A rainy morning greeted the two detectives as they set about their usual routines at the house before heading out to the precinct to begin their shifts. While Connor let Sumo back inside the house through the backdoor and poured the massive dog some fresh food into his bowl Hank lumbered down the hallway and into the kitchen in search of his much needed coffee. Running his right hand through his freshly showered locks of gray hair Hank gave Connor a casual silent wave as he walked over to the pot of freshly brewed coffee, and poured himself a generous amount into his mug before adding an equally generous amount of sugar and sweetener into the otherwise bitter drink.

"You should reduce your sugar consumption for your own health benefit." Connor warned as he ran his right hand down Sumo's back and stood upright to straighten his black tie around the collar of his white dress shirt. As his blue L.E.D. pulsed calmly in his right temple the deviant gave the senior detective some additional unsolicited advice regarding his diet. "Or cut out the excessive caffeine altogether."

"Let me give you a priceless piece of advice regarding humans, kid." Sipping the heavily sweetened coffee with a single slow and savoring taste Hank turned around to face Connor and gave the young deviant a stern glance. "NEVER get between humans and caffeine, especially if said human has a gun."

Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow momentarily at he took Hank's advice to heart. "...Noted."

"Now," finishing off his coffee quickly Hank put the now empty mug down in the sink next to the counter and pointing to the front door and motioned for Connor to head on out so they could make their way to the precinct. "let's get downtown and sift through all the bullshit cases that I know are going to be waiting for us."

"What makes you say that, Hank?"

"With New Jericho now making public statements about the sanctuary, android rights and about how androids won't be fleeing the city just because of a few loud mouthed bigots I know we're going to end up meeting a few deviants reporting cases of assault and threats more often than not."

"Interesting..." Standing still in the middle of the kitchen with a curious look on his face Connor's blue L.E.D. again blinked in yellow before returning to blue. Trailing after Hank through the livingroom and to the front door Connor gave the senior detective a curious glance. "It appears you are correct."

"How so?" Pulling open the front door with his right hand Hank spun the car keys around by the keyring on his left index fingertip. "Please don't tell me we have to investigate a murder. It's too damn early for that shit."

"No, there wasn't a murder but there has been an unusual string of deviants being found covered in their own Thirium and suffering from catastrophic damage to their processors, as well as their bodies."

"...Assault?"

"Unknown."

"Fan-fuckin'-tastic." Sighing loudly Hank stepped out the front door with Connor right behind him as he tossed the car keys over his shoulder to the deviant so Connor could drive while Hank continued to wake up. "Just what we need. A bunch of bloody bodies and no information on who, or what, caused it."

New Jericho Tower was abuzz with the four leaders of the sanctuary; Markus, North, Josh and Simon, going about their own morning routines as the group prepared for the day's events and their inevitable tasks that they'd need to handle in order to keep their people safe. While a majority of the deviants who had been found covered in their own Thirium throughout the night had resided outside the tower and within their own personal dwellings throughout the city, a frightening handful of deviants inside the tower had also been found in the same macabre, and lethally damaged manner.

"Any update on the condition of our affected deviants?" Markus asked as he walked with Simon to the tower's emergency repair ward to check in on their wounded people. As Simon had stepped up as New Jericho's lead technician it seemed as though all of the pressure of finding the cause and subsequent solution for the affected deviants was riding solely on his shoulders. "How many of our people have been taken down?"

"We're looking at twenty-nine total victims." Simon confirmed as he and Markus stepped out of the elevator and through the automatic sliding doors into the repair bay to check in on the seven victims seeking treatment at the dispensary rather than facilities throughout the city. "All of the symptoms and subsequent effects are all the same, yet we can't find a single cause to link them all together."

"Damn." Peering down at the blank face of the nearest deviant; his artificial skin completely receded from the catastrophic Thirium loss and a twin tube snaked down his throat to try to replenish what Thirium he lost and provide cool air to keep his core from overheating, Markus's heart truly went out to the poor victim. "What can we do to keep them from shutting down?"

"Basic, common sense technical assistance." Simon replied curtly as he checked the display of the android unique cardiac monitor; a Thirial activity monitor, recording the victim's vital signs. "We can only replenish Thirium as fast as they lose it, keep their cores cool through external means like I'm doing now, and keep looking for a cause for... whatever this even is."

"Well, we can rule out assault or an ambush on these seven for sure. What about a virus?"

"No. My diagnostics haven't found any form of virus or malware that had infiltrated their systems."

"A software glitch?"

"Not that either. The twenty-nine..." Pausing for a bit Simon sighed and gave Markus a reluctant realtime update. "Make that thirty-three confirmed victims are all different models, from different eras of manufacturing with unique processors and enduring different tasks when they become affected. It's not a glitch."

"...Then what? What could possibly be causing our people to exhibit such horrific and debilitating symptoms?"

"We're working on it, Markus. Josh is checking through the victims' memorybanks and trying to isolate a possible incident that the group shared together."

"Good, that's a start." Crossing his arms over his chest in a guarded manner Markus's mismatched eyes scanned over the victim's blank white face again as he sighed and gave his friend a somber glance. "Do what you can to keep them stable. I'm going to go downtown and speak with Connor."

"Connor?"

"A majority of the victims were found in the city and not the tower. If anyone else is working on solving this mystery it's him."

Having arrived at the precinct at their usual time Connor and Hank found themselves being bombarded with numerous questions revolving around the now thirty-three deviant victims found bleeding to death throughout the city, and yet neither detective could give a single plausible answer. Working quickly Connor pressed his exposed left palm to his terminal screen as he cybernetically uploaded all of the provided information, and downloaded his report on the matter at hand just as quickly. With his L.E.D. flashing yellow rapidly in his right temple Connor looked stressed and nearly overwhelmed, but his demeanor remained calm and professional.

"Got anything good, kid?" Hank asked as he slowly typed away on his own keyboard across from Connor's side of the desk. "Anything at all we can use as a lead and start to actually investigate?"

"...Negative."

"Shit."

"Hank," pulling his hand from the terminal screen Connor placed his palm abck down on his desk top and glanced at Hank around the screen with a mildly perturbed glance. "what should we do?"

"...You're asking me?"

"I don't know where to begin this investigation."

"Kid, are you going to be okay with this?" Looking up from his keyboard Hank locked eyes with Connor and could see the concern gleaming in the deviant's soulful brown irises. "You look a little worried."

"I am worried. I don't know how to help my own people."

Honing in on the yellow L.E.D. still flashing in Connor's temple Hank's blue eyes narrowed slightly and he gave the deviant a righteously concerned stare. "Is there something else going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your light." Pointing to the glowing circle of light in Connor's right temple Hank specified the nature of his concern. "It's yellow even though you're not doing your download thingy anymore."

"I'm just thinking."

"Uh-huh. You've been thinking that hard all morning?"

Noting the current time, 2:17 p.m., Connor realized that he had been so focused on his case that he had lost just over seven hours of time. Had he really been that focused on the case that his internal chronometer failed to alert him? "...I suppose I have. I've never experienced such a phenomenon before."

"Do you need to take a break? You seem a little... off. Like there's something more going on inside your head."

"Oh. During my report I was given notice of a software update from-" Pausing mid sentence Connor's brow furrowed and he looked away from Hank as his yellow L.E.D. turned red and he pressed his left hand to his nose. Wiping away an uncomfortable sensation under his nose and above his lip Connor's eyes widened as he recognized a smear of his own blue blood now marring the side of his index finger. "H-Hank?"

"What's the matter, kid?"

Holding up his still exposed left palm where the blue blood was smeared Connor's red L.E.D. began to blink faster and faster as more blood began to run from his nose, then around his eyes. "I'm... I'm bleeding."

"What the fu- Connor?!" Before Hank had the chance to stand up Connor's eyes rolled back in his head and his body went rigid as he fell to the floor and began to convulse violently. As soon as Connor had hit the floor Hank scrambled around his desk and fell to his knees to kneel down beside Connor as he slipped his left hand under Connor's head to hold him up from the floor, then pressed his right hand down on Connor's chest to try to hold him still and monitor his rapidly beating Thirium pump; his heart, under his palm. "Shit! Someone call tech!"

There was a rush of commotion as other officers responded quickly. Tina worked with Chris to push aside the nearby desk and chair to give Connor more space to prevent injury while he convulsed, and Captain Fowler proceeded to call for tech to come down from the second floor dispensary as he had witnessed the event through the transparent wall of his office, and was immediately taking steps to regain control over the chaotic scene taking place in the bullpen.

"Connor. Hold on, son..." Hank spoke with impressive calmness in his voice as he stayed beside Connor and supported him as he continued to seize and bleed from his nose and his eyes in a frightening manner. The lack of artificial skin over Connor's left hand was disconcerting, but as the surrounding artificial skin steadily receded around Connor's left wrist and began inching up his forearm told Hank that the deviant was in serious trouble. "Where the fuck is tech?"

Additional Thirium began to bleed from Connor's mouth and his ears in a frightening display of blood loss that covered the deviant under a sickening layer of sticky sapphire.

"Damn it, hang on son."

From the far side of the bullpen the precinct technician, Joel Forest, rushed over to the side of the downed and seizing deviant with an emergency technician's satchel slung over his right shoulder. Taking a knee beside Connor on the opposite side of Hank the keen eyed technician placed his satchel down on the floor and fished out a small rectangular device that Hank didn't recognize in the slightest.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Processor stabilizer." Joel replied coolly as he pressed the device to Connor's rapidly flashing red L.E.D. and delivered a controlled shock that mercifully ended the seizure, and let the deviant's body finally fall still. As the seizure ended Joel retracted the stabilizer and gave Hank a quick nod. "I need you to unbutton his shirt so I can attach a monitor to his chest and check his vitals."

"He's that bad?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Ah, fuck..." Awkwardly Hank unbuttoned Connor's white dress shirt with his right hand as he continued to hold Connor up from the floor with his left hand. As he pulled open the buttons of the shirt Hank saw the artificial skin on Connor's left arm had completely receded up his shoulder, and was beginning to stretch over the left side of his chest. "What the hell?"

"The extreme loss of Thirium makes artificial skin regeneration nearly impossible." Pulling an audioscope from his satchel, a device very similar to that of a human's stethoscope, Joel put the ear buds into place before he ran the bell from left to right over Connor's barely rising and falling chest. During the exam Joel's pale blue eyes narrowed with righteous frustration. "Damn it, he's not ventilating properly."

"He's what?"

"Not breathing well on his own."

"Shit..."

Placing the portable Thirial activity monitor down on the floor beside Connor's head Joel attached the lone wireless sensor pad down over Connor's partially exposed chest to track his frantic heartbeat. As the display showed Connor's steadily declining vital signs the deviant's artificial skin continued to recede like a steady tide, and Thirium oozed out of his face at an alarming rate.

"Connor?" Lightly Hank patted the side of Connor's bloody face and tried to address the deviant in a calm voice. "You're going to be okay. We'll get you to a facility and figure out what the hell just happened."

"He's in the same condition as all of the previous deviant victims." Joel stated as he pulled a flexible tube, one that had a secondary tube running along its side to allow Thirium to run down the tube while allowing fresh air to be pumped into an android's body, from his satchel and tilted Connor's head back as he then lowered Connor's jaw. "I'm going to insert this tube down his throat so I can give him more Thirium, then if necessary I'll attach an ambubag to force him to ventilate until he's strong enough to breathe on his own again."

Everything he had just heard made Hank's stomach sink. "...Son of a bitch."

Captain Fowler exited his office and silently motioned for the gathered officers to get back to work as he checked in on Hank. "I saw him collapse and seize on the floor. What caused it?"

"We don't know." Hank replied honestly as he continued to hover protectively over Connor's person. "Joel said it's the same damn thing that's been taking down deviants since last night."

"Damn." Rubbing his right hand down his chin Captain Fowler glanced at the other officers and detectives at their desks before he made his final decision on the matter. "Alright, you go to the facility with Connor until he's been stabilized. Then I need you to get back here to continue the investigation."

"I'm going to do what?" Turning to look up at his commanding officer over left his shoulder Hank glared daggers at Captain Fowler and refused to let Connor be alone while he was so sick. "No fuckin' way!"

"Hank, you're the only detective working in the deviant division now that Connor's down. You have to keep the investigation going, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, as long as you're 'sorry' that makes up for me leaving my partner alone in an android hospital as he bleeds to death..."

Through the front doors of the precinct a gurney with two responding technicians entered the bullpen where they quickly spotted Connor laying on the floor covered in his own blood. Within seconds Connor was gently placed down on the gurney by strong hands while Joel began pouring Thirium down the tube in Connor's throat to help replenish his lost blue blood.

"Connor, you're going to be okay." Hank urged as he escorted the gurney across the bullpen and back to the front doors of the precinct to get to the android unique ambulance already parked out front. Keeping his left hand on Connor's right shoulder Hank tried to be strong on his downed partner's behalf. "We're going to figure this out and get you back on your feet before you know it."

In the heart of New Jericho Tower out on Belle Isle things were hectic and full of energy as the report of deviants mysteriously collapsing and bleeding their Thirium through their noses, ears, mouths and eyes kept everyone on edge. Six more deviants had been found bleeding out in their private quarters and were undergoing aggressive treatment to keep their systems from shutting down entirely, and causing irreversible damage to their processors. With the emergency repair ward quickly filling up and the necessary supplies to keep the affected deviant alive rapidly shrinking away Simon was feeling helpless and in desperate need of assistance.

"Markus, I don't know what to do to save them." Simon pulled the bell of his audioscope from the latest patient's chest and sighed with a very human breath of despondent fatigue. "I've never seen anything like this before."

"Have you isolated the cause?"

"No. There's no single constant variable to connect any of the victims together, let alone identify the singular error causing their bodies to just completely fail in such a horrible and fatal manner."

"Can you do anything to keep them as stable as possible to prevent critical readings?"

"I'm trying everything logically possible." Simon sounded as exhausted as he felt as he remained perfectly honest with the deviant leader. "The rate of Thirium loss is devastating and it's taking everything our external supportive measures can provide to keep their processors from overheating."

"Damn it, the thermal regulator has been affected?"

"The thermal regulator, the ventilation biocomponents, Thirium filter, artificial stomach and even the Thirium pump itself is being affected by whatever this error is. It's attacking vital biocomponents rather than any actual software or hardware."

"That's why you can't locate the error. It isn't a glitch or bug in the software."

"Unfortunately, no." Pinching the bridge of his nose with right index fingertip and thumb Simon took a step back and ran a visual scan over the other patients occupying the treatment tables throughout the emergency repair ward. "Never thought I'd see myself wishing for a glitch to take care of."

Dragging his right hand over his chin with an inquisitive and empathetic manner Markus made his next decision. "I'm going to see if Connor knows anything about what's going on. I tried to get in contact with him earlier but he didn't respond to my call."

"Think he's busy?"

"Most likely. If he can't answer a cybernetic call then I know for sure he's preoccupied with something important." Reluctantly Markus backed out of the emergency repair bay and toward the door with a heavy heart. "I'll keep you posted if I can learned anything new, or if Connor can give us some information."

The android unique ambulance was directed to the hybrid hospital of St. Vevila in favor of a strictly Android Emergency Care Facility. Due to the severity of Connor's condition and the enigmatic cause of his condition it was determined that a form of quarantine was necessary until an answer to the odd reaction could be identified. With Hank riding in the front cab of the ambulance to keep close to his downed partner Connor was being watched over by numerous first responders as his condition continued to deteriorate en route to the hospital, but he was still miraculously clinging to life.

As soon as the ambulance stopped at the emergency entrance leading to the hospital's newly established emergency repair ward Hank threw open his door and walked to the back of the ambulance in time to see the two technicians in the back push open the doors and begin lowering the gurney with Connor loaded up, and still unconscious, down to the ground to be wheeled inside.

"Kid? Can you hear me?" Putting his right hand on Connor's left shoulder Hank took in the sight of all the Thirium staining Connor's face and still dripping from his nose, and oozing from the corners of his mouth. The red L.E.D. was still pulsing but at a painfully slow rate that made Hank fear the light would go out entirely at any second. "Connor, you're at the best facility in the entire city. You're going to be just fine."

In an instant a duo of technicians swarmed over Connor as the gurney was wheeled through the entrance and into the emergency diagnostic bay to begin analysis and treatment for the still bleeding deviant detective. Without fail a responding nurse who was interning as a technician stopped Hank from following after Connor into the diagnostic bay, and had to stay outside the door to watch the procedure through the large observation window in the corridor.

"Thirium pressure is critically low, holding at seventy over forty." The lead technician, Dr. Abby Grayson, had become a familiar face as she had taken charge of her own Android Emergency Care Facility on Tenth Street and had treated Connor for injuries in the past. It was clear that she was now teaching the next generation of technicians the ropes and had gone to the hospital due to the strange deviant epidemic sweeping through the city. "Thirium volume is down to forty-four percent. Winona, start two units of fresh Thirium through the primary lines in both arms."

"Through the lines?" Winona asked curiously as she used a penlight to check Connor's pupils carefully. With her exam finished she moved to slip Connor's arms free of his gray suit jacket and white dress shirt sleeves to expose his arms fully. "I thought ingestion was the quickest way for androids to replenish their Thirium reserves."

"That's true but since this error or glitch or whatever is causing massive internal hemorrhaging and a destabilization of the artificial stomach resulting in unnecessary expulsion line replenishment is currently the only viable way to restore lost Thirium."

"I understand. Starting two units of Thirium."

"Hook him up to the stationary Thirial activity monitor. We need to check his Thirium pump's rate and monitor his ventilation closely." Hovering over Connor carefully Abby removed the wireless lead that had been attached to Connor's chest to reconnect him to the hospital's monitor, then placed an oxygen mask over his bleeding face to try to keep his core temperature low. "He's overheating." She announced after pressing her right palm to Connor's forehead lightly. "Start emergency cooling measures and connect his processor to the diagnostic modem. We need to monitor his processing activity just as closely."

"Two units of Thirium in." Winona announced confidently as she finished attaching the two external lines to the main lines running through Connor's arms located in the bends of his elbows. The new monitor's wireless sensor pad was placed down over the center of Connor's chest and with it the display of the monitor gave the duo of technicians the readout they needed to assess Connor's condition. "Pump rate is at one-hundred and thirty-two beats per minute, ventilation rate is eight per minute and his core temperature is holding at one-hundred and two point three degrees."

"Shit." Glancing over the numbers displayed in red on the monitor Abby sighed and issued her next order. "Hang two more units of Thirium and keep two partially frozen units on standby. As soon as his Thirium volume reaches seventy percent move him into the critical care unit of the emergency repair bay and keep constant analysis on his processors on record."

"Yes, Dr. Grayson."

Sensing Hank's eyes watching her through the window Abby patted Connor's chest twice with her right hand as she followed the emergency technicians who had transported Connor to the hospital out of the room and walked over to Hank to address him directly. "Lieutenant."

"Abby." Sighing openly Hank put his hands to his hips and gave the shorter brunette woman a worried glance. "How bad is he?"

"Bad. Even with our measures to stabilize him he's going to remain in critical condition until we can figure what the this problem is, and then correct it."

"How many other deviants have been infected?"

"Including Connor there are now a total of sixteen deviants who are just as sick and in the android critical care unit. All of them are exhibiting the same symptoms as Connor and they're all responding in the same manner to our treatments."

"Fuck. Have you been communicating with New Jericho at all?"

"Yeah. According to Simon they have just as many, if not more, deviants in the exact same critical condition." Turning to look at Connor through the window as her assistant, Winona, monitored Connor carefully and used her own audioscope to listen to his chest Abby remained honest with Hank. "Until we know what's causing this the only thing that can be done to treat the infected is common sense technical support."

Unsure of what to say let alone do Hank let out a frustrated sigh and closed his blue eyes. "I want to stay here with Connor and see if I can't get him to wake up even for a minute. He might be able to tell me what's going on."

"Good luck with that. Every deviant in our care has been in emergency stasis mode and unresponsive to manual override techniques to wake them up."

"Well, I'm going to try anyway." Watching Connor barely breathing and looking horrifically pale as he laid nearly motionless and covered in his own blood Hank felt sick and helpless at the macabre sight. "I owe it to the kid to not give up on him just as he never gave up on me."

The lack of deviant activity in the city was shocking to say the least. The sight of androids, with or without their L.E.D. lights and clothing, had become so commonplace in Detroit that their absence was quickly noticed by everyone walking the streets. Construction crews were halved, facilities were full and on the verge of lockdown, autonomous vehicles were parked and left idle at their charging ports, android department stores were bare while human department stores were practically overflowing, and the deviants in charge of maintenance and care throughout the city had been quarantined due to the unknown error leaving the humans to fend for themselves for the first time in almost twenty-five years.

Markus walked from New Jericho Tower and to the precinct to ensure that he didn't accidentally come into contact with anyone or anything that was spreading the enigmatic and potentially fatal error, and had to force himself to step through the precinct's front doors. As he passed through the receptionist area he noticed that the deviants who were usually up front had been replaced by human temp workers, and that he couldn't detect any android signatures in the building whatsoever.

"Oh, no." Stepping into the bullpen Markus glanced about but failed to see either Connor or Hank at their desks near the center of the large room and just knew that something terrible had happened. "Where's Connor and Lieutenant Anderson?"

Approaching the two desks warily Markus glanced about the area and noticed the small remaining puddle of Thirium on the floor next to the corner of the desk. Kneeling down next to the puddle Markus pressed his right index fingertip into the sapphire stain and noted that it was fresh, warm and right next to Connor's personal desk.

"Damn it, what happened?"

From within his own personal office Captain Fowler took notice of Markus's arrival through the transparent wall overlooking the bullpen, and promptly stepped out of his office to greet the deviant leader properly. "Hey, Markus." Approaching Markus without drawing any attention toward him Captain Fowler extended his right hand and introduced himself respectfully. "I'm Captain Fowler, I'm the detective in charge."

"Hello." Shaking Captain Fowler's hand respectfully Markus could tell by the look in the commanding officer's eyes that something bleak had just transpired moments before he arrived. "...Can you tell me where Connor and Lieutenant Anderson are?"

"I can but it's not good news."

"Please. I need to speak with Connor."

"Come with me for a minute." Showing Markus back toward his office Captain Fowler prepared to inform the deviant leader that the city's only deviant detective had been incapacitated by the very mysterious error he had been attempting to identify and eradicate. "What I have to say won't be pleasant, but the least I can do is tell you the truth while the precinct keeps looking for a definitive answer for everyone involved..."

Standing against the far wall of the sectioned off critical care unit with his arms folded over his chest and his back pressed up against the smooth white wall behind himself Hank just watched as Connor laid completely unconscious in the bed, and hooked to the numerous monitors and sensors recording his every vital sign and processor reaction. The sight was as grim for androids as it was for humans. Despite the red L.E.D. pulsing at a painfully slow pace in Connor's right temple Hank couldn't stop himself from seeing the young deviant as anything but a sick kid. Even Connor's artificial skin had paled to an eerie white shade due to the lack of energy preventing his artificial skin from fully generating, and allowed patches of the skin to disappear entirely while the white hue of his plastimetal frame showed through the semi-transparent layer of remaining skin for all to see.

The blood stained uniform had been cut away from Connor's body and replaced with a set of pale blue scrubs. With a wireless sensor pad over the center of his chest recording his Thirium pump rate and ventilation pace Connor looked as though he was being monitored for a nasty chest infection, not an error. The external ventilator was connected to a second air intake line that had been snaked down Connor's throat to keep his ventilation system functioning properly, and as a result his chest rose and fell steadily like someone breathing in their sleep. The twin lines running into the bends of Connor's arms supplied the deviant with the much needed Thirium he had lost after bleeding out at the precinct, and the pale blue ice packs over Connor's chest, abdomen, forehead and against the back of his neck helped him to remain cool as his thermal regulator struggled to function.

The door to the room slid open and Abby herself entered the room to check on Connor's condition. Noting the deviant's vital signs on the monitor before she pressed the back of her right hand to the left side of Connor's neck, Abby sighed and gently lifted Connor's eyelids one at a time to shine a light into his pupils to check his visual processors.

"He hasn't moved since he stopped seizing back at the precinct." Hank stated somberly as he joined Abby by the bed and stared down at Connor's pale face with a mournful look. Seeing the deviant so lifeless was as painful for her as it was for him. "I've never seen him so weak before."

"I haven't seen any deviant this weak before." Admitting the grim scenario with a heavy heart Abby confirmed that the unusual error causing such catastrophic damage to deviants wasn't something she had experienced before. "Connor's design makes him more advanced than most models of androids despite him being a prototype, and even his software isn't immune to this error, glitch or whatever... Beyond common sense treatment I don't know what else I can do for him."

"Well, you're more qualified to make a decision than I am." Lightly Hank put his right hand on Connor's right bicep without touching the lines still inserted in his arms supplying him with the critically needed Thirium. "I have no idea what makes androids work, let alone what let them become sentient."

"You're not alone with that one, Hank." Pulling her audioscope from the right pocket of her white lab coat Abby put the ear pieces in place and then ran the cool metal bell over Connor's chest to listen to his his Thirium pump and ventilation directly. "Aside from having a much slower heartbeat and less frequent breaths Connor is stable. But," draping the device around her neck Abby glanced up at the monitor and confirmed his core temperature was still too high despite the ice and external ventilation fighting to keep him cool. "his temperature is up to one-hundred and two point seven degrees. If he hits one-hundred and four I'm going to have to place him in an emergency slush ice bath to get him to cool down."

"That doesn't sound good."

"No, it doesn't. What's worse is he won't be the first one I've prescribed for that treatment today. It's the only way to effectively reduce the core temperature of an overheating android when the thermal regulator is malfunctioning to such an extent."

"Shit." Dragging his right hand over his bearded chin Hank contemplated his next move very carefully. Despite being ordered to return to the precinct Hank didn't want to leave Connor behind while he was still so sick and so weak, yet he knew with Connor down and out that he was the only one left working in the deviant division who could possibly do anything to help him. "Look, I need to get back and report to Fowler about what's happening. If he shows any changes at all, or wakes up even for a second, call me."

"I will, Hank. I promise."

"Thanks." Patting Connor's arm twice Hank addressed the unconscious deviant in a low voice as if Connor could still hear him. "You'll be okay, kid. I need to go keep the precinct from falling apart, but I'll be back to keep you company as soon as I can. You'll be safe here."

Taking his reluctant leave of the android critical care unit Hank stepped through the sliding door into the corridor and practically ran into Markus as the deviant leader marched toward his friend's room.

"Lieutenant?"

"Markus?" Stopping short Hank spoke to Markus directly as his brow furrowed with confusion. "What're you doing here?"

"I went to the precinct to find you and Connor when I couldn't cybernetically connect to him." His mismatched eyes filled with grief as he spoke. "Your Captain told me about Connor collapsing."

"Yeah... He's, uh, not in the best shape right now."

"And from what I was told he's just like the others. Same symptoms and everything."

"Yeah. It looks like it. And I have no idea what caused him to go down so fast."

"Shit." The last thing Markus anticipated was Connor going down in the middle of the critical investigation. "How can I help?"

"You can't, Markus. Whatever this error thing is has proven to be serious shit. I don't want any more deviants getting too close to the investigation or getting too close to the deviants who have already been affected. Stay back from this."

"I can't do that, Lieutenant." Defying the suggestion Markus refused to simply sit back and wait. "Connor's my friend."

"He's also very sick. If you catch whatever it is that took him down then no one will be left to take care of the deviants when they need it the most."

"Not true, you're still investigating the case. Aren't you?"

"Yeah, well," sighing a little Hank rubbed his right palm along the back of his tense neck as he stared into Markus's mismatched eyes. "I'm not exactly tech savvy, let alone a technician. I'll do what I can to figure out what caused this 'error', but I don't think I'll be able to do much more beyond that."

"Then let me help you with this investigation."

The offer was tempting but unorthodox and very questionable. To allow a civilian, even if he were an important person with strong ties to the deviant community, to work on such a important and possibly dangerous case was a huge risk to take. But without any current leads or a partner to work with Hank's options were painfully limited.

"Hank, this is the best way for me to help my friend, and my people as a whole. Let me do this."

"...Alright." Relenting with a begrudging sigh Hank allowed Markus to join in on the investigation as he was desperate to make some progress. "Let's go back to the precinct and start from square one. We need to work fast if we're going to help anyone."

-next chapter-