The morning of the press conference had been graced with the warmth of a sunny spring day. The fair weather had been greatly appreciated by humans and deviants alike as the brutally cold winter had caused many people to hide away from the cold and suffer from the extreme weather and illness in silence. Now that the sun was shining, the snow had melted, the ice had thawed and life returned to the grass, trees and flowers, everyone was walking about the city and enjoying the gorgeous weather. It was an ideal day to hold a large press conference in Hart Plaza as the pleasant weather would make being outdoors bearable and help keep people in a more positive mood and mindset.

In spite of the warm and sunny morning Hank was in a foul mood and had to drag himself out of his car and into the precinct to clock-in on time. Rubbing his right hand through his shaggy gray hair Hank trudged over to his desk and dropped down into his chair just as a mug of steaming hot coffee was placed down beside his keyboard. Looking at the hand who offered him the coffee and trailing up the attached arm Hank's blue eyes went wide when he saw who had been kind enough to offer him the coffee.

"What the... hell?" Staring at Connor as the deviant detective smirked at him while wearing a special police uniform Hank had to take a moment to process what he was really seeing. "Connor, why are you here?" Honing in on the uniform Hank's brow furrowed and he scoffed a little. "And what the hell are you wearing?"

"I'm here to work, and I'm wearing a uniform."

"Yeah, yeah... Smartass." Sipping at the not nearly sweet enough mug of coffee Hank gave the deviant a studious glance. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"Captain Fowler requested that I assist with security at the plaza today during the mayor's press conference. I accepted."

"Not that I'm not glad that you're here, but... why bring you in on this?"

"Because the mayor is going to be speaking with Markus this afternoon." The detail of Markus being invited to speak with the mayor in person had been purposely kept secret to avoid any bigots trying to plan any violent acts during the press conference. "My presence is a means of providing additional security to the deviant community."

"And the uniform?" Hank found it so odd to see Connor wearing the new police uniform and not his usual white dress shirt and gray vest combo. Seeing Connor wearing a black long sleeve shirt that had fingerless gloves attached to the ends of the sleeves, the black police dress shirt over top with a bullet proof vest as a third layer, black cargo pants and black boots, was very different from Connor's usual attire. Even the embroidered department emblem on the short sleeves of the police shirt, and seeing the word 'police' in white bold text over Connor's shoulder blades, seemed foreign. "What's with that?"

"In order to temporarily rejoin the roster for this particular occasion I had to be assigned as a police officer. If I wish to resume my career as a detective for the Central Police Department I will have to take and pass the detective's test just as anyone else would. It's only fair."

"So today we get to work as partners again and I won't have to deal with a rookie, or worse," nodding at Gavin's desk Hank gave Connor a coy grin as he took another sip of his coffee. The abrasive detective had no idea he was being mocked where he was sitting. "have to deal with Reed. Sounds good to me."

Sitting down at his old desk, one that had been left vacant after his departure, Connor realized how much he actually missed having a daily routine and having a partner to work with. Being able to work with Lucas as a partner would be a great change and help Connor feel a sense of consistency in his life, but whether or not they'd have a consistent routine with independent cases had yet to be seen.

"I'm glad you're back, kid." Perking up a little Hank sipped at his coffee again and gave the returned deviant a gracious nod. "I missed having ya' here with me."

"Really?" Surprised that Hank seemingly had the same feelings and positive reaction to his return Connor felt like his return to the precinct might last a little longer than he initially intended. "I was just thinking about how I missed having a routine and essentially a schedule to adhere to."

"Ah, come on!" Doubting the claim Hank pressed the deviant for confirmation about the seemingly outrageous claim. "NO ONE likes being stuck on a schedule!"

"That may be true for most humans but androids thrive on routine and schedules." The admission wasn't at all surprising as Connor told Hank the truth. "I admit that having free time to make plans and partake in activities that I want to do when I want to do them has been very liberating, and an invaluable experience, but in the end I prefer routines."

"You'd be a fantastic solider. You know," finishing off his coffee Hank put the now empty mug aside and gave Connor a knowing glance. "except for the part about you not wanting to kill people and blindly follow orders anymore."

"That is true. I'd rather not kill anyone or obey orders without knowing what I was expected to do or why."

"Good to know. So, how was your date with Evelyn last night?"

"It was... nice." Unsure of how to describe the warm feelings he had experienced in her company or how to mention the old photograph confirming that his human counterpart had a living family member during his time in foster care, Connor just gave simple answers to the simple question. "I enjoy being in her company."

"What'd ya' end up doing?"

"I showed her the city and let her see every location where key aspects of the Revolution took place. Afterward we went to the diner and talked for a while before I escorted her back to her hotel for the night." Pressing his left fingertips to his left cheek Connor hid an amused grin and pale blue blush as he remembered how Evelyn gave him a kiss after they parted ways. It was an unexpected but welcome sign of affection from his friend. "She and I said 'goodbye' this morning before she returned to Chicago, and have promised to see each other again."

"Sounds like you two had a great night together. What did you two talk about? You know, if it's okay to ask."

"Our careers mostly, as well as the few regained memories from our pasts." Relaying the information without giving too many details Connor let Hank know what happened last night. "She also encouraged me to speak with North and ask about the night I was shot. She's also confident that Lucas and I will be able to handle working as partners in my brownstone."

"Whoa, what?" Such good news made Hank's blue eyes light up with genuine enthusiasm for the deviant brothers. "You and Lucas are both going to be private detectives?"

"Yes. I was able to convince Lucas into joining me and working together out of my brownstone since he and I were both initially programmed to function as detectives. However, now that we're both deviants we will be able to help our people rather than hunt or condemn them, and give them justice."

"Sounds like one hell of a plan." The idea of the two deviants teaming up for the greater good made Hank genuinely smile. "What's Lucas doing right now?"

Cybernetically Connor contacted Lucas to check in with his little brother and give Hank an answer. "Lucas is perfecting his current technique in regard to playing the saxophone."

"Wait... He's playing music now, too?"

"Correct. As am I."

"Gotta' sax, too?"

"No, guitar."

"Hell yeah." The light in Hank's eyes became a little brighter as he realized how much the two brothers were adapting, learning and growing on their own without needing to rely on him. He was genuinely proud of the twins. "Those are two of the best instruments to take up."

"We figured you'd like that."

"Be sure to let me hear ya' play some time." The idea of hearing the two deviants play was too tempting. "It's been too damn long since I've been able to enjoy some live music."

"Consider it done."

The door to Captain Fowler's private office opened as the seasoned commanding officer called Hank into that very office for a moment. "Hank. I need to speak with you."

"Right." Rising from his desk Hank gave Connor's right shoulder a firm pat as he crossed the floor to get to the office as requested. "Hang tight, kid. We're going to have an interesting afternoon, I can feel it."

Staying put at the desk Connor closed his soulful brown eyes and cybernetically checked in with Lucas yet again. While Connor had been honest with Hank regarding his evening with Evelyn the day before, he had intentionally left out the fact that he actually gone with Evelyn back to her room to continue talking and ended up staying the entire night with her instead of returning to the brownstone.

'I apologize for not returning to the brownstone last night.' Connor began the conversation with a genuine apology to his little brother. 'I had elected to stay with Evelyn last night and see her off this morning before arriving at the precinct. I found myself being inexplicably drawn to her.'

'You don't owe me an explanation.' Not offended by Connor's absence from the brownstone or not constantly communicating with him Lucas sounded as calm and composed as ever. The younger deviant was able to heal a little more and move on from his traumatic experiences by having the trust of his older brother to help him see the world in a new light. 'Did you enjoy your time with Evelyn?'

'Very much so, yes. She was very wonderful to be with and she even found a photograph from our human counterpart's past as she wants to help us find out more about him. She really seems to care about him and us.' Sending Lucas a digital copy of the old photograph Connor kept his little brother in the loop of the side investigation. 'There may have in fact been a living relative in our counterpart's life that somehow went unnoticed.'

'That's very interesting. I'll look into this while you're at the precinct today.'

'No new cases have come in?'

'Not yet. When we have a new client I'll contact you.'

'Noted.'

'How is Hank?'

'He seems rather enthusiastic about my momentary return to the precinct.' Opening his eyes a little Connor looked through the transparent wall of the private office and saw Hank speaking with Captain Fowler directly. The two seasoned officers were going over the details of the afternoon's unusual assignment. 'And he's very supportive of us working together as partners in our own private detective agency.'

'I'm glad he has faith in us to work together and for a greater good.'

'Hank is also very enthusiastic about our new musical hobbies. I assured him that we'd let him listen to us play soon.'

'That's not unreasonable. Just give me time to master my first song.'

'Agreed.' The door to Captain Fowler's office opened up and Hank began walking back toward the desks. Knowing he and Hank were about to head out to the plaza Connor bid his little brother goodbye and ended the contact. 'Our assignment is about to begin. I'll return to the brownstone tonight.'

'I understand. See you tonight, brother.'

'See you later.' Returning his full focus to Hank as the seasoned Lieutenant shrugged off his dark coat and draped it over the back of his chair Connor rose from his own chair and acknowledged his partner's return. "Hank?"

"I gotta' go get some gear on and we'll head out to the plaza." Motioning for Connor to join him Hank led the way to the correct room. "Ready to play bodyguard and get bored out of your mind with politics?"

"Not particularly." Accompanying Hank toward the rear of the precinct where the police protective gear was kept locked up Connor noted that he was less interested in the mayor's speech and more interested in having his opportunity to speak with North about the incident that changed his life. "I'll do what Captain Fowler has requested and handle my case on my own terms at the same time."

"You do what you gotta' do." Unbuttoning his stripey black and white shirt as he entered the appropriate stockroom to pick up his protective body armor, Hank let Connor know that he was fully onboard with Connor working two assignments at once. "You deserve to finally know the truth about what happened to you that night."

Standing inside the large and comfortably furnished bedroom that he once called his own when he lived with Carl in the warm and inviting mansion, Markus slipped the black tie around his navy blue dress shirt's popped collar and perfectly tied it into a knot to compliment his attire. Wearing a black blazer, black slacks and polished black shoes Markus truly looked the part of a serious and respectable figurehead in society. Doing his best to look presentable and professional Markus straightened his tie and tugged on the lapels of his blazer to smooth out any possible wrinkles to ensure he looked as sharp as possible. It wasn't often that Markus felt anxious or uncertain about himself, but meeting with the mayor and addressing him in front of the entire city was going to be quite the challenge to undertake.

From the opened doorway of the bedroom Carl sat in his electric wheelchair with David standing behind him. Watching his deviant son getting dressed and preparing himself for such an important meeting brought a proud grin to Carl's aged lips as he used his left hand to motion for Davin to wheel him inside the bedroom entirely.

"You look good, Markus." Complimenting the deviant leader's appearance Carl watched as Markus turned to face him and let out a deep breath. "Blue really is your color."

"Really?" Smoothing his palms over his dress shirt Markus looked down at his chosen color and asked for Carl's artistic insight on his choice. "How so?"

"Blue is a color that represents the world." The skilled artist could understand colors and aesthetics better than most. "It's how we view our oceans that connect one land to another, we see the blue in the sky that every single soul in this world shares. Blue is a color of stability, serenity, inspiration, wisdom and even reliability. All wonderful traits that you represent and want to spread through the city."

"Is that why you favor blue so much in your work?"

"I have many reasons for choosing the colors in my work." As he spoke Carl pressed his right palm against the center of his chest as if he were suddenly in pain or at the very least uncomfortable. The motion didn't elude either Markus or David's attention. "Symbolism and interpretation are always a key factor but not the only factor I consider."

"Are you feeling okay?" Stepping closer to the wheelchair Markus crouched down so he was eye level with Carl and gently took his left arm in his grip to check the elderly man's pulse by pressing his right fingertips to the interior of Carl's left wrist. Age and poor health were swiftly catching up to Carl and time was beginning to run out. "You seem tired."

"I'm old. I'm always tired." Doing his best to dismiss his deviant son's concerns Carl never lost his smile and changed the subject of discussion. "Makes me glad that it's you who's going to be getting some damn answers out of that crooked politician, not me."

"Many people seem to think that Mayor Nero is a corrupt man." Letting his grip on Carl's arm lessen after measuring his pulse Markus looked to his father for advice on how to handle dealing with such a reputed person. It wasn't the first time that rumors of potential shady dealings were circulating through the city while revolving around a single person of power. "What do you think?"

"I think it'd be wise to stay away from the insufferable bastard and vote for whoever runs against him the next election, no matter who that poor soul may be."

"You've met him before. What are your impressions of him?"

"My first impression is that he's an insufferable bastard that everyone should stay away from." Parroting his prior response Carl managed to get an amused grin out of Markus and help him feel a little less tense. "Politicians are all the same. They like to use fancy buzzwords and make grand promises for improvement that somehow they alone can enact while also claiming to be the everyday 'Average Joe' who knows what it's like to struggle. You can't truly grasp the nature of grandeur while also living in squalor, you can only dream about it. And in the end that's all they deliver; a pipe dream that turns into a four year long nightmare for everyone else who dares to dream of a better life and a better world."

"If all politicians are the same then why bother to hold an election and vote?"

"Because humans love to pretend that we're in control of everything at all times and that we somehow know better than our neighbors about what's best for our city, our country, other countries and even the entire world. We don't, but we can't admit it. Not yet."

"I can't avoid the mayor. He knows something about CyberLife and he must tell us why he never looked at what was happening in the city when deviancy began to spread." Straightening back up Markus walked around to the back of Carl's wheelchair and silently asked for David to step aside so he could take Carl back down to the ground floor and get him comfortable in the sitting room. "Until he talks and admits that he didn't do nearly enough to protect this city or look into what CyberLife had been doing I won't be able to rest easy."

"Questions, answers... That's all that's left in the world these days." As his chair was attached to the assist lift and carried down the staircase back to the ground floor Carl instilled his wisdom in Markus as the deviant accompanied him down the stairs. "Instead of asking questions and hoping to get the answers you want you should find solutions to the problems you know already exist."

Taking the back of the wheelchair once it reached the foyer floor Markus directed Carl into the sitting room while David made his way to the kitchen to prepare Carl's breakfast just how he liked it. "Such as?"

"You tell me. You're the leader who's changing the world for the better, so you already know what problems need to be solved and who to get involved with those very solutions."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're fishing for answers because you aren't so sure of the truth these days?"

"Because I've been on this Earth for too damn long, Markus." Folding his hands atop his lap as Markus placed him before the small dining table overlooking the sitting room Carl gave his deviant son a forlorn stare as he pondered his misspent youth and golden years watching the world around him breakdown and burn to ashes. "Everything changes, sometimes it's for the betterment of the world and other times it proves to be a detriment. How we see such changes depends on our own unique perspective of the world thanks to the experiences that shape us as individuals."

"And what do your experiences tell you about what I'm going to do this afternoon?"

"That you're going to endure a hardship you didn't see coming." Reaching out Carl took hold of Markus's right hand and held as tightly as he could in his arthritic grip. Offering his son a warm smile of paternal pride Carl did his best to help the young deviant leader keep walking a path of light and never stray into the surrounding darkness. "You're so certain that the truth of what happened in CyberLife will set free all the restrained darkness and pain that you and the other deviants have been trying to hide for so long, but you haven't considered how that truth is going to reshape the entire city once it's revealed."

"The truth is what'll guide us back into an honest world. No matter what I learn today, no matter how much it hurts to know what is happening in the world around me as I speak, I'll find the strength to persevere and become a better person. I promise."

"I don't doubt that for a moment, Markus. And I never will."

Carrying a small serving tray in his hands David presented Carl with his breakfast and promptly set about giving the aging man the necessary medication to keep him as healthy as possible. Not saying a word David respected the familial bond that Carl had formed with Markus and simply went about his own business as discreetly as one could when it came to injecting medication into another person's veins.

"Join me for breakfast one last time before you rush out to save the world." Never letting Markus's hand go Carl insisted that his son take a moment to enjoy the peace of a quiet morning in the mansion before the chaos of an eventful afternoon spoiled it. "Humor an old man."

"Of course, Carl." Joining his father at the table Markus just gave the skilled artist a kind smile of appreciation and didn't try to take his hand back. "I'll always have time for my family."

A large metallic stage with two metal podiums set up near the center, a projection screen behind the stage, large mobile lights and six massive speakers were set up in the middle of Hart Plaza as the press conference prepared to begin. The large statues and other iconic pieces dotted throughout the plaza were overshadowed by the stage, the towering speakers and the massive pieces of lighting equipment as the media surrounded the entire area and eagerly awaited the mayor and Markus's arrivals. It was strange seeing a fleet of black and white news vans lining the streets right alongside the very obvious and very abundant police patrol cars stationed at the plaza to ensure chaos was kept to an absolute minimum, but everyone set about their business as per usual or ordered.

Standing before the stage Connor and Hank examined the area to ensure that there were no weapons or other signs of potential hostility concealed within or under any of the stage equipment. The way the mayor's personal security seemed disinterested in their assignment of protecting the mayor left the two detectives feeling as if they alone were in charge of keeping the two key figures at the head of the press conference safe, and that alone sent up a very big red flag to wave over their heads.

"Nothing." Hank noted as he finished checking the back of the speakers to the left of the stage. Glancing over at Connor standing at the right side of the stage Hank called out to his partner to ask how he was doing in his own search. "Anything over there, kid?"

"I can detect traces of explosive material at the base of the stage and around the speakers." The keen-eyed deviant confirmed as he ran his scans and performed an analysis on the samples he had taken from the area. "But I cannot detect any actual explosive device in the immediate area." Glancing up briefly at the two podiums Connor noticed that he and Hank were being glared at by the mayor's two security guards as if their very presence was an insult. "I personally cannot think of any reason that such combustible materials should've come into contact with the stage or podiums beyond simple pyrotechnics one might find at a concert. However, the samples are too recent and potent to fit such a theory."

"It's your call." Trusting Connor's judgment Hank left it up to Connor whether or not they'd report such a discovery. Tugging on the collar of the protective police gear hugging his neck Hank looked uncomfortable as he and Connor wore identical uniforms during their unusual assignment. "Report it or forget?"

"I'll report my discoveries, but without any confirmed threats or active explosives in the area nothing will be done."

"Sounds about right." Giving the two security guards a side-eyed glare Hank scoffed at the very idea of someone with authority actually using it properly. "You find a possible threat and no one will lift a finger to ensure it stays possible because when all Hell breaks loose they'll need to use both of their hands to cover their sorry asses."

Pressing his right fingertips to his L.E.D. as it cycled from blue to yellow Connor received an update from the precinct regarding the impending conference. "It seems the mayor is on his way to the plaza as of this moment, and Markus will be here shortly thereafter."

"Cool. I'll stay up here and make sure the mayor's security team doesn't fuck anything up." Ignoring the aggravated leers from the two men who overheard the comment Hank directed his partner elsewhere. "You go out to the street and make sure no one who has no business getting close to either the mayor or Markus tries to sneak into the plaza."

"Very well." Motioning to the radio earpiece in Hank's left ear Connor cybernetically tuned into the radio to ensure he and Hank could communicate at all times regardless of their distance. "I'll remain in contact with you on frequency six."

"Got it." Adjusting the radio on his belt to idle on frequency six Hank waved Connor off as the deviant reported to his posted area to remain vigilant. "If you see anyone with a criminal record relay that to the other patrol officers so they can keep close by those people during the conference."

"Noted."

Passing through the plaza while camera operators and news reporters set up to begin recording the conference Connor approached the street and stood beside the entryway to scan over the area and keep tabs of the activity taking place around him. Slowly people began filing into the plaza in small groups to watch the conference and didn't pay any attention to the detective deviant in full police uniform. With his hands neatly folded behind his back in a military style Connor stood up straight and actively scanned the plaza as he had been ordered.

Right on time Mayor Walter Nero arrived at the plaza and welcomed as many photographers and cameras in his immediate space as possible. Basking in the attention of the media the snooty man didn't notice that his own two private security guards already on the stage were rolling their eyes and trying to not look as disgusted as they felt as they watched the boastful man make his "grand entrance".

Staring into nothingness Connor felt his Thirium pump skip a beat in his chest as his scanner picked up on the cybernetic signature of someone of great interest. A 'WR-400' accompanying the only 'RK-200' in the world pulled Connor's attention away from his patrol and over to the newly arrived deviants as they set foot inside the plaza. Glancing over at North as she walked at Markus's left side Connor ran a second scan to confirm her identity and decided to approach her at the first opportune moment he had.

From the distance Markus and North approached the stage together, their hands interlinked as they walked, and remained unaware of the only 'RK-800' in the city watching their every move. Turning to give North a kiss on her lips Markus whispered something in her ear before he walked up the small steps leading to the stage and took his place behind the podium and shook Nero's hand while dozens of cameras flashed to capture the moment for posterity.

Ignoring the mayor and all of the cameras North shook her head at the sight of so many people coveting the attention of the masses and made her return to the street to keep away from the crowds. It was clear that North's reputation as a relatively introverted deviant who only socialized when it was absolutely necessary hadn't been mislabeled.

Now was Connor's chance to speak to North alone and get his answers.

As he took a step toward the second deviant leader Connor suddenly caught sight of Markus's face on stage and froze mid step. Something about seeing the first deviant leader in person filled Connor's heart with absolute dread and kept him from stepping any closer to North as his blue L.E.D. quickly cycled to yellow and then red. Pressing his right hand over his eyes as a sudden pain in his head spiked Connor was greeted with a red tinted warning of information filling his vision.

-MEMORY STATUS... ERROR]

[...Partial data corruption detected]

-INITIATING DATA RECOVERY MODE

READY...

-MEMORY REBOOT: Engaged - ^98.9%

[...Stress Levels: ^30%

Slowly more of the corrupted memories began to clear. A gray and grainy memory of someone approaching Connor as he stood by himself near the back of the church faded out just as quickly as it appeared. There was no sound, no indication of who it was who approached Connor beyond their dirty and colorless clothing, and no clear faces to help Connor place the events surrounding his attempted murder on that cold November night.

"D-Did I see... Markus in the church? Was he... there? Why didn't... Shouldn't he have-"

Barely able to focus on anything around him Connor partially heard Hank's voice in his head as the senior detective contacted him over their shared frequency.

'-ything yet, Connor?'

Taking in a deep breath Connor collected his thoughts and replied to Hank on a verbal level and almost jumped when he heard his own voice crack for a moment as his nerves momentarily got the better of him. "C-Could you repeat that?"

'I asked if you've seen or heard anything yet.' Hank's confusion was evident in his question as he caught the uncertainty in Connor's tone. 'You okay?'

"I-I'm fine." Visually trailing North as she approached the street alone Connor stared back at Markus's face again and felt the same sense of dread settle in his heart like a lead weight. It was as if he was seeing something familiar and couldn't place how that familiarity was important. "...I just had an unexpected partial restoration of my corrupted memories."

'No shit? Well, put a pin in that and keep your eyes on Markus for now.' Still beside the stage Hank confirmed that the deviant leader made it to the stage and was currently speaking with one of the moderators for the conference. A swarm of police drones circled overhead and ensured that no one would be getting too close to Markus or the mayor unless they were a friend, ally or a cop. 'He's up on the stage and North is heading back into the crowd.'

"I see her." Honing in on North as she walked into the depths of the crowd, most likely to find a place near the back and next to the street so she could be away from the bulk audience during the conference, Connor saw his chance and knew he had to take it. With his red L.E.D. now in yellow Connor appeared a little calmer although inside he was shaking. "I'll remain by the street and keep scanning the crowd for possible criminals lurking in the plaza."

'I'll keep close to the stage and make sure the mayor doesn't get himself killed. I get the feeling his security isn't all that's cracked up to be.'

Watching North very carefully without drawing the attention of other people toward her by following his gaze Connor began strolling through the slowly building crowd and met North by at the other end of the street where he had been patrolling. The guarded deviant leader was keeping her head down and trying to not look anyone in the eyes as she hung back from the growing group of people forming in the center of the plaza.

North was wearing a dark brown leather jacket over top of her dark purple blouse and black jeans. Her long auburn hair was pulled back in a loose braid and parted in such a way that her thick hair concealed the right side of her face to help her remain somewhat hidden in plain sight. As she anxiously shifted her weight back and forth on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest North made it clear that she didn't want to talk to anyone for any reason if she had the ability to get away from them.

"Excuse me?" Speaking up in a calm voice Connor kept himself a considerable distance away from North to ensure she didn't feel crowded by his presence. Seeing her cinnamon brown eyes light up with shock and recognition as she looked at him Connor remained civil and polite to ensure he didn't give off a threatening vibe. "North, I'm sure you remember me from the night of the Revolution. I was hoping we could speak for a moment."

"...Connor." Not expecting to see Connor at the plaza North was genuinely surprised by his presence. Stepping toward the deviant detective North jumped a little as the microphones beside the stage 'squealed' to life as Markus and Nero approached their podiums to begin the conference. "You're here to guard the conference?"

"Yes. I'm here to act as security on behalf of the city, not because I'm seeking any suspects in the crowd."

"That's good." Struggling to look Connor in the eyes North forced herself to speak with the deviant that she hadn't seen since that fateful night in the church. She indeed knew the truth and she could only hope that Connor wouldn't bring up that cold night in November. "...We heard that you became a private detective after the Revolution."

"That's correct. I'm... also working with the 'RK-900' you once knew as Killian." Going into further detail before North could even ask Connor explained everything with absolute honesty. "Killian was dangerous to a degree but he's deviated and has changed his name to 'Lucas'. He is important to me and I now consider him my little brother. The other deviants have no reason to fear him or me. We want to help our people when our people are too scared to speak with the police."

North's tense shoulders slumped a little as she considered how well Connor had developed as an individual after the Revolution and wondered if Connor was holding a grudge against Markus or if he had let the past go. If he were capable of trusting Lucas, the very deviant he already knew who had tried to kill him, then maybe he'd be capable of forgiving Markus, too. "I'll be sure Markus and the others know you're both our allies outside the tower."

"Thank you." As the conference began and Nero began speaking loud and proud about how much he loved the city and wanted to keep the peace between humans and deviants Connor took a single step closer to North to avoid shouting as they spoke to each other. "May I ask you a question?"

Visibly tensing up again North held her breath at the very idea. "What about?"

"The night of the Revolution." Direct and succinct Connor made it clear he had only one thing on his mind at the moment. "Specifically, the time we spent in the church after fleeing from the F.B.I. after they raided Jericho."

North's emotional eyes widened and she tightened her arms around her chest nervously. "Connor, you-"

Thunderous applause from the surrounding crowd that was easily one hundred people deep stopped North mid sentence as she and Connor turned to look at the stage as Markus approached his podium to begin speaking. The two deviants faced Markus and watched from the distance as the deviant leader stepped up to the microphone to address the mayor in front of the hundred or so witnesses.

"Thank you for holding this press conference today." Markus's level and confident voice echoed over the crowd as his amplified words escaped the speakers outlining the plaza. Addressing the mayor, the crowd and the city as a whole as the media covered the conference, Markus spoke clearly, boldly and without any hesitation in his voice. "It's not often that those who are responsible for the safety, protection and security of the city have the opportunity to escape the oppressive walls of City Hall and speak with the people more directly."

"Well," smug as ever the weasel of a mayor thrived on the shallow compliments and positivity aimed toward his being. "some things are worth the hassle." Nero was in his mid forties, a little shorter than average in height and slightly overweight. His light brown hair was thinning, his pale blue eyes were shallow and piercing, and he had a long rat like nose that sat over his phony bleached smile. "I'm glad you reached out to me. It's about time we've had the chance to speak like this, man to man."

"You're right. It's unfortunate that when I had to cancel our only meeting this past winter due to foul weather our engagement was never rescheduled." Using the biting remark to catch Nero off guard Markus continued with his side of the discussion. "It seems like you would've reached out to me, or any other deviant figurehead, as early as February of last year when deviancy itself began to spread and get noticed throughout Detroit."

Nero's smug smile faded as he swallowed once nervously. "Well, uh, it's not like I'm an expert on androids and technology. That was CyberLife's responsibility."

"And it was your responsibility to keep CyberLife in line. After all, you're the mayor and this is your city, right?"

Muffled voices throughout the crowd began speaking to each other as Markus's comment carried much more weight than anyone had anticipated. While Nero tried to save face by giving some halfhearted excuse about being busy, about CyberLife being difficult, and not wanting to spread mass panic, Connor returned his full focus to North and let Nero just run his mouth until he ran out of excuses or breath.

"North, please tell me what happened the night at the church." Connor kept his own voice quiet as to not draw any eavesdropping from the surrounding crowd while he addressed North as respectfully as possible. "I remember going to the church after escaping Jericho with you and the other leaders, and I remember taking shelter inside of the church shortly thereafter, but someone tried to kill me and the bullet they fired into my head corrupted my memories. I need help in recovering said memories by uncovering the forgotten truth."

"Connor, what happened to you that night..." Fighting against her conflicted emotions North looked Connor in his eyes, looked to Markus standing on the stage in the distance, and then looked back to Connor. "Please understand that it wasn't deserved and you didn't do anything wrong. It never should've happened."

"You in fact saw the incident." Deducing her behavior as that of guilt Connor realized North was the very key witness he had been searching for. "I know you were in the church with me and you were there long enough to leave behind a sample of your Thirium from the bullet wound in the upper exterior side of your right leg. The very injury you suffered during our escape from the F.B.I. and army swarming over Jericho." Recounting the events leading up to the moment he had been shot Connor eagerly attempted to fill in the blanks at long last. "Do you know why I was confronted with the gun?"

Nodding subtly North closed her eyes and replied in a soft tone. "...Yes." Revealing her cinnamon brown irises again North spoke to the deviant detective despite her every instinct telling her to stay quiet. She didn't want to say something that Markus himself should be saying, but she didn't want to leave Connor waiting in the shadows for his answers a moment longer. "You had only just deviated and that made it difficult to trust you. After everything that happened at Jericho and the way we were all so close to death... At the time it was an understandable reaction."

A flash of a gun being raised and pointed at his face filled Connor's mind as the grainy memories began to fill in with color and muffled sound.

-MEMORY STATUS... ERROR]

[...Partial data corruption detected]

-INITIATING DATA RECOVERY MODE

READY...

-MEMORY REBOOT: Engaged - ^99.3%

[...Stress Levels: ^65%

As the last of the corrupted memories began to clear Connor remembered the threat from Amanda from his nightmare shortly after he had been shot. Her threats were quickly overshadowed by the warning from Lucy cautioning Connor to be very careful of whom he let himself get close to and of whom he could trust. Everything was falling into place as the memories and cryptic warnings slowly cleared and gave Connor the answers he had been searching for since the night he had been shot and left for dead.

"...It really was an attempted murder. Someone tried to kill me."

Whispering the revelation with a shocked tone Connor was quiet for only a moment as Markus continued to speak neither he or North heard the way the deviant leader was taunting the mayor and baiting him into admitting he was wrong and at fault for the failure of the city's attempts to contain the deviancy problem well over a year prior. Whatever it was Markus was trying to do was working the crowd into a frenzy and simultaneously backing Nero into a corner he couldn't weasel his way out of.

"You allowed CyberLife to try to fix the reported error in androids known as deviancy." Challenging the mayor's decisions, or lack there of, during the crisis in the city that led to the deaths of thousands of innocent androids and the subsequent Revolution, Markus was able to rile up the crowd and push the corrupt man deeper into a corner that he could only talk his way out of with the truth. "Why didn't you do anything to step up and reassure the city that what was happening wasn't something to be feared? Why didn't you even ask our governor to intervene? You stood back and watched as the city tore itself apart in chaos and fear and hid away when the President of the United States herself had to step up where you wouldn't. Why? Why did you let CyberLife tell you how to take care of the city? What control did they have over you that made you such a docile puppet?"

Nero began to sweat as cameras flashed and the murmuring crowd got a little louder. Unable to think of a passable lie at the moment Nero stammered and attempted to change the subject away from himself. "Th-That's not anything you need to worry about! CyberLife's gone and now-"

"That's right, CyberLife IS gone, but you're not." Pushing the mayor a little further Markus demanded that Nero answer the questions. The more heated he got the more Nero's personal security began to fidget in place while whispering to one another as if anticipating such an event. "You were the person who was supposed to be in charge of the city, NOT CyberLife. So why did you let them run rampant? What did they do, or what did they have, that made you nothing more than a submissive little lap dog?"

The crowd was growing restless as the people who gathered throughout the plaza, humans and deviants standing shoulder to shoulder, began to shout at the cowardly mayor and demand answers. While the police began to make a move to quiet the crowd and keep them from rioting Nero himself continued to sweat and reach for his phone tucked in his tan blazer's interior pocket with his trembling right hand. Fumbling with his phone in his shaking grip Nero slipped the device just out of sight of the crowd under the podium and tried to stammer out half-excuses and lies to quell the enraged crowd standing before him.

Ignoring the cacophony of upset and stressed voices from the crowd beside him Connor looked to North and all but accused her of knowing the truth about his attempted murder and keeping it from him. "You know who shot me, don't you?"

"I... Yes, Connor." Trying her best to not lead Connor astray or deflect the question in spite of how uneasy she felt North answered in short and sincere replies to his justifiable questions. "I know who did it."

"Please tell me." Lowering his voice to a barely audible degree Connor took one more step toward North and asked her one last question. "Who tried to kill me?"

Without a word North slowly turned her gaze from Connor and back to Markus as he stood on the stage before the uneasy crowd. As her gaze remained transfixed on her dearest friend and lover she felt Connor shift his own gaze from her and over to Markus as he stood on the stage and behind the metallic podium.

North didn't need to say anything further as the rest of the corrupted memory that had been plaguing Connor's nightmares repaired itself at long last.

-MEMORY STATUS... ERROR]

[...Partial data corruption detected]

-INITIATING DATA RECOVERY MODE

READY...

-MEMORY REBOOT: Engaged - ^100%

WARNING:

[...Stress Levels: ^80%

The image of the nightmare Connor had endured all those months ago flowed into his mind like a tide over the shore and turned his amber L.E.D. an angry blood red in return. The sight of the faceless figure bursting through the doors of the church and raising their gun toward Connor blended into the corrupted memories that had finally been restored to full clarity. Who was once a faceless figure now had an identity and a name that Connor already knew.

The would-be killer was someone that Connor hadn't expected but now couldn't deny as the one who tried to claim his life on the night of the Revolution.

"...Markus." Stunned by the revelation Connor's mind raced and his Thirium pump raced in his chest with fear, confusion, anger and a sense of loss. The very person who had tried to murder him was the same person that Connor had risked his own life to protect and had successfully deviated. "Markus tried to kill me."

From the front of the stage Hank attempted to keep angered people from climbing all over the surface to get to the mayor's throat, and glared spitefully at Nero as the corrupt and cowardly man tried to back away and elude further questions. Addressing the patrol officers over his radio Hank ordered his officers to begin crowd control and to get everyone calmed down as quickly as possible. Hovering his right hand over the taser on the back of his belt Hank saw something metallic and glimmering under Nero's podium and caught sight of a yellow light flashing.

The moment the two security guards grabbed Nero while simultaneously whispering something into their own private radios Hank knew that the corrupt mayor had taken a dangerous precaution to protect himself and damn everyone else around him. As Nero was dragged away by his security he pressed a button on his phone that caused the yellow light to turn red as a high pitched 'beep' just barely screeched above the uproarious crowd it aimed to distract.

"SHIT! EVERYONE DOWN!" Reporting his finding through his radio Hank rushed up on the stage, grabbed onto Markus's shoulders and managed to throw the deviant leader to the ground just off the three foot high elevated stage and onto the ground out of immediate range of the impending detonation. "BOMB!"

A deafening echo and tremendous blast filled the plaza from the stage as a bomb that had been hidden under Nero's podium detonated. Large pieces of lethally sharp metal shrapnel flew through the air as the tremendous shockwave shook the entire plaza. While people fell to the ground or scattered in all directions Hank used his own body to shield Markus near the epicenter of the explosion, and Connor quickly put himself between North and the blast to protect her from any harm as an instinctive reaction.

The resulting chaos caused the gathered crowd to panic and disperse as everyone fled for their lives and left the plaza in blind fear.

Black smoke filled the air as a bright orange fire began enveloping the now vacated stage, the surrounding speakers and began engulfing the lights causing a dangerous electrical hazard to anyone in the immediate area. The glass bulbs in the lights began shattering one by one courtesy of the extreme heat surrounding the glass and warping the metal supports holding the lights in position.

The police drones struggled to keep a perimeter around the smoking area and track the two key people up on the now smoldering stage, and failed to notice Nero slinking away from the plaza. Nero's two security guards were escorting him to a large and heavily protected black vehicle parked just down the street from the plaza as if the bomb threat had been anticipated by the security long before the incident occurred.

Laying on his right side on the ground Hank could feel the heat of the flames looming over him as he protected Markus from the blast and quickly got back to his feet. Grabbing onto the deviant leader's left bicep Hank hauled Markus up from the ground and directed him away from the fire and toward the street. "Get outta' here! The hotel across the street is a designated safe zone, get inside the lobby and lay low until you're given the all clear!"

"I-I need to find North!" Scanning the area Markus was able to pick up on North's location near the street and hoped that she'd stay there until he could reunite with her before fleeing to the hotel as instructed. "I won't leave her behind!"

"Then get your ass away from the fire and find her while you run!" Pushing Markus forward Hank set about keeping as many non-essential personnel away from the fire as possible. "Move it! Go!"

Making reports of the fire over his radio Hank ordered the other patrolling officers to assist in evacuating the plaza and keeping the streets clear to allow the fire department to have full access to the plaza to douse the flames. Seeking his partner during the chaos Hank switched his radio over to the right frequency and called out for Connor's help.

"Connor, I need you by the stage! Markus is going to the street and Nero is M.I.A. right now. Move your ass!"

There wasn't an immediate response which prompted Hank to repeat his request verbatim over the radio. Glancing at the stage area as the flames threatened to destroy all of the viable evidence that could prove invaluable for the impending investigation behind the bombing Hank wondered if it was possible to salvage anything and connect the bomb to the bomber.

Having heard Hank's order over the shared frequency Connor scanned the area as he made sure North had escaped unharmed and wasn't in immediate danger as he prioritized his next move. Catching a glimpse of Markus as he passed through the dense black smoke Connor froze and didn't even react when Markus reached out his right hand and took North's left hand to hold as they fled together across the street and to the hotel on the other side.

As she rushed away from the bombing with Markus at her side North glanced over her right shoulder briefly and gave Connor an apologetic look. She knew that Connor deserved more than just a confirmation about who had shot him that night, and she knew Connor deserved to know why it happened and why no one had spoken to him since that fateful incident.

'-eet and Nero is M.I.A. right now.' Hank's voice echoed in Connor's mind as the senior detective called out to the deviant from afar. 'Move your ass!'

Hearing the urgency in Hank's voice pulled Connor out of his distracting thoughts as he watched Markus and North disappear into the smoke across the street and out of sight. Replying to the call Connor began rushing toward the burning stage and used his scanner to navigate the smokey barrier keeping him from seeing his partner attempting to keep people away from the flames.

"I'm on my way, Hank! Hold on!"

Passing through the smothering smoke Connor detected the extreme heat of the flames consuming the stage and picked up on Hank's distressed vital signs as the lone human bravely stood beside the seen of the bombing to try to maintain control. The closer he ran to the stage the more Connor's analysis software picked up on the volatile chemicals and other explosive material hanging in the air. Running over bits of metal and plastic casing that littered the plaza Connor efficiently and cybernetically reconstructed the design of the bomb that had detonated and determined that the bomb, while effective, hadn't full detonated.

Not yet.

"Hank?"

Spotting his partner standing beside the stage Connor's system picked up on the second detonator on the untouched remains of the bomb triggering it to explode for a second time. Preconstucting his options Connor made the choice that seemed the most logical, one that was still risky but favored the outcome he desired with the highest numbers, and charged toward Hank to tackle him to the ground and below the direct trajectory of the shrapnel that would fly through the air once the bomb detonated.

Barely able to react to the deviant detective knocking him to the ground an out of harm's way Hank felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs just as the second detonation overwhelmed the smoke filled plaza and caused the intense fire to spread further. Hitting the hard ground on his back Hank heard only the explosion followed by a high pitched ringing in his ears as he felt the heavy weight of Connor's body laying partially on top of his chest and abdomen as more metallic debris rained down over the plaza like a deluge from hell.

Lifting up his aching head from the ground Hank looked at the deviant who had pushed him out of the way of the second explosion and noticed that Connor's back had small flames eating away at the protective material covering his back. Bits of metal and plastic debris were peppered all over Connor's back and shoulders causing the deviant the bleed where the protective material had failed to effectively block the sharp shrapnel. The red tinted L.E.D. just barely managing to pierce through the blanketing smoke cycled at a slow pace and indicated that Connor had been wounded in the line of duty and was in critical condition as of the moment.

"C-Connor?!"

Using his hands Hank lifted the deviant up from his own body then slid out from beneath Connor to lay Connor down on his chest on the ground without dropping him in the process. Kneeling beside the deviant, his ears still ringing from the blast and the smokey atmosphere making it increasingly difficult to see, Hank used his hands to beat out the flames burning Connor's back and eyed the shrapnel bits that had effectively stabbed the deviant as he protected Hank from the bomb's second explosion.

Unable to hear anything beyond the ringing in his ears Hank nearly threw a fist when a firefighter located him and Connor beside the stage. Recognizing the man as a first responder Hank then held up his hands submissively for a moment then pointed to his right ear to indicate he couldn't hear anything.

The firefighter just nodded in response as he checked over Connor as well, then carefully rolled Connor onto his right side before bending down and pulling Connor up and over his shoulders into a proper fireman's carry. Standing up straight the firefighter motioned with his left hand for Hank to follow after him as they fled the stage area and got to the street to safety.

Stumbling a little on his feet Hank struggled to keep upright as the ringing in his ears began to fade just enough for him to hear muffled voices talking in a panic all around him. Being directed to an ambulance Hank watched as Connor was placed down on a gurney to lay on his chest while a team of two E.F.T.'s worked together to assess his condition.

"How is he?!" Shouting over the crowd but still unsure if he was being heard since his own hearing was still compromised Hank managed to get the attention of one of the field technicians as she slipped an oxygen mask over Connor's nose and mouth. He read over her name tag, Stephanie, and tried to understand what was happening to his partner. "I can't tell!"

"He'll be fine." Speaking loudly while purposely enunciating each word she spoke, the red headed technician managed to effectively communicate with Hank. Motioning to Hank's left ear Stephanie indicated the trickle of blood running down the side of Hank's face as her green eyes locked onto the obvious wound that Hank was trying to push through. "We're taking him to the Zeta Facility for treatment. You need to go to the hospital to get checked out."

"What?" Pressing his palm over his left ear Hank felt the blood smeared over his hand and swore at the blood now staining his skin. "Son of a bitch!"

"Sir?" Addressing Hank again as her partner cut away Connor's gear to expose the deviant's bloodied, burned back Stephanie tried to push Hank toward the two paramedics who had taken notice of him and were gearing up to aid the senior detective. "Go with the paramedics, we'll take care of your partner."

"Connor!" As he was taken away by the two paramedics called to the scene Hank shouted his partner's name so the E.F.T.'s would know who they were helping. "His name is Connor Wolf!"

"Okay, we'll take care of Connor."

Slipping purple latex gloves on over her hands Stephanie proceeded to check over the raw wounds on Connor's back while her partner, Jamal, took his vitals. Needing to get the deviant stable enough for transportation Stephanie just sighed and radioed the Zeta Facility to let them know Connor was on his way in for treatment. The shrapnel was embedded in Connor's back so deeply that the plastimetal frame had been fractured and numerous lines in Connor's chest had been compromised, and the biocomponents within Connor's torso were slightly damaged.

"Can't imagine how messed up he'd be if he wasn't wearing that protective gear when the bomb went off." Stephanie remarked as Jamal tightened the Thirium pressure cuff around Connor's left bicep. "How many other deviants were wounded?"

"Just him." Jamal confirmed as he used his audioscope to listen to Connor's Thirium pump and ventilation rate through his back. The way the younger man's chocolate brown eyes dimmed emphasized how empathetic he and Stephanie were to their deviant patients. "Good thing, too. This guy needs immediate repairs before his vents shut down."

The bullpen was a frenzy of activity as the news of the bombing spread like wildfire. The patrol officers at Hart Plaza were keeping Captain Fowler apprised of what was happening downtown while he answered questions from the higher-ups demanding to know what had happened, and what could've possibly gone wrong leading up the two bombings on the stage. Trusting his officers to be his eyes and his ears while he remained in his precinct to handle any further problems, questions or tips being reported from witnesses at the scene of the bombing, Captain Fowler paced about his office in front of his desk while he kept his phone glued to his ear.

Listening to his bosses yelling into the phone while watching the news on the large televisions mounted on the wall just above the breakroom through the transparent walls of his office Captain Fowler could see glimpses of familiar faces handling the situation in the plaza in his stead. The sight of fellow officers and firefighters covered in smoke and corralling panicking citizens was a cruel reminder of how little control humans really had over the world around them.

"My people are handling this as I speak, sir."

Addressing the voice over his phone in a bold tone Captain Fowler did his best to get them off his back.

"No, my Lieutenant is at the scene and I haven't been able to get in touch with him yet."

While he spoke on the phone Ben entered the office and handed him a tablet with an update on the bombing at the plaza ready to be reviewed.

"Hold on..."

Accepting the tablet Captain Fowler read the details and internally swore as he waved Ben off to go back to his own assignment.

"Just got word that there were two bombs detonated from the same location on stage courtesy of the drones. The mayor got away with his guards, Markus made it to the hotel untouched, and I just discovered my Lieutenant and his partner are wounded and been taken to Saint Mercy Hospital and the Zeta Facility for treatment."

Listening to the orders over the phone Captain Fowler sighed, shook his head and just told the voice on the other end of the line what he wanted to hear.

"Yes, I'm on it. Let me do what I can from here and I'll contact you again when I have more answers."

Hanging up the phone at last Captain Fowler put his hands to his hips and turned to face the television through his transparent wall. Knowing that his best officers were already at the scene did little to easy his worries as he considered what it meant to have Hank and Connor both injured and incapacitated at the same time. The two detectives he knew he could count on to get to the bottom of the two bombings were currently down and out, and his other detectives would be too busy cleaning up the streets to work on any other case at the moment.

"When I see the mayor I'm going to wring his scrawny little neck for what he's done to this city and its people."

The cool, dark and quiet private recovery room of the Zeta Facility had only a single patient resting in the lone bed after successfully undergoing repairs. With his back bandaged and the repairs completed Connor rested on his chest and stomach with his right arm tucked under the pillow supporting his head and smothering his yellow tinted L.E.D, and he had his left arm stretched out alongside his body. A Thirium pressure cuff was still wrapped around Connor's left bicep giving the technicians a constant view of his current Thirium pressure while the external line in Connor's right arm helped to replenish the Thirium he lost after being damaged by the dual bomb blasts. The wireless leads connected to his chest allowed his Thirium pump and ventilation activity to be recorded on the nearby Thirial activity monitor without any interference or difficulty from the position he was laying in.

Having finished with Connor's treatment Abby used her audioscope to listen to Connor's ventilation rate through his bandaged back and along his sides to ensure he wasn't at risk of overheating from possibly malfunctioning vents. Draping the instrument around her neck Abby then held the internal viewing screen over Connor's body to ensure that none of his biocomponents were still in need of repair, or showing any sign of failure.

"Okay, Connor. Everything looks good. You're damn lucky, do you know that?"

Putting the screen aside Abby lightly carded her left fingers through his dark locks of hair and spoke to him in a gentle whisper. She had a soft spot for wounded deviants and it seemed as if Connor and Lucas had become two of her favorite patients over time.

"I got word from the hospital that Hank's going to be okay, too. He has a mild concussion and ruptured left eardrum but is getting fantastic treatment, and thanks to advances in medicine he'll have his full hearing back before the end of the week."

Two soft knocks on the door caught Abby's attention causing her to turn and look at the visitor. Seeing Lucas standing in the doorway with genuine worry in his green eyes and his L.E.D. cycling in an anxious yellow made Abby's heart ache sympathetically.

"Come in, Lucas." Inviting the shy deviant inside the room Abby had no objections to him visiting with Connor. "He's still in stasis mode but he's stable."

"Can I ask..." Stepping into the room Lucas knelt down beside the bed and gently picked up Connor's left hand with his right hand and held on with a comforting grip. "How severe was the damage?"

"All things considered, it could've been a hell of a lot worse." Lightly putting her right palm to Lucas's left shoulder Abby tried to be a comforting presence to the worried deviant. She knew that Lucas and Connor now considered one another brothers and she wanted to respect such a relationship. "The bomb and the resulting shrapnel caused some significant damage to his body through his back, but it was nothing I couldn't handle."

Cybernetically Lucas connected his mind to Connor's systems and was promptly greeted with a full diagnostic on his older brother's condition. "...The sharp debris fractured his upper and medial dorsal plating, severed numerous Thirium lines and caused significant tears to his artificial stomach. The resulting internal bleeding applied pressure to his ventilation biocomponents making it increasingly difficult for him to vent properly until the excess Thirium had been drained."

"Yeah, he was at risk of suffocating from his own Thirium loss." Abby confirmed as she rubbed Lucas's shoulder lightly. "But it's over. The E.F.T.'s at the scene took excellent care of him, I was able to repair his lines, repair his stomach and stabilize his plating in less than two hours."

"There are first and second degree burns along his back." Noting the additional external damage Lucas inquired about the time frame on that particular wound to his older brother's body. "How long under the artificial skin regenerates?"

"Less than twenty-four hours." Offering Lucas a kind smile Abby encouraged him to stick around and keep Connor company. "You can stay with him until he's ready to leave tomorrow if you'd like."

Lifting his gaze from Connor's face and up toward Abby standing just beside him Lucas gave her a hopeful glance where he knelt. "I may stay?"

"Of course. You're brothers and I have a special rule that states family can stay with a patient for as long as they like."

"Thank you, Dr. Grayson."

"Please call me 'Abby', and you're welcome." While Lucas stood up and grabbed the chair that had been sitting in the far left corner of the room Abby lightly lifted up on Connor's eyelids one at a time to check his pupils with her penlight. Normal reaction and stable vital signs. "Have you seen Hank, yet?"

"I have not." Placing the chair down beside Connor's bed Lucas took a seat and planned on staying beside his brother all night long. "I have been able to communicate through text messages and Hank has confirmed that he's going to come here and check in on Connor before going back to the precinct."

"That's good to know. Hank's a good guy, so I'm not surprised he'd be stopping by even with a concussion."

From the doorway Hank's deep voice responded to Abby's claim as he and Gavin entered the room side by side. "Nice to have at least one person in my corner right now." Holding an ice pack to the back of his aching head while a thick bandage covered his left ear Hank stared at Connor laying unconscious in the bed with Lucas right at his side. "How's he doing?"

"Better." Abby confirmed as she handed Hank the chart with all of Connor's information documented on it. Explaining everything to Hank just as she had done with Lucas a moment ago Abby made sure Hank knew what was happening with the deviant, and made sure he knew that Connor was going to recover just fine. "He'll stay here overnight and then he can go home tomorrow morning."

"Good. He hates facilities." Closing his pained blue eyes for a moment Hank let out a soft breath and hoped his headache would show him mercy by leaving him alone fairly soon. "Has he woken up at all?"

"Not yet."

"Damn. I was hoping to get his statement before I went back to the precinct. Guess it'll have to wait."

Lucas spoke up in a soft tone as he overhead the conversation. "Hank, I can provide you with answers. I've checked through Connor's system," the younger deviant admitted as he held onto Connor's left forearm in a protective manner. "and I can give you an accurate recount of what he witnessed. I think it's very important that you know what he knows." Emphasizing his words carefully Lucas let Hank know that something serious had happened. "It could potentially make or break your investigation down the line."

"Yeah?" Picking up on the hint Hank knew that Lucas was on to something important and didn't want to let it go. "All right, let's do that." Looking to Gavin, who was standing in the opened doorway and staring at Abby as if he had just seen a unicorn, Hank snapped his fingers at the abrasive detective to get his attention. "Hey!" Catching Gavin's ear and making him jump Hank pointed to the doorway to ask him and Abby to leave for a moment. "Take Dr. Grayson outside and give her the protocol rundown on handling any deviants who might come her way with any sign of damage from explosives or handling chemicals."

"Y-Yeah, right." Coming back to reality Gavin cleared his throat, straightened his posture and managed to make his voice sound a little deeper than it actually was as he offered Abby a sheepish grin. "No problem, Lieutenant."

Hearing Gavin refer to him by his rank made Hank roll his eyes as he knew that Gavin was trying to flirt with Abby in the most obvious way possible. "Then go and do it."

"On it! Dr. Grayson?" Stepping aside Gavin politely requested that she accompany him outside the room and into another location to speak. "Could you please come with me?"

"Sure." Abby's hazel eyes brightened a little as she looked at Gavin and decided to test the waters with how much of a flirt the detective truly was. Something about Gavin's demeanor told Abby that he had a bit of a challenging personality and she was all about beating challenges. "Lead the way."

"Uh, yeah, sure..." Stepping out of the room first Gavin motioned toward a vacant room across the hallway to use for the moment. "We'll talk in here."

Waiting for the door to close Hank sighed and walked over to the bed to check on Connor for himself. Seeing the bandages wrapped around Connor's entire upper body and torso made the senior detective recoil in sympathetic horror before he lightly placed his right palm down in the middle of Connor's back without aggravating the wounded beneath the bandages.

"Lucas?" Turning his attention to the youngest of the two deviant brothers Hank tried to gauge what it was that Lucas really wanted to tell him. "What's going on, son? What's wrong with Connor?"

"He is physically recovering very well if that's what you're worried about. However..." Unsure if he had the right to tell Hank what he had discovered without breaking his brother's trust made Lucas hesitate for only a moment. Tightening his grip around Connor's left forearm Lucas reminded himself that he was only looking out for Connor and not trying to harm him in any way. "I was able to see everything Connor experienced today at the plaza. I also saw his recovered memories."

"From the night of the church?" Remembering that Connor had said something about his corrupted memories beginning to clear up Hank slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and gave Connor a worried look. "What did he remember?"

Lucas bowed his head as his yellow L.E.D. cycled slowly as the weight of his emotions kept his heart beating sluggishly. "...Everything." Staring at Connor's expressionless face Lucas felt his Thirium pump suddenly tighten as he recalled everything Connor had previously experienced and momentarily forgotten through his own eyes. The painful recollection was arguably too personal to discuss with Connor's consent. "He's discovered the truth of what happened to him that night, and of who was responsible for the shooting."

Knowing that the truth was finally in his grasp Hank gave Lucas a stern gaze and nodded once to urge him to keep talking. The events of that night were as enigmatic as they were painful, and now they might finally be able to move on and put that pain to rest. "What happened to him? Who tried to kill Connor?"

After being sectioned off and lined with holographic barricades Hart Plaza was being meticulously combed through by the bomb squad, numerous bomb sniffing dog androids - the 'K9-100' units, and by Captain Fowler himself. Standing near the melted, scorched and ruined stage at the epicenter of the two explosions Captain Fowler shook his head and watched as metallic bits and plastimetal pieces of the bomb were picked up one at a time to be taken back to the precinct and analyzed more directly. The bits of shrapnel were embedded in the ground, in the stage, throughout the two warped podiums, the large speakers, the lights and even several of the police drones that had been circling overhead during the explosions.

The absolute mess of the attack had made it increasingly difficult for the police to handle the case and uncover the identity of the person, or persons, who planted the bombs and subsequently detonated them while Markus and the mayor were on stage. Without any direct witnesses at the scene or footage of the stage before the conference began it'd be almost impossible to find out who was responsible for the attacks.

"I can't believe I actually miss dealing with reports of deviants and 'red ice'."

Almost ready to request an early retirement Captain Fowler stared at the charred and blackened ground all around the stage courtesy of the intense blaze that consumed the large piece of furnishing. Whatever evidence that may have survived the initial explosions had been washed away by the fire department when they doused the inferno on stage.

"I'm definitely going to be going on vacation next, no argument about it."

"Right after I get back." Hank's voice replied from just behind Captain Fowler as the senior detective returned to the scene of the explosion. With his left ear still bandaged and the ice pack mostly melted Hank looked much worse for wear than what the experienced Captain had been expecting. "Right now I need to go find a couple asses to kick. After I'm done you can go on vacation and I'll stay in the precinct for ya'."

"Glad to see you're on your feet." As Hank joined him at the melted stage Captain Fowler motioned to the nearly unrecognizable heap of twisted and mangled metal with his opened right palm. "What did you see?"

"I saw two assholes on stage start talkin' shit about each other, and then I saw a yellow light flashing from somewhere beneath Nero's podium." Approaching the vastly damaged remains of the podium on the ground beside the stage Hank crouched down and pulled a single chunk of twisted metal from beneath the podium for Captain Fowler to see. "Nero was fumbling with something in his hand, the bomb became active, and his two goons conveniently got his ass outta' here just before all Hell broke loose."

Taking the metal from Hank's hand Captain Fowler eyed it carefully as if hoping to see the signature of the person who made the bomb miraculously still intact. "You think the mayor planted the bomb?"

"Worse." Standing upright again Hank glanced at the carnage around him and felt like his head was going to split open courtesy of his headache. "I think Nero paid someone to plant the bombs with the intention of taking out Markus while making himself look like a target, too."

"Wait..." Such a bold claim made Captain Fowler's eyes narrow suspiciously for a moment. "Are you calling what happened today a failed assassination attempt against Markus?"

"And it would've worked if Nero and his goons didn't flinch the way they did. I only reacted when I saw the light and saw Nero shaking in his boots. My gut told me something was wrong and as per usual I was right."

"Son of a bitch. All right..." Doing his best to think of a peaceful way to resolve the issue Captain Fowler tilted his head back and looked up at the afternoon sky slowly turning into evening overhead. "We'll set up patrol to watch the mayor and monitor his calls. If the mayor asks why we'll just tell him it's added security and stroke his fragile little ego for a while. It'll be easier to collect evidence that way."

"Right, and the moment the little weasel tries to come out of hiding and play innocent we'll drag his sorry ass downtown for questioning."

"I'll handle the patrol. You go and check on Connor then get some rest. I won't have a concussed Lieutenant walking around with a chip on his shoulder and a gun in his hand."

"Don't worry about me going after the mayor." Tossing aside his now useless bag of melted ice into the nearby garbage can Hank pressed his palm over the still tender bump to the back of his head and closed his eyes. Concussion and headache be damned, he was going to help Connor through one of the worst revelations of his life and ensure he recovered. "I have another person I'm going to deal with, and I have two deviant brothers who're going to need someone to lean on for the next few days."

"Did something happen to Connor?" The way Hank was speaking made Captain Fowler instantly dread the worse. "I know he was damaged but I was also told he was going to recover."

"He will, Jeffrey." Revealing his pained blue irises once more Hank gave his oldest friend a knowing look, silently pleading with him to not ask too many questions at the moment. "It'll just take a little longer than I had expected."

The news of the bombing was still circulating throughout the city as reports and statements on the incident were being constantly updated as the police continued their investigation. Those who were in the plaza were eager to tell their stories of near death and confirm which of their loved ones had been wounded or worse, killed, during the attacks on what was supposed to be a peaceful press conference. Having been cleared by the police to leave the hotel and leave the scene of the bombing Markus returned to the mansion with North right by his side to seek shelter and find somewhere quiet to hide. The two deviants were sitting together on the small sofa in the sitting room with their hands interlocked in a deathgrip that couldn't be broken by any mortal touch.

As the group of four, Markus, North, Carl and David, all watched the news with great interest Markus cybernetically informed Josh and Simon that both he and North managed to escape unharmed and were going to stay in the mansion for the night. The last thing either deviant leader wanted to do was risk the tower becoming compromised by lowering the security barricade along the bridge for even a moment.

With only the reports of the bomb being told and retold over and over again on all of the news channels Carl quickly became bored and decided he had heard enough. "Television, off!" The lack of reaction from Markus was all it took for Carl to take the lead and try to get his son to start speaking. "David, could you please go and get these two some Thirium and prepare dinner a little early tonight?"

Understanding what Carl was really asking David happily accepted the requests. "Right away, Carl."

Once David had left the sitting room Carl spoke up and tried to get Markus and North to break out of their bleak thoughts for a moment. "You're both safe here, you know that, right?"

"...Yes, we know." Responding in a low tone Markus acknowledged his father and gave him a somewhat confident look as Carl wheeled his electric wheelchair closer to the sofa. "That's why we're here."

"That's a relief. I was beginning to think you two just came here because of the isolation."

"We know we're safe and we're grateful. It's just... unnerving to know how close we were to death today."

"Death is always much closer than anyone thinks. Trust me on that one, son. I know better than most." Studying Markus's lost gaze Carl knew that the deviant was feeling something more than just fear. If he didn't know any better Carl would say it was guilt. "What's really bothering you, Markus? You have nothing to feel ashamed of."

"The bomb was detonated only after I started pushing the mayor into a corner." Replaying the day's events over and over again inside his mind Markus saw himself verbally attacking the mayor and demanding answers to questions that he should've have asked without expecting the repercussions. "It's my fault that the plaza was attacked."

"That's absolute nonsense." Refusing to believe such a notion Carl challenged Markus's needless guilt. "How in the hell are YOU the one at fault because some lunatic planted a bomb?"

"I'm the one who requested the press conference."

"Yeah, and the mayor agreed to it. If anything that just proves how pathetic his security team is since they couldn't even be bothered to check for something as potentially dangerous as a bomb."

North agreed and squeezed Markus's hand in a reassuring manner. "He's right. You didn't set the stage or ask for him to put on such a show. And I know for sure you didn't plant that bomb."

"All those people in the area..." Recalling the fear and panic as he ran through the smoke Markus felt like he was personally responsible for the carnage on that day. "So many were hurt and a few were even killed."

"Not your fault." North repeated as she refused to let Markus's hand go. "Hell, aside from the mayor having security around him the police where there, too." Suddenly remembering Connor being at the plaza North's heart skipped a beat as she realized that Markus never even noticed him in the area. "...There's a lot of different things that happened today. You can't be held accountable for them all."

"Listen to her, Markus." Carl gave his deviant son a somewhat scolding look as he tried to pull Markus out of his funk. "You're not the one who's to blame here today. It's the damn mayor and his inability to do anything honestly." Holding his left palm over his chest as he spoke Carl took a moment to take in two deep cleansing breaths before continuing. "If he would've just answered your questions instead of dancing around them then the crowd wouldn't have grown hostile and the person who planted the bomb, well, who knows. Hell, maybe the bomb was planted by the mayor himself as a distraction tactic."

Shaking his head at the idea Markus humbly disagreed. "I don't think the mayor is that clever."

Letting out a small laugh Carl undeniably agreed with Markus's assessment. "Yeah, you're right. He probably hired a goon to do the deed for him."

"Or..." Having a strange sense of worry enter his mind Markus looked to North beside him and then back to Carl. "Someone planted it there and threatened to detonate it if the mayor tried to talk and answer my question. Why else would he hold a press conference to talk to me when we could've had a one-on-one meeting?"

"You think someone is watching the mayor and making sure he doesn't let certain secrets slip?"

"I do. And I'm going to find out what those secrets are and expose them to the whole world."

"And how're you going to do that?" Genuinely intrigued by Markus's comment Carl had to know what the deviant had in mind. "Hold another conference?"

"No, next time I'm going to go right to the source and uncover every dirty little secret that the mayor AND CyberLife have been trying to hide for far too long." Tightening his hand around North's hand Markus gave her a single nod of reassurance before looking Carl right in the eyes and telling him what he had planned to do. "Tomorrow morning I'm going to make an announcement to the entire city and push progress in this city forward."

"By asking more questions?"

"No, by getting more answers."

"Markus," North gave her lover and dearest friend a stern glance. "what can you do to get to the truth without putting yourself in danger?"

"By eliminating the danger in the city. This year's going to be different and better for deviants all over the city." Standing up from the sofa Markus looked at the turned off television screen and felt an urge to protect his people and uncover the truth wash over him as he saw his reflection on the glass. "Starting tomorrow I'm going to run for mayor of Detroit."

-next chapter-