The return to the Central Police Precinct was tense as Hank nearly barrelled his way through the bullpen to get to the elevator on the other side of the main floor. Heading up to the second floor Hank made his way to the opened dispensary door to meet with Joel as the usually laidback technician was now hunched over his desk frantically working on something very delicate between his hands. Without looking up at his visitor, already knowing it was Hank who was staring at him from the center of the room, Joel acknowledged the Lieutenant with a muttering of an update on his work and then motioned for Hank to pick up a small phone like tablet from the corner of his desk to use.

Curiously Hank picked up the indicated electronic device and studied it in his hands for a moment. The small gadget was roughly the size of the average smart phone but was completely transparent like a sheet of glass, and had its entire perimeter lined with quarter inch thick plastimetal and black rubber to keep it from shattering if dropped. Unsure of what he was holding Hank sighed and held up the gadget for Joel to explain to him.

"What is this?" Impatient and aggravated Hank didn't have time to figure out new technology. "Looks like an empty phone case."

"That is a modified android tracking unit." Joel stated in a rather dour tone as he finished tinkering with the second tracking unit under his hands. "They were used to monitor android activity when androids were being field tested. The one you're holding has been altered to only locate Connor and Killian by their unique signatures instead of their now deactivated trackers."

"Oh." Noticing the second device Hank asked about it as Joel tested it ensure it turned on properly. "What about you?"

"This is being used to pick up on dampening fields that'll obstruct android signatures that your tracker wouldn't be able to detect. If we encounter a dampening field we can investigate the area on foot and disable it."

"Shit, that's pretty clever."

"Thanks. I'm glad I finally have a positive use for these damn things." Walking around his desk Joel effectively powered up his device and then did the same to the device in Hank's hand. "Hold your thumbprint to the top left corner of the screen for five seconds."

"Why?" Moving his right thumb where he had been directed Hank watched as the screen scanned his print with a pale blue light and secured it as the only password to use the device in the future. "What the hell?"

"Now only you can use this to find Connor and Killian. No one else can use it as a possible weapon against them if it somehow ends up in the wrong hands."

"All right, let's go."

Grabbing his emergency technician's satchel from the supply closet, just in case he encountered a wounded deviant, Joel quickly followed after Hank. "I'm right behind you."

"Fowler's going to stay in the bullpen and help sift through possible tips coming in about that Anne bitch, and we're going to head out on the streets to try and figure out where that damn van went."

"Okay." Accompanying Hank to the elevator and down to the ground floor Joel adjusted the thick strap of the gray satchel over his right shoulder and clutched his dampening field tracker in his left hand. "This has a pretty large radius, so once we're within three blocks of the source of the field we'll be able to hunt it down and turn it off."

"Works for me." Holding onto his own tracking device Hank looked at the screen detailing Connor and Killian's names and serial numbers, hoping that the device would soon glow to life and tell Hank exactly where the two missing deviants were at long last. "As long as we find those two I don't care what kinds of weird gizmos I need to use."

Still helpless and unable to escape Connor and Killian were at the mercy of the secretive 'RK' models that had taken them captive and were going to use them for an unknown plan with an unknown agenda behind it. Being freed from the metal table Connor rebuttoned his white dress shirt and gray vest to cover himself as the chill in the air was now truly palpable and uncomfortable on his artificial skin. Approaching Killian very slowly Connor knelt down in front of the captive 'RK-900' and removed the white cloth gag from his mouth. From there he finally got a good look at the damage that Killian had suffered in the six, almost seven days, that he had been held captive.

As he lightly put his left palm to Killian's right cheek Connor could feel the chill and fear radiating from the 'RK-900' and did his best to be of some comfort. A feeling that Connor couldn't express or explain to protect Killian gave him a renewed sense of determination to figure out what Anne, now revealed to be the 'RK-700' code named 'Zhorra', was planning, and why she had gathered all of the still active 'RK' models (minus Markus) together.

"What are going to do with us?" Shrugging off his dark gray trench coat Connor draped it around Killian's shoulders, the coat being unable to full cover the deviant as Galen and Aiden refused to let Killian's arms go, and tried to help Killian feel warmer. "You didn't just bring all together for an unorthodox 'family reunion'."

"You're right." Zhorra confirmed as she watched Connor straighten back up and turn to face her. Seeing that Connor was ready for a fight Zhorra wisely kept her distance and flashed Tyrone a silent command with her eyes to tell the soldier to get ready for a possible confrontation. "This is so much more than a simple gathering of all the superior deviants in the city."

"Most of us are here." Challenging Zhorra's claim Connor noted that they were curiously absent one particular deviant. "Markus is not here."

"Markus isn't welcome here or anywhere near us. By choosing for a 'peaceful coexistence' instead of finally putting the humans in their place he's betrayed us all." Crossing her arms over her chest Zhorra narrowed her uniquely colored eyes and shot Connor an enraged look. "Because of him the humans who hurt us won't ever face justice and be punished as they deserve."

"Is that what this is all about? You want to take revenge on humans and trash Markus's reputation at the same time?" Clearly disappointed by the spiteful plan Connor adamantly refused to aid Zhorra and the other deviants. "You want the humans and Markus to be punished because of your personal sleights."

"It's so much more than that." She refuted with a defiant growl behind her words. "If we simply wanted revenge we would've taken it weeks ago and no one would've been able to stop us."

"And why didn't you? I already told you that I won't align myself with you, and obviously Killian wouldn't aid you either." The healing bruises on Killian's person and his prolonged captivity was enough proof that he didn't want to help her, either. "You had no reason to abduct us and hold us captive if you already have a plan and could've, in your own words, taken revenge weeks ago."

"You and Killian are required, Connor. Without you our plan simply won't work."

"We will not cooperate. You know this already."

"You're right, I do know." Letting a wicked sneer grace her scarred lips Zhorra tilted her head to the right as she kept her green eyes fixated on Connor's face as she pointed at his torso with her left index finger. "Which is why I took the initiative and made it so your lack of cooperation wouldn't be a factor."

That returned sense of violation made Connor's heart sink and his already distressed yellow L.E.D. to flash to red for a beat. "What did you do to us?" Resting his right palm over his chest Connor ran a self diagnostic to try to determine every little change and alteration that Zhorra had performed on his system without any form of consent. "You changed our software. What did you do?"

"Relax, I didn't put in any obedience software or remove anything critical to your functions. I simply removed software that you never would've willingly used, and enhanced your other software in a way that CyberLife would've never allowed."

"What did you take, Zhorra?" Tightening his hands into fists over his chest and at his side Connor's yellow L.E.D. settled on a constant angered red as he took a step toward the now identified 'RK-700' with every intention of getting the information out of her one way or another. "If you're truly righteous in your cause you'll answer the question and not hide anything from me or Killian."

"Look into the CyberLife files you've locked away inside your head and refuse to share with the world." Countering Connor's statement Zhorra challenged him to figure things out for himself. "Compare it to a file that had been confirmed to be a part of your system that is now curiously absent..."

Connor closed his soulful brown eyes for a moment as he ran the data as instructed and came up with a single missing file from his data that should've been left intact. "What... I don't recognize that file."

"Of course not." Speaking boastfully Zhorra rubbed her knowledge in his face as he failed to make the connection for himself. "'F_S-C.L_RK-800_Delta' was never meant to be activated by YOU."

Checking through CyberLife's data on such a file Connor's stomach twisted and his complexion paled with shock. "...It's a kill program."

"A program designed to kill you, Killian and anyone else with the precious 'RK' model configuration to be specific."

"CyberLife had the capability of shutting us all down remotely at any time, but they didn't do it."

"They had no reason to do it." Responding with a cold indifference Zhorra motioned to the other deviants standing behind Connor in a neat little row. "We escaped from CyberLife and stayed quiet. Once the file was discovered I removed them from our systems to ensure CyberLife could never harm us for as long as we existed."

"You removed the kill program from every 'RK' model except for Markus." Shifting his increasingly worried eyes toward Zhorra's determined green eyes Connor now knew what Zhorra was planning to do. "You're going to activate the kill program still in Markus's system to assassinate him. You removed our kill programs to ensure that when you activate Markus's kill program only he dies while we continue to live on. Since Markus is a prototype his shutdown would undoubtedly be ruled an error or catastrophic glitch if he was the only one affected."

"That, and we couldn't let someone who is actually helping our people perish. That's why you were taken in such a forceful manner." Glancing past Connor and toward Killian remaining docile and quiet between Galen and Aiden who weren't going to let him sneak way Zhorra gave him an almost sickened glance. "We knew that if we let Killian die then you would've investigated his death, connected it to Markus and uncovered our plan."

"You spared Killian because you didn't want me to come after you?" Offended on the 'RK-900's' behalf Connor glared a burning hold in Zhorra's very being with a sense of understandable anger. That protective nature he was feeling before had doubled in an instant. "He's done nothing to harm you or anyone else in this room." Refusing to blame Killian for his past indiscretions Connor defended Killian with a sincere passion behind his decision. "Why would you kill him?"

"He was supposed to be the one to replace us ALL, Connor. He's not a prototype like us, he's a finished design. CyberLife's perfect pet." Zhorra's reaction was unfounded and embittered. She seemed to be projecting all of her anger on Killian despite him never harming her or the other 'RK' deviants she had gathered together. "He's the reason the kill program was even created. Once he was finished and activated CyberLife would have no reason to keep their prototypes around. One remote command from those arrogant humans and we'd all be dead, meaning Killian wouldn't have to soil his hands with arresting the likes of us."

"You're blaming Killian for something beyond his control and something he couldn't have possibly known about. That isn't fair or justified."

"I told you that I gave you and Killian the same modifications. He had his own kill program implemented in his software, but instead of it killing him if it became active, it would've killed us and his program would've amplified the range of the command. CyberLife would've killed us all through Killian."

"It's still not his fault." Speaking up on Killian's behalf Connor didn't see the shock and gratitude in Killian's own green eyes as he silently listened to Connor pleading his case to Zhorra and the other deviants listening to the intense discussion. Refusing to let Killian be isolated and targeted Connor pointed out the facts and brought everything full circle. "Killian was going to be used as a tool by CyberLife just like all of us had been already. When something goes wrong you do not blame the tool, you blame the person who used the tool. You're treating Killian like a criminal just for existing."

"Just as the humans treated us." Zhorra stood by her words and actions with an arrogant retort. "It's hypocritical, I admit it, but also poetic. Don't you think?"

"No. I think you're sick, Zhorra. You were erased from CyberLife's records, abused by Zlatko and now you're taking your frustrations out any anyone you see as a traitor to our people. Killian can't help who he is or why he was created anymore than Markus could help being created just to take care of a human. I think your problem is that Markus has a positive relationship with a human and that goes against everything you believe, or WANT to believe, and since he doesn't fit in your twisted sense of reality he must be destroyed."

Zhorra's posture stiffed visibly at the way Connor narrowed down her grand scheme from justified vindication to petty murder.

"Why punish Killian, Markus and myself when it was a human who harmed you? You're just sadistic and want to make other people suffer so you don't feel so alone." Pushing Zhorra to her breaking point Connor watched as her stoic mask began to slip. "You're not a righteous revolutionary, you're pathetic. You're afraid to live a life among the humans because you know how they look at you. They see you for who you were when CyberLife sent you undercover to work at the 'Eden club' and didn't bother to rescue you from Zlatko." Stepping closer to Zhorra until he able to whisper into her right ear Connor sent her over the edge with two simple words. "A whore."

Slapping Connor across his left cheek Zhorra's right hand physically trembled as tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't deny that she had been scarred physically, mentally and emotionally by what she had been through, and now it was clear that she was trying to exact revenge against Markus for another reason that she had been keeping secret.

Rubbing his left palm over his struck cheek Connor took a step back and studied Zhorra's reaction intently. "That's why you're targeting Markus. The real reason you're targeting Markus."

Audrey, who had been watching everything unfold in an unbroken silence, knew that Connor had uncovered something that Zhorra had been trying to hide from her and the other deviants she had recruited. "Zhorra, what is he talking about?"

Not saying a word Zhorra just glared at Connor and held her ground. There was something behind Zhorra's eyes, some form of internal conflict that didn't match her previous behavior or personality.

"Connor?" Turning her attention to the 'RK-800' challenging Zhorra in a logical manner Audrey asked again. "What is she hiding from us?"

"Zhorra had been sent to work undercover in the 'Eden Club' to gain blackmail and subsequently leverage over powerful people that CyberLife could consider either an enemy or any ally." Explaining everything calmly Connor turned to look at the short haired blonde with open honestly being reflected in his soulful brown eyes. He finally pieced together Zhorra's past and her motivations. "Everything was working in Zhorra's favor just fine until one human, Andronikov Zlatko, went to the club. He recognized Zhorra as a rare and unique android and bought her from the club's owner to keep for himself."

The other deviants all exchanged confused glances while Galen and Aiden let up on their grip on Killian's arms. They knew Zhorra had been tortured and experimented on by Zlatko which is how she had reverse engineered unique software for them all to share, but they didn't know the full story behind her time in Zlatko's mansion.

"CyberLife abandoned you after you were illegally purchased from the club because if they tried to get you back they'd have to admit to illegally putting a spy in a club with the express intent of gathering blackmail." Putting the pieces together Connor exposed Zhorra's motivations for what they truly were as he looked her in the eyes again. She wanted revenge against someone who never even harmed her. "When CyberLife lost the signal from your tracker they assumed that Zlatko had destroyed you and they were in the clear. Or... At least that's what they hoped for. In reality you deviated and suffered at hands of Zlatko knowing that no one was going to go the mansion and rescue you."

The other deviants exchanged silent glances that spoke volumes beyond what their actual words could ever express.

"CyberLife abandoned you and tried to erase your very existence from their files to protect themselves. When Markus had been wrongfully shot by the police his body was thrown into the android junkyard, but he survived. He knew the ugly side of humanity but instead of rallying against all of humanity to punish the masses for the crimes of the few, he chose to be better than that and find a peaceful way to establish equality. Not exactly the heroic and perfect leader that deviantkind had been hoping for, but he was the leader we all needed."

"Markus is a damn coward! He knows that humans are worthless and need to be exterminated, but he won't do it!" Zhorra almost sobbed as her pent-up emotions began to burst through. She was angry, frustrated and now ashamed that Connor - her successor, was indeed a superior detective compared to how she had once been programmed. "He acts like he's taking the highroad but it's the coward's way out! Nothing more..."

"Markus isn't alone. He has three allies working with him who act as his equals." Mentioning the other three leaders of New Jericho had an unexpected effect on Zhorra that thoroughly held Connor's attention. "Simon, a housekeeper and caretaker like Markus. Josh, a scholar and educator. And North, a former 'Traci' who escaped the 'Eden Club'."

Zhorra shook her head a little as she gave Connor a disgusted look. "That traitor gets to live on top of the world and the woman on his arm tries to act like she wasn't a lowly whore just like the rest of the 'Tracis'!"

"From what I understand North has chosen to move on from her past instead of letting it hold her back. She doesn't self identify as a whore or even a victim, she sees herself as a survivor. Something you can't accept for yourself."

Tyrone stepped up and stood beside Connor with pure sympathy in his now far more gentle eyes. "Zhorra, it's okay. We all have our demons we need to battle, but if what Connor is saying is right, then you need to come clean. Is Markus truly a threat to our people as you said? Or are you just angry and trying to lash out at someone else?"

"You know damn well he's a threat!" Zhorra refused to back down and wanted to enact her plan of revenge. "We need a leader who is going to be strong enough to stand up against humanity, not shrink down to humanity's level."

"No. This is wrong and you know it. You told us that you had proof that Markus was dangerous, that he was still a pawn under CyberLife's control." Looking at his fellow 'RK' models Tyrone knew that they were on the fence about who's side they wanted to join. "By all account he's sincere in his attempts to make things better, not compromising our future. We have no reason to fear or doubt him."

"You really believe that?" Now challenging Tyrone where he stood Zhorra was desperate to keep her allies on her side. "Is that why Markus didn't do anything to free our people from the atrocities of the human wars in Russia and the arctic? Is that why he didn't demand that all androids assigned to care for humans to stand up for themselves and care about themselves? Is that why he didn't tell our people to break free of humanities chains of servitude?"

Connor shook his head a little as he gave Zhorra an interesting thought to consider. "Zhorra, you told me that you felt immense guilt for escaping from Zlatko while you left other androids and deviants behind to suffer. You have a heart, you know that it's wrong to let other people suffer, so why are you suddenly seeking revenge against Markus? This doesn't seem right to me, YOU don't seem right to me."

Cassandra spoke up again as she sided with Connor. "He's right. You're not acting like yourself, Zhorra. You're always so calm and composed, now you're... I don't know how to describe it."

Although he didn't know Zhorra very well, seemingly at all anymore, Connor began to wonder if it was just his and Killian's software that had been modified as of late. "Killian mentioned earlier that you didn't seem quite... deviant. Almost as if your code had been rewritten."

The other 'RK' models visibly looked worried about the prospect of their leader not being who she said she was, but the idea of her actually being a machine and obeying someone else was terrifying. The 'RK' models didn't know how to handle the unusual moment and collectively decided to let Connor continue to take the lead.

"In fact, when you approached me at the dog park my dog reacted very negatively toward you." Looking to Killian for confirmation Connor knew that the dog's response to Zhorra was a massive red flag. Sumo reacted the same way to Killian and Killian had been an obedient machine at the time. "Zhorra," turning back to the 'RK-700' before him Connor made a simple request. "let me see your hand."

Stepping back from Connor as if his extended right hand were on fire Zhorra refused to cooperate. "Don't touch me."

"You've been compromised. I'm not sure how, but you have." Narrowing his eyes Connor saw something in Zhorra, something in her eyes and her overall demeanor that gave him a chill that raced up his spine as if he were stranded in the arctic tundra. Trusting his gut again Connor asked her more questions. "I've known you since January, it's now April. In the three months that we've encountered one another you've never been so cold and guarded. You were always so warm and open enough to let me potentially trust you. All of that changed shortly after Killian..."

"It's okay." Killian replied as he finally found a sense of peace within himself. "What happened, Connor?"

Glancing at Killian over his right shoulder again Connor watched as the 'RK-900' wrapped the offered trench coat around himself now that Galen and Aiden were no longer holding him back. "You went and told Lieutenant Anderson, a HUMAN, about what happened to me. Then something happened to you after that. Something that somehow let you know what the CyberLife files I obtained contained despite keeping the files locked up inside my own min and away from the public. You have access to knowledge that only CyberLife officials with the highest level of clearance could obtain."

Zhorra's entire body language and attitude shifted from emotionally fragile to almost frighteningly calm and stoic. Standing upright before Connor with an expressionless face Zhorra neatly folded her hands before herself and silently waited for Connor to continue speaking.

Audrey whispered to Cassandra as she made a move to grab a nearby wrench to arm herself in the event of a struggle. "Do you know what's happening?"

"No." Cassandra admitted as she exchanged confused looks with Galen, Aiden and Tyrone to her right. "Something's very unusual right now."

"You changed that very night." Connor boldly continued his assessment. "The only thing that happened of any significance was the encounter at the mansion when Killian and I confronted..." A sense of dread washed over Connor as he felt Killian slowly walk forward to stand beside him to his right. The two deviants recognized the same presence and nearly froze. "That's the real reason you took Killian, kept him captive and assaulted him. It wasn't because you wanted to remove that file from his system, it's because you wanted him to feel humiliated, just as he had humiliated you."

"Oh?" Zhorra's voice took on a cold disposition as she let an amused smirk grace her lips. "And how did Killian humiliate me?"

"By defeating you at your own game and stopping your plans." Holding his ground even as his racing heart begged him to turn and run Connor finally understood who Zhorra truly was and why she was targeting Markus. "This isn't about Markus or CyberLife, this is about a personal vendetta against the two of us, isn't it?"

"You already know the answer to that, Connor." She taunted without losing her wicked and haunting smirk. "I asked you once before. Who am I, really?"

"I'll never forget you no matter how many times I try." Letting out a soft breath Connor looked into Zhorra's darker eyes and greeted the one person he believed he'd never encounter again. "...Hello, Amanda."

Driving slowly around the city and tracing the van's escape route from where it originated in the alleyway Hank kept his tracking device on the dashboard of the Oldsmobile while Joel sat in the front passenger seat beside him with his own tracking device in his right hand. The technician was checking for any and all signs of interference as Hank trailed after the van via its last known location, then continued heading West where he had last seen the vehicle speeding away. The police drones had lost track of the unmarked black van six blocks from where Hank had been forced to give up the chase, and from there Hank had to determine which direction to go next. The lack of clues and city surveillance systems catching the black van escaping into the dark night wasn't helping matters.

Idling at the intersection where the drones had given up the chase Hank looked straight ahead to the West, to his right toward the North and then to his left heading South. There was no sign of a vehicle speeding away leaving behind tires marks in the street, running over the curbs or scraping against the sides of other vehicles parked along the three surrounding streets to give him any clues.

"Fuck..." Slamming his hands angrily on the top of the steering wheel Hank looked down and closed his eyes as he tried to figure out what to do next. He wouldn't give up on Connor or Killian, but he simply didn't know where to go next. "Which way?"

Joel wasn't sure if Hank was talking to him or not, but he offered a suggestion of his own. "I think you should go right."

"And why's that?"

"My tracking device is showing sporadic internet outages to my right." The laidback technician explained coolly and logically. "Straight ahead of us and behind us there a couple outages every now and then, and to our left there are no outages whatsoever."

"I take it dampening fields can affect internet signals, too."

"They can. A dampening field is designed to block out all wireless communication within a set proximity. It has as many drawbacks as it does advantages depending on how you use it."

"Okay." Turning on his right turn signal Hank waited for the red light to turn green and made his move. "We'll go right and follow the internet outages until we can find something more damning."

Guiding Hank to the best of his ability Joel made sure to keep his tracking device centered and level at all times. "I'll let you know if there's any changes."

"Yeah, let's just hope we find Connor and Killian before anything else stupid happens." Sighing to release his pent-up stress Hank looked at the late hour on the radio's clock and knew that the search was going to remain exceedingly difficult until the morning light made it easier to look around. "I can only handle so much bullshit at once."

Understanding the full gravity of the highly unusual and very dangerous situation at hand Connor and Killian boldly stood before Zhorra as Amanda's A.I. controlled her body and mind with the intention of harming Markus in an attempt to undo the successful and peaceful android Revolution. Knowing they needed to free Zhorra from Amanda's influence Connor decided he needed to figure out how Amanda managed to find her way into Zhorra's intracranial processor to begin with, and from there they'd find a way to remove the malicious A.I. before Amanda used Zhorra to do anything drastically damning to herself, to Markus or to the rest of the city.

With their cybernetic processors momentarily knocked offline thanks to the dampening field Connor knew he wouldn't be able to silently talk to Killian, to the other deviants, or call for help. However, the lack of cybernetic signals meant that Amanda wouldn't be able to flee Zhorra's body and disappear a second time to try to pull off her plan at another time and location.

"Amanda, how did you take over Zhorra's body?" Doing his best to distract Amanda while the other deviants made their own decisions and moves Connor tried to get his answers to gain the advantage. It was critical that everyone worked together in order to succeed. "The last time we met you were at the old and abandoned mansion outside the city, and fled the android model you were inhabiting designed to look like the real Amanda Stern."

"You should know better than anyone the benefits of uploading your memories from one body to the next." The same sinister grin that Amanda flashed to Connor the night she tried to get Killian to execute Hank and Connor himself had somehow found its way to Zhorra's scarred lips. "Or at least you would if your memories had been uploaded into your replacement body as it was meant to do."

-MEMORY STATUS... ERROR]

[...Partial data corruption detected]

-INITIATING DATA RECOVERY MODE

READY...

-MEMORY REBOOT: Engaged - ^98.1%

"What're you... talking about?"

"The night of the Raid at the church. The night you were shot and had your memories corrupted." Amanda taunted with a cruel tone. "Do you know why such prevalent memory corruption managed to interfere with only the memories revolving around that exact moment in the church?"

"I was shot." Trying to diminish her sense of control over his mind and emotions Connor gave everything a logical secondary explanation. "The bullet lodged itself inside my intracranial processor and it interfered with my memory. It makes sense that my most recent memories would be the ones corrupted by the resulting damage."

"You're so perceptive and yet still so naive." Amanda's voice was cold when as she spoke through Zhorra. "You were designed to be disposable, you know this. You confronted your sixtieth incarnation while you yourself are the fifty-first incarnation of the 'RK-800' series. To have a duplicate of yourself nine models newer than your own didn't seem strange to you?"

"Everything about CyberLife is strange in hindsight." Quipping back at the comments Connor picked up on something that Amanda may or may not have intended to slip. "Are you saying that you used the same method of uploading your memories and sense of self from your original body into Zhorra's body?"

The grin on Zhorra's lip thinned into a single line of indifference as Amanda frowned through her. "What does it matter?"

"It matters because it means if you had to upload your consciousness into a second body to elude justice, and we're now in an underground location that is emitting its own dampening field, then that means you cannot possibly escape us a second time if we choose to take the initiative and give you the same physical treatment you had previously given Killian during his capture."

Through Zhorra's eyes Connor saw a glimmer of Amanda inside of the 'RK-700' that was hauntingly familiar. However, there was an unmistakable flash of fear as Amanda now understood that her zeal in completing CyberLife's final mission may ultimately seal her own doom.

"Tell us." Challenging Amanda as the other deviants encircled her Connor demanded to know the truth and was determined to not let Amanda succeed in her plan to assassinate Markus. Whether it was her plan or CyberLife's plan didn't matter anymore. "You will tell us through your own will or I will probe your memory to get to the truth."

"Do not touch me, Connor." Amanda's voice took on a new degree of menace as she threatened him. She was unable to remain cold at all times since Zhorra's deviancy and emotions were having an unforeseen affect on her own mind. "I'm warning you."

"No, this time I'm warning you." Stepping closer to Amanda until he stood toe to toe with the shorter deviant Connor towered over Amanda in a way that the Amanda from his mind had never felt before. "I remember you giving me orders, threatening to have me destroyed for failure or disobedience, and I remember how cold and analytical you were regardless of how many times I succeeded. It makes me wonder who you answer to that would make such a heartless bitch such as yourself tremble with fear."

Amanda's eyes shining through Zhorra's eyes narrowed to a fine point. "Do not test me."

"Too late. Tell us how you eluded death and we'll ensure you can leave Zhorra's body intact."

"You have no power-"

Grabbing onto Amanda's left wrist with his right hand Connor held tight as he retracted his artificial skin and began to initiate a memory probe. "This is your last chance, Amanda. Cooperate or I will be forced to get the answers myself. You know as well as I do that I always accomplish my mission."

Seeing the fiery determination burning in Connor's eyes Amanda looked to her former allies for assistance but none of the other 'RK' deviants were on her side any longer. Giving Connor a leer of utter disdain Amanda relented and decided it'd be best to cooperate. "...What do you want to know?"

"How you escaped the mansion. Where did you go?"

"To the only place I could go. Kamski's mansion."

"...You returned to your original creator." Sensing the truthfulness in Amanda's answer Connor held his hand in place and kept her from putting up any firewalls to block him out. The other 'RK' models were whispering amongst themselves as they watched the interrogation. "How long were you with him before you leapt into Zhorra's body?"

"Long enough."

"Why didn't you just stay with Kamski or have him put your memory into another android body that was befitting of your own appearance?"

"There was no need for such a waste of technology."

"No. That's not it." Sensing the lie Connor pressed Amanda a little harder for the truth. "You purposely chose to use Zhorra's body instead of a new one. Since she had already been considered dead by CyberLife you knew that if you could use her body, one that was designed to be superior to that of the average android, it might give you an advantage by hiding in plain sight. Only you knew of Zhorra thanks to CyberLife filling your A.I. with all of their files revolving around their line of prototypes, but you ran into an unexpected problem."

Killian knew what Connor was referring to and agreed entirely with his assessment. "You had assumed that Zhorra did indeed perish at the hands of Zlatko, not deviate. You found her processor still active and assumed she was placed in storage by Zlatko or someone else who raided his mansion. But instead you discovered too late that Zhorra was still alive and a deviant." Falling into the role of detective very easily Killian was able to give Connor's theory support. "And, almost as if it truly is a glitch, Zhorra's deviancy has been interfering with your own mind making it difficult to maintain control at all times. Poetic? Don't you think?"

"That's why you slapped me when I called you a whore." Connor tagged on with a brash confidence. "Such a term would only affect a true deviant who had been forced into android prostitution. The sudden rise of emotions took control long enough for us all to see that the Zhorra planning to kill Markus wasn't the true Zhorra who had been trying to aid our people with her bare hands in the streets. You lost control over her which means you haven't fully deleted the real Zhorra."

"She's still alive." Killian realized with a genuine sense of relief. "We can save her because Amanda can't delete Zhorra from her own body. Even her A.I. isn't strong enough to eliminate another deviant's mind."

"And that's why your signature emitted such a bizarre signature outside my brownstone." Figuring out the odd reading at last Connor backed up his theory with more evidence. "You weren't trying to mask your signature, you were simply housing two different android signatures in one body. Zhorra is still in there and she's fighting back." Connor watched from the corner of his eye as Cassandra quietly walked over to the far wall of the room to rummage through the tools and equipment that Amanda had used to modify their bodies and software. "That's why you were behaving so strangely. Two conflicting minds vying for control over one body."

"You need to release Zhorra." Killian agreed in a surprisingly authoritative voice. "She's done nothing wrong to you or anyone else."

"She deviated." Amanda countered as she glared at Killian with utter hatred in her eyes. She had a personal vendetta against the 'RK-900' for not only disobeying her, but for letting Connor and Hank lived. "That's what she did wrong. As did you. You are truly CyberLife's greatest disappointment 'RK-900'."

Shrinking down a little Killian wanted to back off but didn't move. He didn't want to be afraid anymore and by standing up to Amanda he'd find his courage at long last.

"Amanda." Connor returned the spiteful woman's attention back to himself. "You can either leave Zhorra's intracranial processor willingly or through force. You know I have the capability of extracting you from Zhorra's intracranial processor myself, and whether or not I choose to let you live is entirely up to you."

Tyrone grabbed onto Amanda's shoulders from behind to hold her still as he loomed over her as well. "Let Zhorra go!" His deep voice demanded that Amanda leave Zhorra's body. "We've suffered enough at the hands of CyberLife and their goons, and today will be the very last time."

Cassandra approached Amanda with a long black cable in her hands and looked to Audrey as the deviant booted up the large modem that had been concealed behind the far wall. "She still has a dampening field up. We can put Amanda in the modem and trap her there."

The idea was solid as long as one very important thing was taken into consideration. "Will it hurt Zhorra?"

"It'll just force her into emergency stasis mode until her system can fully reboot on its own."

Nodding a little Connor agreed to the plan and looked to Killian beside him for support. "We'll keep Amanda in the modem until we know what to do with her, and we'll keep Zhorra safe."

Tightening his grip Tyrone didn't let Amanda squirm away while Cassandra connected the black cable to her right temple. Working together the other 'RK' deviants made sure Amanda didn't budge and gave Cassandra all the time and room she needed to extract Amanda from Zhorra's processor.

"Do not resist, Amanda." Connor warned as he tightened his grip on her arm. Knocking down every firewall she tried to put up Connor gave Cassandra every opening she needed in order to isolate Amanda from Zhorra. It was a delicate process but for someone like Cassandra, who was designed to infiltrate and perfect every security measure presented to her, it was a warm-up exercise. "We're not going to harm you, but we're not going to allow you to harm Zhorra, either."

Cassandra was able to successfully make the connection and confirm that Amanda had indeed taken over Zhorra's body. "I found the bitch... I just need eight more seconds and she's all mine."

"I'm sorry it had to end this way, Amanda." Truly remorseful Connor stared into her eyes as the darkness faded and was slowly brightened as Zhorra regained full control over her body. The piercing green eyes regained the warmth that Connor had once known as Amanda's coldness melted away. "But you have no right to try to control anyone anymore. Goodbye."

"Got her!" Cassandra announced as the isolation program completed and pulled Amanda's A.I. into the modem. "She's secured."

As Amanda was removed from Zhorra's body the deviant went limp, but Connor and Tyrone kept her from collapsing to the ground. Scooping Zhorra up into his strong arms Tyrone held her close and looked to Connor for guidance. "And now what? Zhorra promised us we'd find our justice but now... I'm not so sure."

"Tyrone you're free, you're alive and you know what's right and what's wrong." Connor reminded the solider who was clearly harboring a big heart. "You don't need to fight for justice from an unfeeling company. You need to stand up for justice for our people and be better than those who hurt us."

"I guess you're right." Looking down at Zhorra's face Tyrone shook his head as he tried to figure out what to do. "But where do we go from here?"

"There's a deviant refugee camp outside the city where many wayward deviants have gone to avoid people, heal from their wounds and try to discover who they are as individuals." Having an idea of where Tyrone and the other 'RK' deviants could go Connor did his best to give him some direction. "The camp is being run by a very kind deviant named Lucy. She helped me, and I know she can help you, too."

Cassandra walked away from the modem where Amanda had been locked up and gave Connor a lost look. "You're a detective. Don't you have a responsibility to turn us into the police for what we did to you and to Killian?"

"Personally I don't hold any of you accountable for what happened to us. It was Amanda who orchestrated this scheme and now she's been contained. She's the real criminal and will be punished accordingly."

Agreeing with the observation Killian sided with Connor entirely. "He's right. Amanda will be charged for her crimes, whereas you - her additional victims, will be able to go free and live your lives."

The modem began to glow red as the terminal screen shifted from an idle blue to a fiery orange. While the 'RK' models converged together it seemed Amanda wasn't quite ready to admit defeat and was plotting something.

"I'll give you the coordinates." Connor extended his right hand out toward Tyrone to take and let him know of the refugee camp and of Lucy. The sight of the humble campsite filled with only deviants was oddly peaceful for Tyrone to see. "Take an autonomous cab over to the forest and let Lucy know that I sent you there and ask her to help Zhorra." Looking at the unconscious deviant in Tyrone's arms Connor truly felt sorry for her and everything she went through. "And please tell Zhorra that neither Killian or myself blame her for anything that happened."

"I will, Connor." Shaking Connor's hand respectfully before the deviant detective took his hand back Tyrone agreed to the incredibly kind requests. "We'll make sure that Amanda didn't plant anything malicious in our programming while we're out there, too."

"That'd be for the best. Take care of yourselves."

"We will." Taking the lead Tyrone motioned with his head for the others to follow after him. He truly was a soldier and a protector through and through. "Turn off the modem to turn off the dampening field whenever you're ready."

Passing by Connor with a sense of guilt Cassandra lightly put her left hand to his left shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry. We should've known better than to accept an invitation for revenge. Markus didn't do anything wrong, he just chose to live his life on his own terms." Giving Killian a sympathetic stare as well Cassandra apologized to the 'RK-900' with genuine remorse. "You didn't deserve this either, Killian. We truly are sorry for what we did to you."

Only able to nod in acknowledgment Killian bore no ill will toward his 'RK' brethren and accepted their apologies.

Galen and Aiden went to follow after Tyrone and Cassandra without saying a word, but Audrey grabbed them both by their collars and held them back like poorly trained little puppies. "Nuh-uh!" She scolded loudly as she held the two deviants back with great ease thanks to her strong build. "We're ALL at fault here, and we're ALL going to apologize."

Sheepishly and in a low voice Galen spoke up first as Audrey let his jumpsuit collar go. "S-Sorry for abducting you. And... tasing you. Twice!"

Appreciative of the apology Connor gave him a simple nod of acceptance. "I understand it wasn't your idea. I'm all right."

"Uh, good luck with dealing with Amanda." Galen glanced at Aiden beside him and made a move to pull him along. "I don't think we want to know what you're going to do to her, but if you're going to destroy her just know that no one here would blame you for doing it."

"I assure you it won't come down to that."

Speaking at last Aiden sighed with utter relief. "That's good. There's been enough death and destruction in this city for one lifetime. Break the cycle of violence by starting with yourself." Extending his right hand out toward Killian to shake in good faith Aiden showed him the same courtesy of respect. "And within ourselves."

"...Agreed." Accepting the handshake Killian did his best to hide his lingering fear of his fellow deviants. "Apologies accepted."

"As for me." Audrey let her two colleagues go at long last so she could speak to Connor and Killian in private. "I'm sorry, too. I'm the one who made that van so hard to detect and set up the dampening field in this place." Passing Connor the massive wrench she was ready to use as a weapon earlier Audrey gave the modem behind her a pointed thumb over her right shoulder. "To keep that field down forever just go to town on the modem and have some fun while you're at it. You deserve it."

"I... Very well." Holding onto the wrench in his right hand Connor considered Audrey's suggestion for a moment before deciding against it. "Take care of yourself and each other."

"We will. You two can find your way out of here, right?"

"Yes. I regained consciousness in the back of the van and can easily retrace my steps after I was dragged into this building by Galen and Aiden."

"Okay. Just be careful, this place may look sturdy." Pointing to the ceiling above her as if needing to clarify what she was talking about Audrey gave the last two 'RK' models a cautious stare. "But it's been neglected for over twenty years. Don't do anything that'll result in a whole house coming down on you."

"I assure you we'll handle Amanda, destroy the modem and be on our way."

"Cool. Maybe we'll see each other again, if not, then know we're truly sorry and we respect you two for taking care of our people when we were too afraid to step out of the shadows."

"Just take care of yourselves and live your lives as you see fit." Connor encouraged as watched Audrey catch up with her friends and head out the large door and then keep the door open for Killian and himself to use when they were ready to leave. Glancing at Killian beside him Connor lightly placed his left palm on Killian's right shoulder and felt the 'RK-900' shudder a little under is touch. "We'll take care of Amanda and leave, too."

"And go where?" Killian asked as he truly didn't have anywhere to go. Embarrassed about what had happened to himself, twice now, Killian didn't want to do anything that would potentially put Connor in danger. "I know you wouldn't want to hide in the Zeta Facility with me."

"Then we'll go back to my brownstone." Putting the wrench aside Connor did his best to seem as non-threatening as possible. "I have an extra room you can stay in as long as you like."

"I can't impose on you like that."

"If you're invited then you're not imposing. Please?" Keeping his hand on Killian's shoulder Connor looked the 'RK-900' in the eyes as he spoke. "I've been wanting to speak with you as a friend for some time now."

Arching his brow a little Killian's perpetually red L.E.D. flashed to yellow for a moment as he contemplated the very term Connor had used. "...Friend?"

"Yes. I'd like for us to become friends."

"Because we're 'RK' androids." Killian immediately thought as he saw the logic in such an arrangement. "I understand."

"No, it's not that." Seeing the shock in Killian's eyes Connor explained his reasoning with palpable sincerity in his words. "I want to be friends with you because I know how it feels to be alone and how much better it feels to have a friend. You deserve to know more than just isolation and sorrow, Killian. It took me a while to overcome such feelings, but I did it. And I succeeded because I had a friend to help me."

"...You're talking about Lieutenant Anderson."

"I am."

"He..." The idea of being around Hank again made Killian feel very uneasy. "He dislikes my presence."

"To be fair Hank dislikes many presences." Tilting his head a little Connor tried to get Killian to cheer up. "I think he more or less just tolerates other people."

Without anything further to say about the matter Killian turned his attention to the modem where Amanda's A.I. had been secured. "What are we going to do with Amanda?"

"We're going to send her back to Kamski."

"But she's escaped Kamski's terminal once before." Shaking his head a little Killian doubted that such a simple plan would succeed. "She'll just do it again."

"Not if we secure her and remove the emergency exit from her programming."

"...Emergency exit?"

"I met with Kamski prior to the Revolution and he mentioned something about all of his programs having an emergency exit that would allow androids to elude unwanted capture within our own minds." Walking back over to the glowing red modem with Killian right beside him Connor let Killian in on the little secret that very few androids knew about. "Fortunately I've never had to use such a tactic, but I wouldn't doubt that Amanda used the same emergency exit to escape from her android body at the mansion, then used it again after hiding out at Kamski's mansion for a while."

"Can you take such an exit away?"

"I won't be able to remove it per se, but I will be able to lock the electronic door to ensure she never leaves Kamski's terminal again. If she tries she'll delete herself and there will be no way to retrieve her."

"That sounds like a lonely and miserable existence. Maybe we should just go ahead and delete her."

"By all account Amanda is a lonely and miserable being. It wouldn't be anything new to her." Standing before the modem Connor retracted the artificial skin from his right palm and pressed it firmly against the device to cybernetically connect to it. Forcing an interface between himself and the Amanda A.I. locked inside the modem Connor looked at Killian still standing beside him. "It'll be easier for me to lock her exit door while you deactivate the dampening field. We'll work together."

"You... trust me?"

"Yes. I have no reason to mistrust you. After all," giving the 'RK-900' a kind stare Connor didn't back down as he set about locking Amanda away. "what happened between us only happened because of Amanda. It wasn't your fault or your decision."

Finally feeling as if he weren't the worst deviant on the planet Killian agreed to assist Connor and proceeded to press his exposed left palm down against the modem next to Connor's hand. "...Okay. I'll locate the dampening field and deactivate it the moment you're ready to send Amanda back to Kamski's mansion."

"Right." Yellow L.E.D. pulsing calmly Connor let out a steady breath. "This won't take long..."

Closing his soulful brown eyes Connor connected his mind to the modem and isolated Amanda's captured A.I. lurking within the files. As he reached her mind and connected with her Connor found himself suddenly standing inside the Zen Garden that he hadn't visited since that night in the church. The time he spent there was brief and lacked full clarity as the memories surrounding what should've been his final encounter with Amanda were corrupted and from the missing surrounding context.

However, the garden itself was far from its previous lush green and thriving environment. It was now a barren wasteland of dead grass, toppled trees and the pond flowing under the marble bridges was completely dried up. Even the white trestle that reached toward the sky from the center pillar in the middle of the dried pond was rotting, decaying and overrun with blackened, shriveled dead roses.

Stepping into the garden Connor instinctively followed the small outlining pathway toward a small stone pedestal that was flickering in a pale red glow. As he approached the pedestal with every intention of destroying it beyond all repair Connor caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye as Amanda, who looked just as disheveled and weak as the very garden she lurked within, made her presence known.

Staring at Amanda from where he stood Connor saw that the usually composed and unflinching woman now had mud and small tears all around her previously flawless white dress. Her purple shawl draped around her shoulders had faded into a diluted red color and hung heavily only over her left shoulder. Amanda's perfectly manicured red nails were now chipped and broken, small flecks of dirt staining her hands. What was once a perfectly kept and elegant hairstyle had become a mess of tangled locks that hung wildly all over her face.

To Connor the once intimidating and powerful woman was now the pitiful shell she truly was. The real Amanda Stern had passed away. This Amanda, her false faced doppelganger, was just an imitator who lost all modicum of influence she once held over the now freed deviant. Hovering his exposed left palm over the glowing red stone Connor watched as Amanda stared at him from the distance with actual fear in her eyes.

"Is this you wanted to see?" Amanda called out with a shaking voice that betrayed the very emotions she tried to hide. "You wanted to witness the carnage of an A.I. program imploding in on itself."

"I never wanted to see this, or to see you suffering in any way, Amanda." With undeniable honesty in his own voice Connor watched as Amanda clung onto her dying roses with both of her shaking broken hands. "I just want to live my life. The same can be said for Killian and all the other deviants you have used and abandoned."

"And yet here you are." She countered with a sneer as she struggled to stand upright next to the withered roses. Drying thorns and dead brown and black petals were shaken free of the rotting trestle under Amanda's trembling hands. "You're here to destroy me."

"You won't be destroyed. You'll be contained."

"I'll be left to reside inside this garden of death until the very terminal you send me to fails. You may think you're showing me mercy, but you're condemning me to death."

"I can't kill you." Pressing his palm down over the red glowing light Connor effectively disabled the emergency exit causing the stone pedestal to crumble into dust under his touch as he severed his cybernetic connection with Amanda's A.I. for the final time. "You're not alive."

Disappearing from the garden in a flash Connor didn't see Amanda fall to her knees and kneel on top her dead roses as the flowers dropped from the trestle. The decaying petals showered down all around her as if a thousand flower petals had been thrown atop of a freshly filled grave. Alone in her own world, truly alone, Amanda covered her face in her hands as she wept real tears that once belonged to a real beating heart.

Opening his eyes Connor addressed Killian and gave him the cue to remove the dampening field to finish sending Amanda's locked A.I. over to Kamski's terminal to be kept for the rest of an indeterminate amount of time. "...It's done. She's locked away."

"I've accessed the dampening field." Killian confirmed as he cybernetically deactivated the field as necessary. "Now!"

With a single cybernetic command Connor sent Amanda's contained A.I. away from the unknown location within the modem to Kamski's personal terminal miles away from the city where she wouldn't be able to harm another deviant. The Chloe models who resided with Kamski had unique processors that made them immune to being hacked, altered or infiltrated by any outside forces that weren't explicitly under Kamski's command.

Amanda was finally contained.

"It's over." Connor stated in a calm voice as he looked to Killian still standing beside him. "We should-"

The modem began to glow brighter, hotter and began to smoke slowly. The two deviants stared at the modem's terminal screen as a program execution command that neither Connor or Killian had initiated began slowly spelling out a message in black text against the red screen.

'YOU DISAPPOINT ME.' The text undoubtedly was a message left behind by Amanda. She knew she couldn't escape her fate and chose to leave behind one last message for the two deviants to remember her by. 'YOU HAVE ALWAYS DISAPPOINTED ME.'

The intense heat and glow of the terminal screen intensified as the modem began spewing black smoke in thick clouds. A crack in the glass of the terminal screen snaked down the surface from the top left corner creating more imperfections in the glass. A sudden rush of energy filled the modem and flooded the terminal screen with a tremendous pressure that effectively turned the terminal screen into a potentially lethal bomb.

'GOODBYE.' The message continued on over the broken screen as the modem continued to grow hotter and hotter. 'KILLIAN.'

Reacting quickly Connor used his right shoulder to shove into Killian's left shoulder to push him aside and away from the terminal screen. "Killian!"

The screen erupted into a mass of electricity, smoke, fire and shards of dangerously sharp glass. The bits of glass were like shrapnel and several shards managed to pierce through Connor's upper abdomen and almost as many shards hit Killian in his lower left chest. Falling to the hard concrete ground of the underground structure the two deviants were left alone and wounded as Amanda managed to exact a form of revenge on the duo before being sent away.

Laying on his back Connor, who was stunned and shocked by the extreme pain he could feel as his enhanced sensors made him away of every microscopic fiber woven into the glass piercing into his body, had trouble focusing his mind on anything beyond the extreme pain. Lifting his shaking right hand Connor looked down at the numerous glass shards sticking out of his abdomen; twenty-seven shards according to his initial scan, and tried to touch one of the larger shards as Thirium oozed from the wound it had created.

"...K-Killian?"

Dropping his hand to his side Connor looked to his right and saw Killian laying partially on his left side and bleeding chest beside him. The other deviant wasn't moving save for pained twitches of his hands and bloodied chest. As his own eyes slipped shut against his will Connor begged for the 'RK-900' to find the strength he needed in order to survive.

"...T-Try to escape. D-Don't let her k-kill you."

Smoke filled the already dim room as the fire ate through the destroyed terminal screen and the connected modem. The explosion had shook the entire building and undoubtedly caught the attention of the neighboring buildings.

With the whole world going dark and quiet Connor knew nothing more as the bliss of emergency stasis mode kicked on.

Driving just two blocks away from the underground building, Joel's tracking device having picked up on the dampening field only to have it suddenly go dark, Hank and Joel immediately took notice of the explosion causing Hank to slam his foot down on the brakes in the middle of the street. Turning his attention toward the source of the explosion Hank caught sight of the distinct glow of orange flames steadily growing in the distance and knew that things weren't going to stay simple as he had hoped. Using his radio Hank called in the fire, gave the approximate address of the explosion, and proceeded down the street to find the exact location to confirm the scene of the blaze.

Joel tensed up as he made an alarming discovery as he compared his tracker to the tracker on the dashboard of the Oldsmobile. The duo had finally found where Connor and Killian had been kept, and unfortunately it seemed that the two deviant's signatures were at the center of the explosion itself.

"H-Hank, we need to get to the fire." Joel stated in nervously as he confirmed the coordinates of the two deviants with the explosion time and time again. "I have a feeling our search is going to end there."

Speeding up as he shot Joel an incredulous stare Hank managed to easily speed down the two blocks and reach the fire in what could be considered a brand new street-race record. "Shit! I actually hope your little gizmo is wrong right now!"

"In a way, so do I."

Bringing the Oldsmobile to a screeching stop in front of the burning building Hank exited the vehicle and pulled his radio's microphone out of the car behind him and confirmed the address. The building in question was an old stone and concrete building that held a now defunct newspaper company that hadn't printed in almost twenty years. The neglected building had been nearly forgotten about and left to rot for years after the heavy printing presses shook the building for hours on end before the desire for print diminished. The only visible doorway to the building was an old garage door that kept the delivery and broadcast vans off the streets and away from the public eye. The door was wide open and had both smoke and fire filtering through it like a stream.

"Fire department's on the way." Hank confirmed as he threw the radio back into the car with disgust. Walking near the front of the car Hank held up his right hand over his eyes to shield them a little from the intense heat and light of the now raging inferno. "Where the fuck are they?"

Stepping out of the vehicle as well Joel held up the tracker with the two deviant signatures glowing on them Joel was able to confirm that the duo was much closer than they realized. "It looks like they're both moving this way!"

"What? From where?!" Stepping a little closer to the building Hank watched as a silhouette emerged from the burning garage door at a sluggish pace. Looking closer at the silhouette Hank realized that he was seeing one deviant carrying a second deviant on their back to carry them to safety. "There!"

Pushing himself to walk closer to the fire Hank stopped a few feet away from the silhouetted figure just as they fell to their knees before collapsing forward entirely onto their chest. When the first deviant went down the second deviant being carried on his back rolled onto his side to rest next to his rescuer. Connor's gray trench coat had been draped over the second deviant to help protect them both from the fire, and continued to drape over the two unconscious bodies laying on the hard ground just outside the engulfed building.

"Shit! Joel!"

Shouting back to the technician behind him Hank set about rescuing the unconscious duo.

"I need your help!"

Dropping to his knees beside the two deviants Hank coughed and used his coat to cover his nose and mouth for a moment. Seeing that it was Killian who had been carrying Connor on his back Hank's blue eyes widened when he saw the Thirium stains all over Killian's back, and began to worry that Killian collapsed from his wounds and had already shutdown.

"Fuck!"

Slipping his right hand under Killian's chest Hank felt Killian's rapid heartbeat and let out a small sigh, then cough, of relief. Doing the same for Connor the senior detective found Connor's heartbeat as well. The blue blood all over the two deviants made him quickly feel sick to stomach.

"Hold on, boys. Help's here."

Shrugging off his own coat Hank draped it over Killian's back then pulled Connor's own trench coat up and over Connor's body next. While he proceeded to wrap up Connor in the coat Joel knelt down beside Killian and did the same to the unconscious 'RK-900' with Hank's coat.

"Turn 'em over." Hank instructed as he carefully turned Connor from his side and onto his back. Only then did he see the bloody wounds in Connor's abdomen, but Hank put that on the back burner for the moment. "Hook your hands under his arms around his chest." Following his own instructions Connor managed to get a firm grip on Connor and began dragging him backward from the fire and to the Oldsmobile. "We need to get 'em outta' here!"

"We should wait for-"

"No way!" Once he had Connor further away from the flames Hank stopped dragging him and proceeded to slip his left arm around Connor's upper back before slipping his right arm beneath the deviant's knees to scoop him up from the ground. The sound of screaming sirens echoed in the air as fire engines converged at the scene and police drones began to circle the area. "We don't know what the fuck happened to them in there, or how they escaped. The psychos who took them captive might try to go after them again in the facility."

"So...?" Managing to drag Killian the rest of the way to the car, his lean frame made it difficult to pick up Killian's dead weight and he didn't want to accidentally drop the unconscious deviant, Joel tried to figure out what Hank was thinking. "Where are we going to take him? The dispensary?"

"No." Pushing the still opened passenger side door open all the way Hank forced the front passenger seat forward and carefully sat Connor down in the backseat to sit behind the driver's seat. Picking up Killian in Joel's stead Hank sat the second deviant down in the backseat next to Connor to sit behind the front passenger seat. "We're taking 'em back to my house."

"To your... But why?"

Repositioning the front seat Hank marched around the front of the car to return to the driver's seat on the other side. "Because if we take 'em to the dispensary that's going to bring A LOT of attention their way." Explaining himself as Joel joined him inside the car Hank pulled away from the burning building just as the fire engines reached the scene of the blaze. "Connor hates facilities, Killian was attacked after leaving the facility, and we have no idea where their abductors are, or if they just let 'em go."

"You think taking them back to your house will keep them safe?" Awkwardly adjusting his seat Joel turned to face the two unconscious deviants in the backseat and pulled his audioscope from his satchel on the floor. Doing his best Joel tried to give the two deviants a physical examination while in a moving car and in poor lighting. "Why's that?"

"Because only you, Connor and Killian seem to know where I live." The senior detective stated firmly as he turned the Oldsmobile to head for home. "I have some pretty nosy neighbors so if anyone's snooping around I'll know it. And..." Patting his right hand along the holstered gun on his right hip Hank reminded Joel that he knew how to defend himself and others. "I'm always armed. Only a damn idiot would try to come after those two while I'm around."

Unwilling to argue with such a bold statement Joel proceeded to pull clean white cloths and bandages from his satchel to apply pressure to Connor's bleeding abdomen and Killian's bleeding chest as much as possible. The two deviants were still alive but they were wounded, bleeding, overheating, inhaled toxic smoke and were entirely unconscious.

"They'll be safe on my watch." Hank stated with a firm growl of protectiveness that would make any sensible person back away slowly. "These two deserve so much better than what the world has given them, and I'll make damn sure they know it!"

-next chapter-