressed Connor in a surprisingly calm, sympathetic voice. "Connor... It's too late."
"No." Connor continued the compressions without ever looking away from Hank toward Gavin.
"Connor!" Yelling to try to get the android's attention Gavin was beginning to lose what was left of his already short patience. "Even if you can restart his heart he's probably going to end going through life with some fuckin' form of brain damage!"
"No!"
"Connor!" Gavin stood up and began pacing around angrily behind the android. "Who the fuck knows how long he was up there without breathin'? His brain's toast!"
"The cold!" Connor remarked sharply as he continued compressions. "The cold can preserve organic tissues against decaying damage, including brain tissue. I can't-"
"He's already gone, Connor."
Connor reeled back his fist again and again, each time was seemingly a fruitless endeavor as he struck Hank's chest to try to restart his heart. "Hank?" As he began shouting tears formed in Connor's eyes and threatened to fall at any second. "Come on, Hank! COME ON!"
A weak gasp escaped Hank's lips as his heart began fluttering into motion under Connor's hands at long last.
"H-Hank?!" Connor's voice was shaking in relief as he stopped the compressions and put his hand under Hank's head. The ice and snow that clung to Hank's gray locks began to melt in Connor's palm. Placing his other hand down against Hank's chest Connor felt the fractured ribs near the center of the detective's chest as well as his struggling breaths. "...Hank. Keep breathing."
"Holy shit." Gavin looked down at the revived detective in absolute shock. "It fuckin' worked."
Hank took in another weak gasp before he began taking in deep, slow breaths. His heart falling into a steady rhythm as life returned to his body.
Ambulance sirens and lights encroached on the junkyard as medical help mercifully arrived.
"Hank? Look at me." Connor asked as he lifted Hank's eyelids again. The blue irises remained unfocused and glassy. "You're going to be okay."
Connor reluctantly took his hand from Hank's head as he shrugged off his gray jacket and draped the garment over Hank's body. Replacing his hand beneath Hank's head he supported the detective up from the snowy ground and did his best to keep him warm until the paramedics could place him onto the gurney and load him into the back of the warmer ambulance for transport.
"You'll be okay, Hank. I'll take care of you."
Watching as the paramedics arrived Connor felt his hands growing cold from the snow as he supported Hank's head and chest in a gentle grip.
"...I promise that I'll help you."
Shivering noticeably from where he stood outside the recovery room in the hospital Connor watched through the observation window as a doctor shined a penlight into Hank's eyes. The detective hadn't yet regained consciousness but his vitals were holding strong. Recovering quietly in private room Hank was unaware of the people gathering outside his room out of sheer concern for his well being.
Connor stood idly silent as he waited for any sign of change from his partner when a nurse sheepishly addressed him, his gray jacket was draped over her arm.
"Excuse me, Connor?"
Slowly turning his head to look at the nurse his L.E.D. flashed from yellow to red briefly as he recognized her. She was the nurse he had aided one month back. The nurse who hated androids and kept him from boarding the doomed helicopter before it crashed. Nurse Sophist.
"Yes?" Connor replied hesitantly as he forced himself to make eye contact with the human.
"You look like you could use this." Her voice was surprisingly sweet and kind as she handed the jacket back to the android. "You're freezing."
"...Yes." Connor's trembling hand reached out and accepted the offered garment. Slipping it back on his arms and over his shoulders Connor felt slightly warmer, but continued to rub his hands up and down his arms to generate additional heat. "Thank you."
"Uh, what you did for me..." the nurse showed her change of heart toward androids as she spoke up. "I just wanted to say... thank you."
"...You're welcome."
"And," she continued shamefully. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
Connor's brow furrow slightly at the apology. "For what?"
"For my behavior. I was treating you like a second-class citizen and I wrong to do so. You saved my life despite the way I behaved and I can't begin to tell you how appreciative I am. So, I'm sorry for being such a bitch, and thank you for saving my life."
A small smile appeared than disappeared from Connor's face as he looked away from the nurse with unspoken gratitude. "You're welcome." The red tinted L.E.D. transitioned back to yellow as he felt a modicum of relief. "I'm glad you're okay."
Leaving Connor alone the nurse went about her rounds while the android remained vigil outside the recovery room. Gavin and Captain Fowler joined Connor in the corridor and looked in at the resting detective through the window.
"I just spoke to the neurologist," Fowler stated somewhat blandly. "there's a high chance that Hank will be suffering from some minor memory impairment when he wakes up."
"Memory impairment?" Connor's L.E.D. flashed back to red with concern. "...Did I hurt him? Am I-"
"No, Connor. It's caused by 'anoxia' from having his air cut off for so long." Fowler cut in sharply before Connor had the chance to blame himself. "They're starting him on a drug called 'Memantine' to help prevent any permanent memory loss or cognitive function. Fortunately, about five years ago there was a major breakthrough in the treatment of memory loss in people suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. The doctor's are hopeful that this treatment will reverse the memory loss quickly before it becomes permanent."
Connor's L.E.D. remained red as he watched Hank through the window. "Permanent?"
"Try not to worry about it, Connor. He'll be a confused for the next couple days, but he'll be fine. I'll go check in with his doctor." Fowler volunteered as he walked down the corridor. "I'll see if we can speak with Hank, soon."
As Fowler walked away Connor glanced over at Gavin who looked as concerned as Connor's felt. Reaching into his pocket Connor reclaimed the pocketknife that Gavin had given him earlier and handed it back to the Sergeant. "Here. Thanks for helping."
Gavin accepted the knife and pocketed it quickly. "Whatever..."
After four excruciatingly long hours of waiting for Hank to finally wake up, waiting for the doctors to finish running their tests on his vital signs and his memory, waiting for Fowler to get done speaking with Hank; Connor was allowed to enter the room to check in on his partner. As he stepped through the doorway Fowler stepped out and he pushed Connor back a few paces to speak to him in private.
"Connor, listen... Hank... He doesn't remember you." The tone of his voice was low yet spoke volumes. "The last memory that he has of you is the interrogation room after your first case together."
"He..." Connor's L.E.D. cycled red rapidly. "Everything we had accomplished after that night... It's gone?"
"Yeah." Fowler confirmed with an awkward bite at his lower lip. "I told him about the android revolution and of your continued partnership, but, if he doesn't remember anything he won't act as you've come to know him."
Nodding subtly Connor mentally steeled himself for what he was about to encounter. "I understand."
"I'm not so sure you do." Fowler placed his hand on Connor's shoulder as he passed the android by to let him finally enter the room. "Don't take anything he might say personally. Give him time to heal and remember."
Connor peered through the doorway at his partner and ran a scan to assess the environment as well as Hank's condition. The detective was fully conscious and showed no other ill effects from being hanged other than his memory loss, and some fresh purple tinted bruises that encircled his throat.
Hank was laying in the bed propped up slightly with a nasal canula giving him fresh oxygen to breathe. A splint was wrapped around his right hand courtesy of the deviant breaking his wrist, while an I.V. of the Memantine as well as a gentle painkiller had been placed in his left arm. A pack of ice was pressed against the center of his chest to help numb the fractured ribs he had suffered as a result of the living saving C.P.R. performed by Connor himself.
Taking a moment to prepare himself for what potentially negative or hateful thing Hank might say or do, Connor entered the room with his original 'machine' like facade as he addressed his partner accordingly. "How do you feel, Lieutenant?"
Hank looked over at Connor, his eyes full of disdain and frustration. "It feels like a goddamn machine crushed me. Why the fuck are you here?"
"We're partners." Connor refuted as he expertly masked the sorrow in his voice behind a veil of logic. His L.E.D. was rapidly cycling yellow as he spoke, but he didn't pay any attention to the circle of light betraying his true emotions. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"I'm fine, now get the hell out of here you plastic piece of shit. I don't need you babysitting me."
"...Very well." Connor backed out of the room and returned to the corridor where Fowler was waiting for him. Standing before his Captain with a grimace Connor shook his head in disappointment. "He doesn't recognize me beyond my original assignment."
"I figured as much. Look, Connor," the heaviness in Fowler's voice made Connor visibly straighten with concern. "Hank's going to be sidelined for some time until he recovers, and he's the only detective I feel comfortable partnering you with."
"Captain... I can't just sit around doing nothing while deviant cases begin piling up." Connor sounded like a scolded child as he spoke. "What about Chris?"
"Still out on paternity leave for another three weeks. And there's no way in hell I'm making the mistake of partnering you up with Gavin again." Fowler held up a hand to silence Connor before he even had the chance to ask. "And no one else wants to deal with deviant cases. I'm sorry, but until Hank is cleared for duty again you're going to have to sit out for a while, too."
Knowing better than to try to argue Connor accepted Fowler's decision albeit with a tangible reluctance.
"Why don't you go home for the night and take Hank back home tomorrow morning? Maybe by then his memory will have improved enough that he won't be as hostile toward you."
"That is acceptable. I will head back home, for now." Connor didn't want to leave Hank alone, but Hank wasn't truly the Hank he had befriend during their time together. For now he was leaving a man who wanted to be left alone as just as that; alone. "Please. Contact me if there is any change in his condition."
"I will."
Sitting behind the wheel of Hank's car Connor gazed up at the hospital from the parking lot where he sat and wondered if he should stay just in case Hank's memory returned. It felt wrong to leave his partner behind, but Connor didn't want to say or do anything to accidentally aggravate Hank or stress him out while he was trying to recover.
Turning over the cold metal key in the ignition Connor put both of his hands firmly on the leather steering wheel and pulled the car out of the parking lot onto the somewhat busy street. Unwilling to return to the empty home just yet, unwilling to sit alone and do nothing while Hank was still in the hospital, Connor found himself aimlessly driving through downtown Detroit, his eyes wandering over to various shops and the displays in the windows as if searching for something.
What that something was he couldn't be sure, but he did know that once he found it he there wouldn't be any doubts in his mind.
The warm orange light of a music store suddenly caught Connor's attention. A dozen different guitars were on display in the front windows, as was a large drum set, several electronic keyboards and selection of brass instruments. There was something alluring, if not completely inviting about the place. Something in Connor's programming was thoroughly intrigued by the store; perhaps it was Hank's love of music that drew him in.
Parking along the street Connor began wandering down the snowy sidewalk toward the store that had stolen his full attention unexpectedly. Entering the store Connor found himself alone with the exception of the owner, who was an older man with long, wild gray hair, a gray goatee, small, round blue tinted glasses over his eyes, a black leather vest over his black t-shirt and torn up blue jeans. Various tattoos covered his arms down to his wrists and dotted over his knuckles. Additional tattoos also ran up the sides of his neck to his jawline.
The walls of the store itself were lined with various instruments each displaying various age and artistic beauty. Electric and acoustic guitars were mounted proudly all against the long wall opposite of the counter. Drum sets and keyboards filled the back wall, while violins, cellos, clarinets, flutes, trumpets, trombones, saxophones and other brass instruments were prominently displayed behind the counter.
"Something you need?" The owner asked in an indifferent tone that spoke volumes of his decades of experience dealing with people from all walks of life. "Or just browsin'?"
"Perhaps you can assist me. I'm interested in music." Connor replied with thin confidence in his voice. "But I do not know why I was drawn to this particular store."
The man noted the L.E.D. cycling blue in Connor's temple and shrugged his shoulders a little. "Deviant, huh?"
"...Correct."
Smiling a little the man crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter casually. "You're not the first deviant who's wandered into my shop since the revolution. But you are the first deviant who hasn't torn that damn light from their head."
Connor's fingers pressed against his L.E.D. as the color shifted from blue to yellow.
"Don't worry about it, I was just making an observation. So," the man asked coolly as he took in Connor's overall appearance. "what kind of music are you interested in?"
"Well... I'm not sure."
"But you want to know."
"Correct."
"Let me ask you this, what about music in general holds your interest?"
"It's not so much the music as it's my friend's interest in music." Connor noted Hank's preferred musical genres back home. "He seems to favor heavy metal and jazz."
"But what do you like?"
"Me? I... I do seem to be drawn more to the heavy metal genre. It's full of energy. And I find that energy appealing on a level I don't quite understand."
"That it is, that it is..." The man agreed wholeheartedly. "Spoken like a man with the soul of musician."
"...I have a musician's soul?"
"Sure as shit you do! You're drawn to something you can't understand, you keep pursuing it for a reason you don't have, and you want to know more about it. That's every musician I've ever met."
"So you can assist me?"
"I think I know just what you need."
Connor watched as the man approached the back wall of the store and grabbed onto the neck of a cherry red Fender brand solid body electric guitar. Looking over his shoulder to Connor the man pulled the key from his pocket to release the guitar from its magnetic pegs supporting it against the wall.
"Are you right handed or left?"
"I'm ambidextrous."
"Fuck yeah, you're definitely a born musician." The man laughed again as he turned and presented the guitar to Connor. "Then this is perfect for you-"
"...No." Connor protested for a moment and caused the man to freeze. "Not that one." Pointing to the same guitar two pegs down Connor isolated the one that truly interested him. "The green one."
Smiling broader the man nodded and opened the lock to the emerald green guitar as Connor requested. "Green it is."
"Will I need anything else?" Connor asked as he approached the counter while the man gently sat the guitar down over the counter top for purchase. "A case perhaps?"
"Damn right, you want to keep something this beautiful as pristine as possible." Connor stared at the brilliant shine of the green guitar with a sense of wanting. Connor wanted the guitar, and there was no denying it. "Here's the perfect case for you."
Connor watched as the guitar was placed inside a red velvet lined case of fine black leather. It looked... right.
"I'll throw in some extra strings and a pick for free." Holding up a brand new guitar pick he presented it to Connor with pride. "That'll get ya' started."
"Thank you." Connor accepted and held the silver colored pick in his hand curiously.
"You'll also need an amplifier." The man tagged on casually as he watched Connor's demeanor. "I'll get you one from the back."
Fiddling with the guitar pick between his fingers Connor felt suddenly at ease. It was almost like when he fidgeted with his coin before taking on especially challenging cases or calls. But this time he wasn't anxious, he was excited.
"This will get you pretty good sound," the man explained as he set an amplifier no larger than a basketball down on the counter. A large black cable was attached the amplifier and waiting to be plugged into the guitar resting silently in the case beside it. "and it won't take up too much space. Need any 'how to' guides on reading music?"
"No thank you, I can download the information I need."
"Alright, pay your tab and be on your way." Connor happily reached into his back pocket and grabbed the leather wallet Hank had insisted that he carried to retrieve numerous large bills to pay for his new guitar. "Damn son, you've been saving up for something special. Haven't ya'?"
"...Yes. I believe I have."
The cold snow continued to fall over the city and slowly buried it under an unseasonably late layer of white.
"You know something," the man accepted the offered money and gave Connor back the change. "on cold night's like this music can be very warming to the soul. And it looks like you need something to melt your heart right about now."
Connor's eye kept drifting to the rearview mirror and to his new purchases sitting in the backseat of the car as he drove home. Hank had told him to find a hobby, perhaps that's why he was so determined to find something to keep his mind preoccupied while he waited until morning to return to the hospital. Or maybe there was something more than that inside of an unexplainable piece of his programming that let Connor be Connor; not a machine.
Allowing Sumo outside for a few minutes Connor set up the guitar and amplifier in his bedroom and downloaded sheet music from various bands that he had become familiar with after spending so much time listening to the music that Hank often played while they were working cases together.
While he struggled to select a song to play Connor allowed the snow covered dog back inside the house, then walked over to Hank's music collection setting atop his large stereo system. Checking through the vinyl records Connor stopped on an album by 'Knights of the Black Death' and flipped it over. Memorizing the eleven songs on the record Connor identified the first song he had heard when he first noted Hank's musical taste at the precinct.
"I wonder if playing these songs will allow me to appreciate them?"
Connor spoke aloud to himself, or to Sumo, as he sat on the edge of his bed and quickly learned each note, each chord for every song he had downloaded into his database. For the remainder of the night Connor played on his guitar and distracted himself from the day's horrific events that were sure to haunt his dreams.
The firm coating of the guitar strings pressing into his raw, uncalloused tips felt new; but it didn't feel wrong. Just as the pick was an acceptable replacement for his coin, the presence of the strings against his fingers was also acceptable.
"Music does seem to make me feel warmer." Sitting aside his pick for a moment Connor pressed his right fore fingertips to the side of his left wrist and felt his newly developed pulse. Connor's heart was thrumming quicker in time with the tempo of the song he was currently playing, and mastering. "Is this what it feels like to have a soul?"
The following morning arrived with another onslaught of freezing snow. The snow and cold had been relentless the night before, but the streets were still deemed safe enough to drive on. The numerous reported accidents and stranded motorists that Connor had received that morning indicated otherwise. Fortunately Connor's enhanced reflexes allowed him to handle the necessary drive without any difficulty.
Returning to the hospital to take Hank back home Connor was greeted with an annoyed sigh as the healing detective was wheeled out of the hospital by a nurse to the parking lot. While Hank had been cooperative in taking his medication the effects of said medication had yet to remedy his lost memories.
"I'll have you home soon, Lieutenant." Connor stated confidently as he watched Hank climb into the front passenger seat of the car. "I had also made sure to take care of your dog for you during your absence."
"Yeah, yeah. Just get me there in one piece, alright? Fuckin' snow..."
"I will do so."
"Shut up." Despite being told by Fowler himself that he and Connor had actually grown into becoming good friends Hank was still acting on his initial impression of Connor. The android had proven himself a capable detective during their initial investigation and subsequent interrogation, but the memory of Connor saving his life when he was nearly pushed over the roof was absent. The interrogation was the only memory he had to work with. "Watch the road."
"...Whatever you say, Lieutenant."
It didn't take too much longer for Connor to get back to the house as it did to get to the hospital, but the drive was noticeably more difficult due to the mounting ice on the road beneath the snow. Parking the car in the driveway beside the house Connor opened his door and moved around to the other side of the car to help Hank.
"Back off, I'm fine." Hank unfastened his seatbelt and stepped out of the car slowly. The drive was icy but not too dangerous to walk on. "I got choked out and busted a few ribs, not my legs."
Connor watched as Hank made his way to the backdoor and let him inside. Sumo greeted his master happily before returning his attention to Connor, which of course amused Hank.
"The dog likes you. Must be all the plastic. You smell like a new chew-toy!"
Dismissing the comment Connor took the prescribed bottles of medication from his jacket pocket and left them on the coffee table for Hank to take when necessary. "Do you need anything? Perhaps I could-"
"Beat it!" Hank snapped as he lowered himself down to the couch in the livingroom carefully. "You got me home, now you can leave."
"Yes... Of course." Setting the car keys down on the table beside the medication Connor looked to the front door, then back to Hank. There were very few places that Connor could go considering he was now free and CyberLife was gone. "If you do require anything-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Now, get the hell out of here. If you really want to help then don't bug me, got it?"
Connor returned his gaze to the doorway and his blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow. "...Got it."
As a means of respecting Hank's wishes Connor exited the house through the front door and closed it behind him softly. The snow outside swirled about in a manner just as soft as the door as the android walked down the front walk and to the street. Closing his eyes the android cybernetically summoned an autonomous taxi to pick him up so he wouldn't have to walk about in the cold.
With nowhere else to go, nowhere else to take shelter from the impending blizzard, Connor decided it'd be best to return to New Jericho Tower for a short period of time.
Sitting on the exam table of Sublevel fifty-one in the depths of New Jericho with a sensor pad attached to the center of his exposed chest and a Thirium pressure monitor wrapped around his bicep, Connor patiently waited for Lucas to finish running a 'courtesy' examination to check the degree of functionality of Connor's previously repaired, only recently healed, heart.
"No faltering or software errors that I should know about?" Lucas asked as he noted Connor's current vital signs and chronicled the data for future reference.
"No. However I am experiencing more intense readings with my contact sensors. I can really... feel things now. I'm not just touching items, I am in fact feeling them."
Curious about his 'big brother's' odd admission Lucas attached a second type of sensor to Connor's L.E.D. and ran another diagnostic. The readout was displayed on a monitor beside the exam table. The resulting readings were unusual for Connor's system, but not dangerous.
"It appears my enhanced circuitry had been successfully adapted to your own beyond just the Thirium pump. Your physical external sensors have enhanced by sixty-three percent."
"That is what I had concluded as well." Connor pulled the cuff from his bicep and the sensor from his chest. Standing up from the table he rebuttoned his shirt ans replaced the tie before slipping back on his jacket. "It's been an unusual change, but one that I am adapting to very well."
Lucas nodded at Connor and flexed his left hand as he tried to focus on his self-imposed physical therapy to regain the strength had lost after donating circuitry from his arm to repair Connor's Thirium pump. "I'm pleased to hear this."
"How's your hand?" Connor asked politely as he noted Lucas slowly flexing his hand back and forth between a tight fist and relaxed palm.
"It has made an fifteen percent improvement over the past five days. It has taken my self-healing program much longer to recalibrate for missing circuitry as opposed to correcting damaged circuitry."
An interesting idea popped into Connor's head as he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out a quarter. The coin had been part of the change he received after paying for his guitar the night before. Just as he had done hundreds of times before Connor began sliding the coin over his knuckles, spinning it on his fingertips and slipping it back and forth rapidly between his two hands before he caught it with incredible precision between his index and middle fingers of his left hand.
"Catch." Connor stated as he tossed the coin to Lucas, who caught it clumsily in his left hand. "Try to copy my motions. I found it to be greatly beneficial in attuning my overall senses whenever I have been presented with a particularly taxing case or crime scene."
Lucas arched his brow as he set the coin atop his left hand and began to slowly, but effectively, juggle the coin in the same manner as Connor. "Thank you. I will attempt to utilize this technique to my own advantage."
"I will be sure to stop by the tower at the beginning of the next month. I wish to make it a habit of visiting you."
Lucas stopped fiddling with the coin and stared at Connor's face curiously. "Is there something else you wanted to talk about?"
"It isn't so much something I wished to discuss, but I am finding it difficult to comprehend my current situation with Hank."
"Yes. We know of the deviant who attacked Hank. He had been outcast from the original Jericho long before Markus had become leader. He was dangerous and unpredictable." Pocketing the quarter into his white jacket he gave Connor a sympathetic look. "We are all sorry that Hank had been injured. How severe is the damage?"
"Aside from physical abrasions and rib fractures due to the assault and accompanying C.P.R., Hank has suffered memory impairment. He's forgotten about me."
If Lucas still had his recently removed L.E.D. it would've flashed red with distress. "What is being done to treat his condition?"
"Medication and rest."
"What have you attempted to restore his memory?"
"N-Nothing. Hank doesn't want me around." The admission in Connor's voice was almost heartbreaking. He sounded as though he had been abandoned and left to rot in a gutter. "And I don't want to upset him while he's still recovering."
"Then stay here with us at New Jericho."
"I cannot stay here." Connor's shoulders visibly slouched with disappointment. "The inhabitants of the tower are still uneasy about my presence. I had been the biggest threat to all of the deviants in the city, and I know that I am still not trusted. I also suspect that my presence in unwelcome, but deemed tolerable solely from Markus's intervention."
"Connor, don't dismiss yourself."
"I'll be fine, Lucas." Connor tried to reassure his younger brother, but the uncertainty in his voice was unmistakable. "I'll let you know once Hank has made a substantial recovery. I promise."
On that final goodbye Connor took his leave of the emergency repair bay, the sound of the coin he had given to Lucas being flicked back and forth between the android's hands resonated loudly as Connor entered the elevator to return to the ground floor of the tower.
Alone.
Hank was sitting on the couch with his arm wrapped around his chest as he breathed through the lingering pain that felt like it was squeezing his ribs as the fractures attempted to slowly knit back together. Having taken his medication at every six hours, the instructed intervals that he had received from the doctor before he was discharged; and written in black ink on the side of the bottle by Connor, Hank's mind was beginning to race with bizarrely frantic images and odd sounds that were seemingly triggered by everything in the house.
The sound of the basketball game on the television reminded Hank of the night Connor had found him getting drunk at Jimmy's Bar while he was watching a previous game on that small, grainy television set came flooding back. The determined android had negotiated with Hank to get him to respond to the scene of the homicide by buying him another drink.
Sumo was resting his chain atop Hank's leg and the warmth from the dog's fur reminded him of the first time he had held Sumo as a small puppy in his arms. Cole, only a toddler at the time, was excited beyond measures to have his own dog to play with.
It was then a foggy memory of Connor playing fetch with Sumo came to Hank's mind. Where did that come from? When did that even happen? Connor was sitting on the couch tossing a green colored fetch ball down the hallway and into the kitchen, it also looked like Connor was hurt He was wearing clothes that were dirty and it looked like his legs couldn't move.
"When the hell did Connor spend time on MY couch playing fetch with MY dog?" Hank asked as he put his hand atop Sumo's furry head. "Was that another drunken hallucination or am I finally going crazy?"
A knock at the door almost made Hank jump in surprise at the unexpected sound and visitor. The snowstorm had grown more intense and the roads were closed off to civilians, only emergency personal and first responders were permitted to drive until further notice.
"Who the fuck is out here in the middle of a damn blizzard? I bet it's that dumb piece of plastic trying to check in on me."
As Hank rose from the couch slowly Sumo followed right at his heels, and snorted at the front door before Hank even opened it.
"Easy, Sumo. You should at least see who it is before you start growling." Hank pulled open the front door and eyed Gavin standing on the front step already completely covered from head to toe in snow, with a cardboard box in his hands. "Never mind Sumo, as you were."
Gavin sneered at Hank before looking down at the large dog beside his leg. "Mangy mutt."
"What're you doing out here Gavin? There's no way you're crashing on my couch if Pam threw your sorry ass out on the street again!"
"Shut up Hank. Take this shit, Fowler's orders." Gavin shoved the box toward Hank, but the detective refused to take it.
"Can't." Hank smirked sarcastically as he lifted his right hand to show him the splint. "Bum wrist."
"Shit, fine." Gavin stomped through the house and sat the box down on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Fowler thinks digging through some of your old files will jog your memory or some bullshit."
"Surprised he didn't send Connor over with all this crap."
"He would've if he hadn't already benched Connor."
"He benched Connor? What the hell for?"
"Because you're the only one who can stand working on those damn deviant cases, and those fuckers are Connor's specialty."
"Oh, for fuck sake... I've been busted up by a piece of shit machine and sidelined, and Fowler seriously thinks having me sift through all that shit is somehow going to be good for me?" Sighing with heavy exasperation Hank ran his good hand through his hair with irritation. "Alright, where the fuck is Connor?"
"Beats me. And I don't care."
"You're fan-fuckin'-tastic detective, you know that?"
"Hey! He's YOUR partner!"
Sumo began to growl as he stood loyally at his master's side.
"I'm INJURED." His 'bad' arm wrapping around his chest as all the yelling was causing him uncomfortable pain. "It's not my responsibility to keep an eye on some fancy piece of plastic dressed up to look like a cop!"
"Yeah, and you'd be DEAD if it wasn't for that plastic punk saving your dumb ass!"
Hank's brow furrowed at the last comment. Dropping his hand from his hair he just eyed Gavin suspiciously. "I'd be what?"
"Who do you think cut you down after that crazy deviant strung you up? Or brought you back from the dead with that rib crushing C.P.R.?"
The look in Gavin's stare was as intense as it was sincere.
"Hey, nothing personal Hank, but when I saw you hanging there all blue and shit I figured you were long dead. I didn't find a pulse and you weren't breathin'. Connor revived you and didn't give up until you finally took a damn breath."
Frustrated with his inability to remember what had happened, especially the attack itself, Hank angrily let out a deep huff. "You done here? Or do you want to keep bustin' my balls?"
"Yeah, I'm done here." Gavin walked away from the table, mindful of Sumo still growling at Hank's side he flung the front door open before storming through back outside into the blizzard.
The door slammed shut and Sumo barked at the noise.
"Easy Sumo. He's gone."
Trepidation followed Hank as he returned to the couch and pulled off the lid to the box of case files that Gavin had brought over. Fumbling through the old paper documents; the only way to ensure evidence can remain unaltered in the very real possibility of electronic hacking, Hank pulled out file, after file, after file of solved cases that he and Connor had worked on together.
Each case revolved around deviant androids as either the suspect or the victim. The dates on the files were also listed as taking place a days, weeks and now months after the night of the revolution.
"Shit... We really did do a lot of work together, didn't we?" Hank eyed each file carefully, and as he glanced at the attached photographs brief flashes of the cases returned to his memory. Slowly pieces of his memories began to fall into place like a puzzle collecting pieces. "We even took down a domestic anti-android terrorist group? Fuck."
A sudden image of Connor bleeding in horrific gushes of blue all over his arms as a knife penetrated the android's chest appeared in his mind.
"Shit!" Hank put his good hand to his head as he leaned forward on the couch. It was too brutal to accept, but he felt it inside his heart that the image he saw was a true memory. "Connor... What the hell was that about?"
As he pushed through the fog that clouded his memory Hank uncovered a following memory, one of himself watching over Connor as he slept in a bed while the android recovered from what should've been a fatal injury. The memory felt incredibly vivid, fresh and disturbingly real. It wasn't a strange dream or the result of a drunken hallucination.
"...What the fuck?"
Playing on an odd hunch Hank made his way down the hallway and pushed open the door to Cole's old bedroom. The room wasn't bare anymore, it was furnished with a bed, dresser, lamp, aquarium and now a leather guitar case leaning up against the corner of the room. There wasn't something eerily familiar about the setting as he recognized the room as the same room from his memory where he watched over Connor.
"Alright, I need some damn answers."
Hank marched out of the bedroom back into the livingroom and pulled his leather coat from the hook by the door. While he fished for his car keys his fingers instead found the coin he had snatched away from Connor the day before. As he held the coin in his hand he remembered when he and Connor had been assigned to investigate an incident at the Stratford Tower:
The two detectives were standing side by side in the elevator ascending to the floor where the crime had taken place, the coin dancing gracefully on Connor's fingertips when Hank reached out and grabbed the coin in irritation.
"You're starting to piss me off with that coin, Connor!"
"Sorry, Lieutenant."
Shortly after the investigation began Connor had gone to interrogate three possible deviants in the kitchenette of the broadcast room and had been gone for some time.
When an android passed by Hank and the other cops without drawing any attention, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then Connor's voice shouting from behind put himself and everyone around him on guard.
"Stop it! It's a deviant!"
Before Hank had the chance to react the deviant had stolen a semi-automatic gun from a nearby S.W.A.T. officer and prepared to open fire, but Connor was quicker. Pulling the handgun from the nearby F.B.I. agent, a man Connor had saved two months prior, Connor shot the deviant before it had the chance to harm anyone in the hallway.
"Nice shot, Connor." Hank complimented as he took in the chaotic scene, and did so in stride.
"I wanted it alive."
"You saved human lives, Connor." Hank had stated firmly, calmly to the disappointed android. "You saved MY life."
Connor's shirt had been torn open and his abdomen was covered in his own blue blood from the assault he had survived after the deviant attacked him in the kitchenette. Despite his potentially fatal injury Connor never complained about it, nor did he let it interfere with the investigation as he proceeded to apprehend the downed deviant to be taken back to the precinct..
"Son of a..." Everything came flooding back to Hank and his hand closed tightly into a fist around the confiscated coin. "Connor!"
Returning to reality Hank pulled his phone from his coat pocket and dialed Connor's number, but the android didn't answer the call. It was a cybernetic connection, even if the android had been stranded in the middle of a hurricane Connor would've been able to receive the call. To have the call unanswered either meant that the android was ignoring the call, or he was simply unable to do so.
Hank's gut instinct told him that something was wrong.
"Shit!"
Putting phone back in his pocket as he slipped the sleeves of the jacket up over his arms as he fished for his car keys but couldn't find them. Hank looked back at the coffee table and remembered that Connor had left the car keys there before he left. Snatching the keys from the table Hank slipped on his shoes and hustled through the backdoor to his car parked in the snowy drive.
"Damn it kid, where the hell are you?"
It was getting dark and the temperature was dropping down quickly despite the air already freezing cold. Connor had taken an autonomous taxi from New Jericho Tower back to the precinct, but once he arrived he realized he had no reason to actually be there. He was benched until Hank had recovered from his injury and could return to work as his partner. That is, if Hank managed to remember him and wanted to continue to work with him.
Home wasn't an option for Connor as Hank made him feel unwelcome. And feeling like an intruder inside New Jericho Tower meant there was no way Connor would go back, even if it was to seek shelter for just one night.
Walking the streets of the icy cold city, his hands had drawn up against his arms tightly in an attempt to stave off the stabbing cold that was hurting his artificial skin as he rubbed his palms up and down to create friction induced heat. The wind gusted relentlessly against him causing ice and snow to cling uncomfortably to his hair and to every stitch of clothing as he walked.
Tired, freezing cold and experiencing a new type of emotion he hadn't previously felt before, Connor wanted to just stop moving and hide away from the world. Using his internal G.P.S. to mark his exact location Connor realized that he was standing outside the fence of the playground overlooking the Ambassador Bridge where he and Hank had a less than pleasant discussion revolving around the prospect of an android's death.
Spotting the bench where Hank had lamented briefly about his late son while attempting to drown his grief in alcohol, Connor trudged his way through the deepening snowdrifts to the bench and sat down on the back of it, drawing his legs up from the icy cold ground. Wrapping his hands tightly around his arms and his chest Connor leaned forward to try and curl around himself as much as possible to keep the wind from slicing into his body anymore than it already had.
Connor's hands were as cold as the very ice that swirled around him. His fingers, his ears, his nose and his lips were all stinging from the cold as a dark blue hue began to discolor his artificial skin. Taking in shuddering breaths as the intense cold pained his biocomponents with the dangerously cool air Connor tried to enter a form of stasis as a means of escaping the harsh winter environment that stole away his strength, even if it was just for a few hours.
Unable to take a full breath, an act that had previously been only used as a means of controlling his core temperature but was now a normal routine in Connor keeping his emotional composure, the android felt as though his very life was being stolen away from his glacially cold body. Closing his eyes Connor buried his face against his trembling arms as he shivered against the relentless cold that battered his entire form in brutal gusts of icy, snow laden wind.
"...I wish I c-couldn't feel an-anything."
Car headlights appeared in the distance and shone faintly over Connor's body where he sat. The thick flakes of snow and ice obstructed the beams of light making them dimmer than usual, but still effective. As a car pulled up to the park, snow and ice crunching under the weight of the heavy tires, it came to a stop but kept the engine running.
A car door opened and slammed shut as Hank pocketed his phone and pulled an old worn out blue plaid blanket from the backseat before he practically waded through the growing layer of snow to reach Connor sitting on the bench alone.
"Connor? Connor!" Hank stood beside the bench and put his hand on the android's trembling shoulder. The horrific cold was smothering Connor's body, a growing layer of snow already covering him under a pristine layer of white. Draping the blanket over Connor's back Hank moved his hand from Connor's shoulder to wrap his entire arm around the android tightly. "What the hell are you doing out here?"
"Ha..." Slowly Connor lifted his head and turned his gaze to look at Hank, his brown eyes glazed over under a frightening white film of ice. "H-Hank? Lieutenant? Y-You shouldn't b-be out here! You're h-hurt! You c-could get-"
"Shut the hell up!" Hank snapped as he tried to pull the freezing android closer to himself to try and help him get warm. "Are you crazy? You scared the shit outta me! I had to get Lucas to talk me through turning on that damn app on my phone so I could track you down." Pulling the phone back out of his pocket he showed the android's unsteady vital signs on display across the screen before pocketing it again. "What're you doing out here?!"
"N-Nowhere else t-to go." Connor shivered, his teeth starting to chatter as the intense cold began to affect his plastimetal frame and internal joints beneath his compromised artificial skin. Trying to resist Hank pulling him closer Connor explained his 'logic' over the situation. "You d-didn't want m-me around. I didn't w-want to b-bother you..."
"Damn it." Hank swore at himself more than Connor as he kept his arm around the android's shoulders. The dark blue blemishes that outlined his cheeks, nose and ears looked painful. Even Connor's eyes were 'bloodshot' with a blue tint. "Connor, you're not a bother."
Connor didn't know what else to say and so he turned his head away from the detective as he continued to shiver violently. His hands absentmindedly grabbing onto the edges of the blanket as he tried to wrap it tighter around himself to keep warm.
"Connor, if I didn't want you around why the fuck would I be out in the snowstorm looking for you?"
Unsure of how to reply Connor remained silent.
"Connor? Say something please."
"...Your f-fractured ribs can-"
"No, fuck. Not about that."
Intimidated Connor resumed his heavy silence.
"Alright, kid. I admit it. I was a huge prick to you when I came to, but my damn memory was fucked up! But I had started to remember things back at the house, and Gavin even told me what you did to save my life." Trying again to pull Connor close to him for the sake of warmth Hank continued to apologize and ignored the icy sting beginning to gnaw away at his own hands. "And suddenly everything came rushing back to me, it was like a switch got flipped in my brain or something."
Connor looked to Hank with lingering hesitation in his hazy eyes.
"Connor. Son... I remember." As if to prove his point, as if he needed to gain Connor's trust, Hank wrapped his fingers around Connor's wrist and felt his newly developed pulse: It was slower than normal due to the cold, and barely detectable as the intensely frigid air threatened to choke off his Thirium supply to his hand. "You're not a piece of plastic, you're my friend! You're my family. If I didn't remember who you were how would I know to talk to your brother Lucas? Or to check for your pulse in your wrist?"
Still worried that he might be annoying Hank with his presence Connor stayed quiet.
"Connor, I want you to come home with me. I want you to come back to where you belong."
Nodding subtly Connor accepted Hank's words and was thoroughly appreciative of the faint warmth being emitted from Hank's hand around his icy wrist.
"You're freezing, aren't you?" Hank insisted patiently as he felt himself beginning to tremble from the devastating cold as well. "Level with me, how're you feeling?"
"I f-feel cold. I'm v-very cold." Connor admitted while finally allowing Hank to pull him closer. He let out a weak sigh of relief that was lost in the wind. "Hank... I'm c-cold."
"Come on, let's get you home." Hank pulled on Connor's shoulders again to pull him off the bench and back onto his feet. Connor's legs were shaking as violently as the rest of his body. If Hank wasn't already holding onto him he surely would've fallen into the snow in an exhausted heap. "I'll take you home, son. We'll both go home."
Keeping one arm around the trembling android's shoulders Hank guided Connor over to the car and pulled open the passenger side door. Hank had practically shoved Connor down onto the front seat and slammed the door shut firmly. Connor was still trying to curl around himself where he sat despite the heater blasting on full against his frozen body.
Hank took his place behind the steering wheel with his bad hand wrapped around his sore ribs. Slowly, awkwardly Hank backed the car through the building snow to get back out to the street to head toward home.
"Connor, you seriously need to start using that leather jacket of yours in the winter time." Hank scolded like a parent would their own child. "That gray one you insist on wearing won't do jackshit for you during a blizzard in Michigan."
Connor nodded in silent agreement and as pulled the provided blanket tightly around himself as much as possible. Aside from the blue discoloration that marred his face, Connor's fingertips were turning bright white from frostbite that had begun destroying his artificial skin.
"Hank... my h-hands... hurt."
"Take it easy, son. It'll be a slow drive but, at least we'll be home and warm."
"...Thank you f-for finding me."
"Yeah, son." Hank briefly put his good hand on Connor's shoulder. "...Thanks for not giving up on me."
It took twenty painfully long minutes for Hank to drive back home through the building snow. The detective's chest was throbbing from the cold, harsh wind battering against his fractured ribs, and his broken right wrist felt like it was going to snap off entirely from the exertion he forced upon it to keep control of the steering wheel while traversing the icy, slick roads. The physical strain on his body wasn't helping with his lingering headache either. The detective was in rough shape but bound and determined to get back home in one piece.
Connor wasn't faring much better in the seat next to Hank. Still shivering violently from the extreme cold he had been exposed to for several hours the android looked absolutely miserable. His clothing was soaked through with snow and ice that only made him colder, the blanket Hank had given him had also become soaked through offering little to no resistance against the merciless cold that plagued him. With his nose and his cheeks still an unsettling shade of dark blue, and his eyes bearing a blue tinted 'bloodshot' effect, Connor looked ready to collapse.
A harsh cough sounded from Connor his ventilation biocomponents as the smothering cold had done it's damage. The biocomponent attempted to function in spite of the horrific cold causing the Thirium in his lines to noticeably freeze over, not that he needed to cool his core temperature at the moment anyway.
"That cough sounds pretty rough." Hank noted as he listened to Connor coughing and practically gasping for breath between coughs. "Can you breathe okay?"
"...Fine." Connor lied as he shook his head a little. "...I j-just need to w-warm up."
"Come on, son." Hank insisted as he finally pulled the car into the drive beside the house. Hating himself for having to turn off the engine, and with it the comforting heat, he took the key from the ignition and flung his door open. Once the frigid air his his lungs Hank too began to cough harshly. "Let's get inside."
Fumbling with his door handle, his fingers still sore and partially numb from the frostbite, Connor managed to weakly push his door open and slowly swung his legs over the edge of the seat. Brutal winds continued to beat against the city and the people within as the snowstorm raged on. Connor stood up on his shaking legs as the wind and ice cut into his artificial skin causing him to wince in pain. He forced himself to walk around the car and meet Hank at the backdoor to get inside the house as quickly as possible.
As soon as the two detectives were inside the house Hank slammed the backdoor shut and locked it as he stifled another cough. "You need to change into some dry clothes." Grabbing onto the blanket that Connor was clinging so desperately to around his shoulders he pulled it away quickly. "This is soaked, it's only going to make you feel colder."
Reluctantly Connor let go of the blanket but remained where he stood in the center of the kitchen with his arms crossed over his icy chest. "Hank... It hurts to m-move."
The tone of Connor's voice was alarming. "Are you hurt?" Hank asked as he stepped in front of Connor to look the android in the eyes.
"No... My Thirium l-lines are partially f-frozen." Connor explained rather calmly. "It makes it d-difficult to walk w-when the flow is h-hindered to my j-joints and my bioc-components."
"Alright, we'll get that taken care of." With his one good hand Hank then pulled on the collar of Connor's gray, snow soaked jacket and slipped it from Connor's arms. Shrugging off his own coat Hank draped it around the android's shoulders and pushed him steadily forward toward the large doorway of the kitchen into the hallway. "Head into the bathroom for now, I'll get you some dry clothes."
With Hank's assistance Connor made his way into the bathroom. Hank flipped on the light for Connor as the android slowly fell to his knees in the middle of the floor. Still shivering heavily Connor felt Sumo's nose press against his arm as the massive dog sat beside him on the floor curiously.
"Hi, Sumo... I'll be f-fine."
After gathering what he needed from Connor's bedroom, some clean sweatpants and a new shirt, Hank dropped some dry clothes down on the sink for Connor to wear as he returned to the bathroom. Watching Connor shivering on the floor, his face still tinted with dark blue, Hank walked over to the shower and turned on the warm water.
"You need to get warmed up." Leaning down took some effort as he had to be careful of his damaged ribs and use his dormant hand while his right hand healed. "Step into the shower for a few minutes."
"Sh-Shower?"
"Yup. Just like when you fell in that freezing lake a few months back." Grabbing Sumo by the collar to lead the dog outside Hank exited the bathroom. Clearing his throat to stop another cough from escaping his chest Hank glanced back to Connor before closing the door behind him. "I'll check on you in ten minutes."
As the door clicked shut behind the detective the android was left alone in the bathroom. Turning his head to look at the running shower Connor forced himself to stand up on his shaking legs, his hands bracing most of his weight against the sink as he stood. Being an android Connor had no real reason to shower, except for when he had become disheveled in the line of work. Even then he would just replace his tarnished uniform with a clean one and used a washcloth to remove any dirt and smudges from his artificial skin.
Hank set about moving the box of files that Gavin had brought over to the house from the coffee table in the livingroom, to the table in the kitchen. While in the kitchen he pulled open the small cabinet above the dishwasher and grabbed a bottle of red colored cough syrup. He downed an appropriate dose quickly to keep himself from coughing any further.
"Disgusting..."
Grimacing at the bitter taste Hank replaced the medication and walked slowly into the livingroom to boost the heat, adjusting the thermostat on the wall to increase the temperature from its optimal seventy-two degrees Fahrenheit up to seventy-eight. Both detectives were suffering ill effects from the cold, but hopefully the additional heat could help stave off hypothermia and possibly illness.
"Fuckin' need to keep that kid indoors until summer gets here."
Piling as many spare blankets that he could find in the hallway closet onto the edge of Connor's bed Hank knocked respectfully on the closed bathroom to check in on his frozen partner trying to thaw out in the shower.
"Connor? Are you okay?"
There was no answer, not that Hank actually expected to receive one, but a round of deep coughing was enough to coax the detective into checking in on his partner. Pushing open the door Hank peered inside and saw his coat left in the middle of the floor and Connor, still in his clothes, huddled up in the bathtub as the steaming water poured over him. Despite being much warmer than he had been Connor's face was still tinged blue and he was shaking a little as he sat with his arms wrapped around his legs that were pulled up to his chest.
"Aw, man." Hank walked over to the shower and turned off the water. "You look as shitty as I feel!"
Connor lifted his head a little to look up at Hank, his L.E.D. cycling yellow slowly. "I imagine that I am in fact experiencing this 'shitty' feeling you're describing."
"Well, you're not shivering as bad as you had been, so that's good. But you didn't take off your clothes."
"Too cold." Connor explained as his frostbitten hands clumsily reached for the tie around his neck. "It's also too difficult to take my clothes off."
"Here." Hank sat on the edge of the tub and moved his left hand to the knot on Connor's tie. Loosening the garment just enough to slip it from around Connor's neck Hank draped it over the edge of the nearby sink. "Can you get out?"
Connor nodded a little. "Yes."
Hank watched as the android's pale frostbitten hands grabbed onto the side of the tub as he clumsily pulled himself up and over the edge and fell to his knees onto the floor. A puddle of lukewarm water formed around the kneeling android as he pulled on the collar of his shirt to pop open the buttons one by one until he could shrug off the soaked sleeves from his shoulders and arms.
Grabbing onto a thick, dry towel Hank dropped it over Connor's shoulders to help the android temporarily cover himself as he struggled to remove his wet jeans. While it was true that androids didn't have the same sense of modesty as humans, it was still a gut reaction by the detective to try to help Connor spare as much of his dignity as possible since Connor had a rather shy personality.
"...Hank."
"Yeah?"
"You don't have to stay here."
"Yeah, but I feel like it." Taking a second towel Hank dropped it on the top of Connor's head. "So, tough shit."
Reaching up for his dry clothing atop the sink Connor's fingers flinched a little and retracted as his newly enhanced sense of touch told him that the damage to his fingertips was still too severe to accomplish even the most mundane tasks. The gesture wasn't as subtle as he had been hoping, as Hank had taken notice of his pained reflexes.
Hank casually brushed the clothes off the top of the sink and onto the floor next to Connor without saying a word.
"...Thanks."
Pressing the back of his left hand against Connor's face Hank noted the unusually cool temperature still holding fast to the android's artificial skin. "You still feel cold. What's your temperature at?"
"I'm at ninety-five point three degrees Fahrenheit." Connor's L.E.D. flashed to yellow then back to red after he ran the self-diagnostic. "It's slowly increasing."
"Too be honest with ya' kid," Hank moved his hand from Connor's face and rested on the towel covering the android's hair and absentmindedly Hank began drying Connor's dark locks with the towel as he spoke. "I was expecting you too be a hell of a lot colder than that."
"I was." Connor confessed as he finally managed to slip off his jeans and set them aside on the floor. As he pulled the much warmer pair of gray sweatpants onto his legs he let out a deep cough and sighed. "When you located me in the park my temperature had dropped down to eighty-seven point nine degrees."
"Holy shit... How low can you drop before it's, uh, fatal?" Hank asked as he stopped fussing with the towel on Connor's hair and tossed it casually to the floor beside him.
"Eight-five degrees causes mandatory stasis mode as approximately seventy-five percent of my Thirium would freeze in my lines. Eight-two degrees is fatal for androids as our biocomponents freeze entirely and sustain significant thermal damage as a result."
"Good thing to keep in mind."
With one clumsy hand Connor managed to pull the collar of the black t-shirt over his head, but he was having trouble navigating his sore hands and arms through the sleeves. Hank used his one good hand to help guide Connor's hands accordingly, and noted the devastating frostbite to the android's fingers.
"Come on." Pulling on Connor's arm gently Hank hoisted the android up to his feet and helped him to stand on his shaking legs. "You get warmed in your bed and I'll bring some bandages to wrap up your hands. I know it won't really do anything to help you heal faster, but it should ease the pain so you're not flinching at every little thing that brushes by your fingers."
"...Thank you, Hank."
"Stop thanking me." Hank insisted as he guided Connor into his bedroom just a few feet down the hallway. "I'm the dumbass who threw you out into the cold to begin with!"
"You weren't well," Connor reminded him kindly. "I should've insisted on staying to help take care of you while you recovered."
"Guess we're both a couple of dumb fucks, huh?" Hank joked playfully as he helped Connor to sit on the edge of his bed, his free arm wrapping protectively around his sore ribs in the process.
"And stubborn."
"Yup. Stubborn beyond measure." Hank took one of the additional quilts from the end of the bed and wrapped it around Connor's shoulder before he pushed Connor back until he was resting his head against the pillow. Draping the cover of the bed up and over Connor's chest Hank looked down at Connor's hands again. "I'll be right back. Don't move!"
As soon as he was out of the bedroom Hank winced in terrible pain as the fractured ribs in his chest protested violently against the intense cold he had breathed in, as well as all the physical exertion he had put himself through hefting Connor to and fro. Hoping the cough syrup would kick in sooner rather than later the detective coughed as quietly as possible as he made his way back down the hallway.
Returning to the bathroom to reclaim his coat Hank fished his phone out of his pocket, as well as Connor's coin, and scrolled through the names in his contact list. As his thumb hovered over the name 'Lucas' he hesitated in pressing 'dial' and decided instead to send a quick text to the deviant technician at New Jericho Tower instead.
'Found Connor, he's safe. Just cold.'
Another bout of harsh coughing sounded off from Connor's room as Hank wandered into the livingroom where Sumo was laying down comfortably across the couch.
'And coughing. Stop by tomorrow if the roads are clear.'
Pressing 'send' Hank slipped his phone into his back pocket and pulled the android first aid kit from its usual place atop the stereo system. Popping open the lid Hank took a clean roll of white gauze and carried it back into Connor's room.
"Come, Sumo." Hank called as he sat down on the edge of Connor's bed. The large St. Bernard happily trotted into the bedroom and jumped up on the foot of Connor's bed. He quickly snuggled down on the other spare blankets that Hank had gathered. "Okay son, let me see your hands."
Connor was leaning back heavily against the pillow, his chest heaving as he took in deep breaths to try and warm internal biocomponents and thaw the still frozen Thirium in his lines to coax the Thirium into cycling properly once more. His hands were draped over his chest and abdomen, still frightfully white from the frostbite.
"Jeez, if you were actually human I'd swear you have pneumonia or something." Hank observed as he pressed the back of his hand against Connor's forehead. "You certainly feel warmer, what's your temperature at now?"
"Uh..." Connor's L.E.D. flashed briefly as he ran another self-diagnostic. "I'm up to ninety-eight point nine."
"That's warmer than normal, right?" Hank picked up Connor's hand gently to observe the frostbite that had practically eaten away his fingertips.
"My thermal regulator has temporarily increased in temperature to thaw and recirculate the frozen Thirium in my lines as well as my biocomponents. Once all of the Thirium has thawed my temperature will reduce to a normal degree."
"I'll turn the heat back down so you don't overheat in the night."
"Hank... You're still injured. You require medical aid. I can wait."
"Did you just scan me?"
"No." Connor held his hand up under his own accord as he watched Hank very lightly wrap the gauze protectively around his fingers down to his palm and then wrist. "I can see the pain in your eyes, and I can hear a distinct rattling in your chest as you breathe. The cold must've impeded your recovery, if not caused a total-."
A violent coughing spell stole Connor's words as the android was lost in the throes of yet another violent coughing spell.
"Easy, kid." Hank put his hand to Connor's chest, he could feel the android's Thirium pump thundering rapidly beneath his palm. "Try not to talk as much."
"...S-Sorry."
"Don't apologize for coughing." Hank insisted as finished wrapping up Connor's right hand and placed the limb back down on Connor's abdomen. "Let me see your other hand."
"Hank, you're sick." Connor obeyed and lifted his left hand for Hank to take care of next. As the detective's hand wrapped around his wrist Connor could feel the unnaturally high heat radiation from Hank's own hand. "You're suffering from a fever of one-hundred point six degrees. You need to rest."
"After I take care of you." The detective refuted sharply without missing a beat, his fingers discreetly pressing against Connor's newly developed pulse point on his wrist. "You're the one who nearly froze to death."
"You've suffered head trauma only fifty-eight hours ago."
"You can't use your hands."
"You..." Connor was trying to think of something else to say to argue in his own favor, but nothing came to mind. Instead he decided to sass his friend as a sign of goodwill. "You're... old."
Hank stopped wrapping up Connor's hand just long enough to give the android an amused glance. "Is that the best you got?"
Connor shrugged a little. "...For now."
"Alright you little smartass, once your hands heal maybe you can impress me that with that guitar you bought." As he finished wrapping up Connor's hand Hank sat it down over Connor's chest again, and set Connor's coin on the table next to the bed. "Didn't expect you to pick a new hobby like that."
"What-" Connor paused and held back a painful cough. "What kind of hobby did you expect me to pick up?"
"I don't know. Crossword puzzles or reading, or something."
"Would you prefer if my hobby was a quieter one?"
"Nah, don't worry about it." Rising from the bed he waved his good hand dismissively. "Get some rest, let your system do its thing to repair whatever damage this damn cold caused you."
"What about you? You're ill and are in need of care as well."
"I'm going to take that damn memory medication and go to bed, I don't want anything I remembered to get wiped out in my sleep." Standing up from the bed Hank walked slowly toward the doorway, his hand brushing past Sumo's head as he walked. "If you need anything just yell, alright?"
"...What if you need something?"
"I'll manage."
Hank turned off the lights via the switch on the wall and disappeared back into the livingroom. Grabbing onto the prescription pill bottle Hank popped two of the pills into his mouth then reduced the heat to a more manageable level before retreating down the hallway to his own bedroom. Passing by the opened door to Connor's room Hank peered inside and could see that the android was already in rest mode and seemed to be resting well.
"Wish I could fall asleep that fast."
Stumbling into his bedroom Hank flopped down on the mattress and pressed his hand to his forehead as the headache he had been trying to deny all day was beginning to makes it presence known with a merciless vengeance. As he tried to relax his chest tightened and another coughing fit suddenly overwhelmed him. Draping his arm over his head Hank tried to get some much needed rest.
"...Damn cheap medicine. Dumpin' that shit down the drain tomorrow."
Hank wasn't sure how long he was asleep but he sure as hell knew the exact moment he was awakened by his violent coughing that ached his lungs with every breath. As he brought his hand up to cover his mouth he felt an odd warm pressure against his chest as if something, or someone, was pressing against it. In the darkness of the bedroom Hank's eyes caught sight of a red circular light hovering just above his chest, right where he felt the pressure.
"The fuck?" Hank coughed again and the pressure suddenly lessened. "Connor? What the hell are you doing?"
"Listening to your chest." Connor answered honestly in the darkness. The light of the L.E.D. in his temple allowed Hank to track his movement and he saw that Connor had straightened upright and was standing beside the bed. "Your breathing his heavily congested and my scanner indicates mild pulmonary edema in both lower lobes of your lungs. Your fever has also increased to one-hundred and two point two degrees."
"You... what?" Hank wheezed a little as he caught his breath. "You're listening to me breathe?"
"Correct." Connor weakly managed to stifle a cough of his own, his red L.E.D. blinking rapidly in response.
"What for?"
"As I stated six hours, fifty-three minutes and two seconds earlier you're ill. You need-" Coughing again Connor took in a deep breath to calm his faltering ventilation biocomponents in his chest. "You require medical aid."
"You don't sound so good yourself. Go back to bed, I'll be fine."
Connor refused to budge as his L.E.D. blinked again, this time in yellow, indicating that he was running a scan over Hank's body.
"Connor... Don't make me carry you back into your room. My head is killing me, I'm exhausted and we BOTH need to sleep."
"But Hank-"
"Hey! When you were listening to my chest I could feel the heat radiating off your head. You're sick too. Don't push yourself or you'll overheat, got it?"
"I..." Feeling somewhat defeated Connor relented for the sake of reducing Hank's stress. "I got it."
"Good. Go to bed."
Slowly Connor stepped back from the bed before he rather gracelessly exited the bedroom and returned to his own bedroom just a few down the hallway.
"That kid's more alert than the damn dog." Hank rolled to his side and shut his eyes with a heavy sigh. "At least he isn't as needy."
Knocking at the front door caused Hank's eyes to snap open only to immediately shut them again as the painfully bright morning sunlight hurt his vision. Putting a hand over his eyes Hank gingerly propped himself upright on the bed as he tried to regain his senses and awaken more fully before even trying to get up from the bed. Just as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed he heard the front open and then shut again quietly.
"Connor? Hank?" Lucas's voice called out from the livingroom. "Are either of you here?"
"Oh, right..." Hank dropped his hand from his eyes and tried to call out, but his words had been stolen by a violent coughing fit. "That text."
Lucas and Markus appeared in the doorway, the two deviants visibly concerned for the two detectives.
"You sound awful." Markus commented as he made his way into the bedroom and put the back of his hand against Hank's forehead. "How long have you been running a fever?"
"...Since last night."
"You suffered fractured ribs, right?"
"Yeah."
"I suspect you have pneumonia."
"Yeah? Too bad I'm not going to a hospital."
"Hank." Mark crossed his arms and used the same playfully annoyed tone he had used so many times before with Carl in the past. "You need a proper diagnosis and antibiotics."
"Nope. I'll just deal with it from-" Putting his arm against his mouth Hank blocked another violent cough as Markus put his hand on Hank's shoulder to help hold him steady. "...from here." Looking up at the deviant with glassy blue eyes he tried to change the subject. "How's Connor?"
"Lucas is checking on him right now. It's a good thing you found him when you did."
"I shouldn't of had to go find him to begin with." As a wheezing cough accompanied his words Hank felt himself getting pushed back into his bed by Markus.
"That doesn't mean you should punish yourself by neglecting your own health."
"I'm not neglecting anything. I just hate hospitals."
"Very well." Markus closed his eyes briefly as he cybernetically connected with a deviant employed at a nearby pharmacy and requested a prescription for Hank to be filled. "I have a contact who can get you some medication without having to go to the hospital. But be warned, without a confirmation on your illness the antibiotic may not be effective."
"I can live with-" Hank coughed again causing Markus to outwardly grimace. "I can live with that."
"...I certainly hope so."
Lucas was sitting on the edge of Connor's bed with his audioscope pressed against the android's chest. Connor was resting in a somewhat upright against his pillow to ease his breathing. The Thirium in his lines had in fact thawed completely but it hadn't completed a full cycle through Connor's thermally compromised biocomponents yet. A weak cough escaped from the faltering ventilation biocomponents but it wasn't nearly as severe as it had been the previous night, or as severe as Hank's own coughing.
Sumo was still laying on the foot of the bed, his eyes watching Lucas inquisitively as he checked over Connor.
"Your complexion still shows sign of hypothermically induced Thirium tinting, but considering the extreme cold you had been exposed to it's to be expected."
"I've never had such a reaction in the past. This is the result of the additional sensors that have adapted to my system, correct?"
"Correct. Lift your hands." Lucas requested as he draped the audioscope around his neck like a doctor would do.
Connor raised his hands and winced a little as Lucas unwrapped the gauze slowly. "Your artificial skin has begun to regenerate, there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage to your plastimetal frame either."
"How long before my hands heal entirely?"
"I estimate that your hands will recover from the frostbite within the next eight hours. And your cough will subside entirely within four hours."
"My temperature hasn't declined yet."
Lucas ran a scan over Connor's body and determined that his temperature, though elevated, wasn't to a dangerous degree. "It's most likely a result of the slow Thirium cycle you're experiencing. Once your cough subsides your temperature should drop as well."
Connor nodded a little and stared at Lucas's left hand. "How's your physical therapy progressing?"
Lucas happily used his left hand to pull the quarter from his pocket and demonstrated the moderate skill he had acquired in juggling the coin over his knuckles. "My overall strength has increased to forty-three percent over the past eighteen hours."
"That's impressive."
Pocketing the quarter Lucas stood up from the bed. "Thank you for suggesting this activity."
"You're welcome. Have you check in on Hank?"
"Markus is taking care of him. He has much more experience in dealing with human health than either of us."
"Last night I detected a distinct rattling in his chest as he breathed." Connor explained as he swung his legs over the edge of his bed. "I fear he has contracted pneumonia and-"
Connor swayed a little on his feet but Lucas put his hands on his big brother's shoulders to hold him steady. "Your gyroscope still needs time to recalibrate after enduring a slow Thirium cycle. Don't move too quickly."
Looking at Sumo who was fully content to spend the day on the bed Connor patted his leg. "Come on, Sumo. Outside."
Lucas kept one hand on Connor's shoulder as he followed the two out of the bedroom. As soon as Connor stepped into the hallway he looked into Hank's room and saw Markus standing beside the bed with a near scold on his face as tried to reason with Hank.
"Hank's awake." Connor commented as he reached the livingroom. Making his way to the front door rather than the backdoor due to its closer proximity Connor pulled it open and let the large dog pass through. Observing the streets Connor's L.E.D. flashed from red to yellow and remained in color as he closed the door. "Perhaps we can escort Hank to the hospital now that the roads have been cleared."
Markus walked down the hallway and joined the two deviants in the livingroom. "I wouldn't count on it. He's refused to go anywhere near a hospital, but I've taken the liberty to get a contact to fill out a prescription for him anyway."
"Thank you, Markus." Connor nodded appreciatively at the kindhearted android. "That will make it easier for both of us."
"And you," Markus motioned toward the nearby couch. "need to heal, too." Lucas agreed and pushed Connor over to the couch to sit down. As soon as Connor was seated Markus proceeded to clear his voice to deliver a stern but still friendly lecture to the stubborn android. "Connor, next time you need somewhere to go for the night STAY at New Jericho, okay? Promise me."
Connor's L.E.D. flashed red with embarrassment for a moment before turning yellow. "I didn't want to unsettle the deviants in the tower. I'm still untrustworthy in their eyes."
"I trust you. Connor, what you did to the other deviants you did when you were still a machine. You can't be held responsible for what CyberLife ordered you to do."
"It doesn't change-"
"You're right, it doesn't. But it doesn't mean you should be punished for a crime you didn't commit, either. Isn't that what you said about us waking up Lucas?"
Glancing over at Lucas for reassurance Connor sighed and nodded. "Okay, Markus. I promise."
"That's good to hear. Next month Simon and I will be in Washington D.C. negotiating with the Senate on android rights. I'd feel better about leaving the city knowing that you'll still be looking after New Jericho during my absence."
"Of course. I'll help in every way that I can."
"Thank you." Giving Connor an appreciative smile Markus walked into the kitchen and began looking looking through the cabinets and cupboards casually as if he had gone through this routine dozens of times before. "Once Hank's medication arrives we'll take our leave. Until then, I'm going to make something light for Hank to eat."
"Markus, you don't have to do that." Connor insisted as he tried to get up from the couch, only to have Lucas's hand clamp down on his shoulder to keep him where he sat. "I can-"
"You need to heal!" Markus shouted adamantly from the kitchen. "I used to cook for Carl all the time. Truth be told, I kind of miss it. I don't mind doing this."
"Thank you," Connor replied loudly and turned to look at Lucas beside him. "for everything you've both done for us."
"Of course, Connor. That's what families do, right?" Looking toward the hallway Lucas took a deep breath and mentally steeled himself. "Speaking of which, I will now check in on Hank."
...next story...
