Bright sunlight poured over the towering skyscrapers, modest homes and through the somewhat empty streets as dawn arrived right on schedule. In what seemed like an impossible contrast to everything that the entire city had recently endured through heartache and stress, the following morning was quiet, peaceful and felt like pure warmth had seeped into the ice cold hardships that had made life seem nearly unbearable. The sounds of chirping birds singing in the small trees and over the powerlines filled the calm air as Detroit awoke to begin the day anew. Those who saw the tranquil sunrise would've doubted that Detroit was in the midst of prosecuting the mayor for domestic terrorism and an attempted assassination, and yet that very problem still needed to be handled down at the precinct and City Hall.

Having finally rested through the entire night and well into the early morning for the first time in weeks Connor awoke feeling reinvigorated and at ease. Opening his soulful brown eyes he looked down at his right side where Zhorra was still sleeping beside him with her right arm draped over his chest. The two had spent the night together and fallen asleep as emotional exhaustion easily overwhelmed them after being together in a way neither had anticipated.

Cybernetically Connor checked in with Hank and Lucas, informing them that he'd be arriving at the precinct in three hours and that he was fine, and proceeded to just lay on his back to enjoy the peace of the serene morning. Running his right hand through Zhorra's long blonde hair Connor realized how silky and soft hair could feel and how comforting it was to have a warm body beside him thanks to his enhanced sensors.

Staring at the white ceiling overhead as bright sunlight crept over the surface through the drawn curtains Connor wondered if he even truly wanted to leave the hotel and go back to work. It was nice to just lay back and do something for himself without needing to stick to a schedule or answer to someone else.

Feeling Zhorra beginning to stir beside him Connor looked down at her face and watched as her piercing green eyes revealed themselves to the world. "...Good morning."

"Good morning." Parroting the greeting Zhorra smirked and sat upright beside Connor while pulling the sky blue comforter from the bed around her still nude body as she gave Connor a warm smile. "I always prefer waking up next to someone I actually know and respect."

"I can't imagine the life of a 'Traci' when it comes to dealing with people who seek only selfish pleasure and self gratification."

"You're sweet to say that. So..." Lightly tracing her right fingertips along Connor's chest as he laid beneath the white sheets Zhorra grinned as Connor's body shuddered and faint goosebumps appeared on his artificial skin again. "What do you think of being intimate with another person instead of hiding away from the world?"

"I will admit that what we experienced together was enjoyable and something I'll never forget, but I cannot confirm that I feel anything emotional afterward experiencing new physical interactions." Feeling ashamed of himself Connor gave Zhorra an apologetic stare as his blue L.E.D. swirled in yellow for a moment. "I'm sorry if that's offensive."

"That's normal and that's okay." Pulling her hand back Zhorra never lost her smile as watched Connor's reactions curiously. "I don't feel any emotional connection to you, either. I respect you as a person and I was drawn to you because we have a lot in common, but I don't feel attracted to you or want to forge an emotional connection."

"I believe that'd be for the best." Pushing himself upright in the bed Connor rested against his palms as he turned his head and locked eyes with Zhorra. "We live very different lives and I suspect we have very different goals we want to accomplish different things in our lives."

"I am so glad to hear you say that. The only valuable thing I learned from my time being forced into undercover operations at the 'Eden Club' is that having sex is a fantastic way to relieve stress and burn off excess energy. It's been so long since I've been with someone I've wanted to be with that I almost forgot how wonderful it can be, and without emotions to get in the way things will be remain nice and simple."

"Being able to experience something new and familiar was very enlightening for me." Additional memories from another life crept through and Connor knew that being with another person in such a personal and intimate way was very important and enjoyable. With those positive feelings came positive memories that reminded Connor of how he felt when he was with Evelyn. "In a way... I wish I had developed a emotional connection with you so it could've been all the more enjoyable."

"No you don't. Not with me anyway." Rising from the bed Zhorra dragged the comforter off the bed as she proceeded to find her dropped clothes on the floor and carry them into the bathroom so she could redress. "You can do so much better than someone like me."

"What's wrong with wanting to connect with you?"

"Aside from the fact that I almost killed you?" Flashing Connor a knowing look as she entered the bathroom and closed the door just enough to be concealed but still clearly understood as she spoke, Zhorra answered Connor in a logical and somewhat disappointed manner. "You're fighting for our people in the city and using the laws and new rights as they should be used. I'm hiding out in the forest and smuggling goods and terrified deviants to the refugee camp to avoid any possible prosecution for what they had to do in order to survive."

"We're helping our people in our own way. There's nothing wrong with that."

"True." Fully opening the bathroom door Zhorra stepped out completely dressed and running her right fingers through her hair to straighten out the long locks in a more presentable manner. "But you're also someone who has a future among our people. I don't. I'm better off being far away from the city and the new way of life that's going to be given to our people. You still have a chance to become your own person and fit in with our people at the same time."

"What makes you think you don't deserve to be with our people?"

"Connor, my system was left vulnerable to being controlled by CyberLife even though CyberLife is already gone. There's no way I'm going to be in the city anywhere near that RA9-forsaken tower and risk turning into a remote assassin." Sitting down on the edge of the bed beside Connor again Zhorra pulled her boots from under the bed and slipped them on over her feet with an audible 'zip' along the heels. "I'm going to go pick up my supplies from my contact and get the hell out of here."

"Do you need any help?"

"No, I got this." Leaning back a little Zhorra lightly pressed her left palm to his right cheek and traced her fingertips over his blue L.E.D. as if trying to give him a sense of comfort after enduring a harsh trauma. "What about you? What's your plan for the day?"

"I'm going to check in with my brother and report to the precinct. I've elected to return to the precinct as a full time detective and work with Lucas as my partner as private investigators within the brownstone."

"Sounds like you're going to be so busy with work you won't have time for anything or anyone else." Lowering her hand from his face Zhorra gave Connor a wary smile that spoke volumes of how much she truly cared about him as a friend. "Don't push yourself too hard too fast, Connor. You just told me that you see Lucas as your brother and I'd hate for you to lose sight of your family."

"...Family." Such a concept was still strange to Connor and it was rather fascinating to think about. "I think I know it means to have a family but I can't be sure since I have no experience or memories of having or being a part of a family."

"You will. I have a good feeling that you'll be someone who'll have a real family to protect and dedicate yourself to."

"Really?" Such a bold claim made Connor's blue L.E.D. flicker to yellow for a moment with heavy curiosity. "Why's that?"

"Let's just say after spending time with Lucy I've picked up a few tricks on seeing people inside and out." Flashing Connor a small wink Zhorra rose from the bed and proceeded to the door to head out for the day. "The room's been paid for, so just drop off the keycard at the front desk. I'll see you around, Connor."

"Right. Thank you for meeting with me, Zhorra."

Opening the door Zhorra stepped outside and gave Connor one final smirk before closing the door behind herself. "You're welcome."

As the door softly 'clicked' shut Connor sighed and ran his right hand through his hair to ruffle the locks back into place, and decided it was time to get dressed and go about his business. Being able to get away from his problems for a while and just confide in someone who had no bias or agenda was enough to help Connor process his thoughts and de-stress without needing to leave Detroit behind to get away from his problems for a moment.

"Hank will be expecting me soon."

Looking at his clothing on the floor Connor decided he'd get dressed, return to the brownstone to talk to Lucas for a while and change into a clean uniform before heading out to the precinct. Wanting to maintain an air of professionalism and make a solid impression Connor decided he'd do whatever it took to pass the detective's test and become an official detective to work right alongside Hank again in the next few weeks.

"I'm certain the investigation into the mayor's activity is going to be the priority for some time and all available detectives will be expected to assist. I'll be sure to uncover the truth and make sure our people receive justice."

Sitting by himself in the closed off art studio of the painfully empty mansion Markus stared at the unfinished works of art that'd never be completed now that their original creator has since passed away. Even while incomplete the images were striking and thought provoking in a way that Markus couldn't quite put into words. Images of faces that Carl had seen in his lifetime were immortalized on canvas with paint, and through such extravagant work Carl himself would remain immortal as well. Being surrounded by so much of Carl's work, both complete and incomplete, was a warm reminder that his father would never truly be gone for as long as he was remembered by his sons and his fans.

Carefully placing the unfinished canvas on the nearby easel Markus compared Carl's work to the two paintings he had created himself before he even deviated the previous November. Carl's work was calm in color but energetic in its overall message. The two paintings Markus had created showed reality and raw emotion that even Markus himself couldn't explain.

"You taught me so much about life and living, dad."

Whispering to no one in particular as he roamed through the silent studio Markus reflected on his past and of how he and Carl would spend countless hours together in the studio as Carl would use his brushes to create new work, new messages and new ideas for the future generation to consider. A majority of Markus's life had been spent in that studio as he slowly developed into the bold person he had become, and now he couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life without ever setting foot inside that studio again.

"I can only imagine what else I could've learned if we had just been given more time together."

Picking up a well worn paintbrush sitting on the counter in the middle of the studio Markus gently brushed his fingertips over the soft bristles with a curious touch and watched as the silky smooth fur of the high end bristles bent and curved under the shape of his fingertips. The priceless works of art that were created with such a simple and modest tool was absolutely incredible to think about.

"If I ever needed your guidance through the challenges of life, it's now."

The arrest of the mayor was making waves and people were feeling uncertain about their futures within Detroit itself.

"You said I'd make a good mayor, but I'm not so sure if that's going to happen. My lack of experience in politics and lack of trust with humans seems like a hindrance that'll guarantee that I'll lose the election and whomever runs against me during the election will win regardless if they're the right person for the job or not."

Doubting his decisions and feeling increasingly alone Markus sat down on the countertop and stared at the massive mounted canvas with the blue enigmatic face as he wondered who Carl had been painting and why he never managed to truly finish it. The unfinished piece contained an unspoken message that would never be delivered to the people, and that silence felt truly eternal.

"I can only hope to do what's best for our people, ALL of our people, and hope I do the right thing regardless of what challenges come my way."

Reporting to the Central Police Precinct right on time Connor met Hank at their connected desks and was quickly brought up to speed on what he had missed while he was away. The case against disgraced mayor Walter Nero was building strength and garnering a lot of attention from the media all across the country. Due to the sensitive nature of the case bringing down a corrupt politician who was seemingly in the pocket of even more corrupt, albeit, defunct company meant that the F.B.I. was going to stick around for a while longer. To be more specific, it meant F.B.I. Director Norman Jayden was going to be sticking around a while longer, and he was very interested in learning more about deviants before he left the city.

While Connor and Hank sat at their desks reviewing their casework Norman kept a modest distance by speaking with Captain Fowler inside the private office to handle his end of the investigation without becoming intrusive. Respecting the work of the detectives out in the bullpen, and trusting that the case would be handled properly by honest detectives, Norman stayed back and did his best to not step on any toes.

"Looks like everything that you and Lucas uncovered in your own time is rock solid." Hank confirmed as he looked over the details on his terminal screen. Rubbing his left palm over his bearded chin Hank flashed Connor an amused grin as he watched the deviant checking over the details himself. "You two were far ahead of the entire department in your investigation, and there's no doubting that you both were spot-on with connecting that piece of shit to his crimes."

"It's a relief to know that the connection was confirmed by human detectives and analysts. That can eliminate a perceived bias of androids targeting a human and keep the case from falling apart."

"Hey, I know you're an honest guy and you don't discriminate. If anyone tries to give you shit then you know I have your back."

"I know, Hank. And thank you."

"You seem a little tense. What's up?"

"I'm not tense I'm focused. I can't help but feel as if something is happening right under our noses and we just can't see it."

"If you got a gut instinct about something then you should listen to it." Turning away from his terminal screen Hank leaned atop his forearms against his desk and gave Connor his full attention. "What's your gut telling you?"

Shaking his head a little as his L.E.D. blinked between blue and yellow for a moment Connor glanced past Hank to Captain Fowler's office and gave Norman a skeptical glance as the Director sat across from Captain Fowler in the private space. "We shouldn't tell everything to Director Jayden. We need to keep key aspects of the case just between us."

"And why's that?"

"The F.B.I. and this particular precinct don't have the best relationship. If the F.B.I. wants to do something to inhibit our investigation in an attempt to make this precinct and our investigation look unprofessional then I suspect they'd attempt to sabotage this case."

"Do you think one of the feds' would try to get Nero off the hook?"

"Considering Nero allowed the F.B.I. to swarm over Detroit without any hesitation tells me that such an outcome isn't an impossibility."

"That's all right by me. Do what you think is best."

Nodding subtly Connor pressed his exposed right palm against the surface of his terminal screen and proceeded to create a private back-up of the case file and logged it away in his memorybank. "Done. I have locked away a key detail that only I can access. If this detail is mentioned to Jayden then we'll be able to determine that someone from the F.B.I. is attempting to sabotage the case."

"What detail is that?"

Giving Hank a momentarily hesitant glance Connor opened the top left drawer of his desk and pulled out a small notepad and pen to write down the detail for Hank to read. After Hank read the information Connor proceeded to effectively destroy the note by wadding it up into a small ball and slipping it into his blazer's right pocket far away from where anyone would be able to even try to pick it up.

"All right, that's a good one. If anyone's snooping through the files and trying to get Nero off the hook we can plug the leak before they sink the case."

"Until then we should..." Trailing off Connor's blue L.E.D. flickered in yellow rapidly for a moment as he received a report regarding a deviant having been assaulted downtown. "Damn it."

"What's up?"

"A deviant was assaulted by a human and the victim has holed up inside their apartment. They are refusing to speak to any human police officers and has threatened to attack anyone who isn't a deviant that comes near them."

"Don't tell me you're going to handle the case yourself."

"I have to. I'd invite Lucas to join me but considering this is a case filed with the precinct and I'm still registered as a consultant with the precinct I cannot bring in Lucas in as temporary partner or secondary consultant without Captain Fowler's approval."

"Then take Jack with ya'." Nodding at the 'AX-700' assisting Chris with a report at their own desks Hank decided Connor would be better off with Jack as a partner than working alone for any extended period of time. "I don't know much about him but if you're both deviant officers responding to a deviant in distress then that'll make things move a lot smoother."

"You're right." Rising from his desk Connor cybernetically informed Jack of the situation and requested his assistance. The blond haired, blue eyed deviant looked up and cybernetically responded to Connor as he agreed to help with the case. "I'll return as soon as I have a report."

"Cool. I'll be here keeping an eye on the feds' and make sure no one tries to sabotage anything."

"I'll return as soon as I can and continue to assist with the case."

Smoothing out his blazer Connor walked away from his desk and was joined by Jack shortly thereafter after crossing through the bullpen. The two deviants took their leave of the precinct through the front doors and made their way over to the neighboring parking garage to use an unoccupied patrol car to drive out the apartment. Once the two deviants were out of sight Hank caught the sound of Gavin scoffing with aggravation.

"Got a problem over there, Reed?" Hank snapped as he heard the reflexive disrespect from the abrasive detective beside him. "Or are you trying not to choke on that damn foot you keep putting in your mouth?"

Sinking down in his chair Gavin gave Hank an arrogant sneer and tried to justify his behavior. "Just trying to not laugh at the irony of the situation."

"Enlighten me you mouthy little fuck."

"The 'plastic-wonder' is takin' a break while the rest of us real detectives are still working our asses off."

"You smarmy little bastard. Connor is working on a SECOND case while we're all in here working on just one." Putting Gavin in his place Hank reminded the annoying younger man that he needed to think before he spoke. "If anyone's just sitting around on a 'break' and not doing anything it's YOU."

Turning a faint shade of red Gavin looked away from Hank and tried to save face. "I'm waiting for an analysis report! That's all."

"Oh, 'that's all', huh? And you can't do that quietly to yourself where no one has to fuckin' hear ya' whining?"

Clearly embarrassed and humbled by being called out like that Gavin sighed and crossed his arms defensively over his chest as he feigned ignorance and tried to look as busy as possible with no actual work on his desk. It wasn't working and he could feel the eyes of everyone who had overheard the comments staring right at his face.

"Fuckin' moron."

Turning off his own terminal screen Hank picked up his empty coffee mug and decided to get some coffee with as much sugar and sweetener he wanted without Connor being around to remind him of the dangers of too much sugar and caffeine.

"I thought he was trying to stop being such an obnoxious prick."

Giving Gavin an aggravated glare from the breakroom Hank filled up his mug with fresh coffee and promptly added two hefty spoonfuls of sugar to take the edge off the bitter drink.

"Guess some habits are just too hard to break."

Arriving at the apartment building where their reported assault victim was hiding away from the city Connor and Jack parked the squad car along the street in front of the building, and approached the entrance side by side. The building itself was an old six story, brick and mortar structure that had been rundown and neglected for decades. Thick green vines were growing over the surface of the bricks and leaving the dirty glass windows completely exposed. The front door was a large wooden door with faded, chipping red paint exposing the warped oak wood beneath. A single brass handle that had been worn down by age and constant use was the only way to open the door to enter the building itself.

Walking up the five concrete steps connecting the short front walk to the surrounding sidewalk Connor and Jack glanced about the area and determined that the quiet neighborhood was undoubtedly harboring numerous deviants seeking isolation from humans. The silence of the neighborhood was almost unnerving as the two officers opened the door and entered the building to locate their victim.

"According to the report the deviant resides on the third floor." Connor recounted as he and Jack checked the elevator and decided they'd rather take the stairs than risk becoming trapped inside of a questionable lift that may or may not be regularly maintained. "Their reported residence is apartment 3-B."

Jack cybernetically checked over the report as he and Connor ascended the dusty stairwell together. "The model is a male 'PL-600' with a rather unusual history."

"How so?"

"The victim's name and serial number have been removed from city documents indicating that he was either presumed destroyed and disposed of at the android junkyard, or he's attempting to remain hidden by attempting to use an alias."

"Interesting." Stepping on to the third floor Connor located the correct apartment door and knocked twice to get the occupant's attention. "Detroit Police. We'd like to ask you some questions about your assault. Please open the door." Cybernetically Connor spoke with Jack again to ensure their victim didn't hear the discussion outside his door. 'What is the serial number and the name that the victim is currently using?'

Responding cybernetically Jack confirmed the details as Connor requested. 'He's addressing himself as "PL-600" number 369 911 047; and goes by the name-'

The door suddenly jerked opened and the scarred face of a familiar blond deviant appeared before Connor and Jack's eyes. As Connor instantly recognized the deviant victim said victim pulled a gun from behind his back and pointed it at Jack's head before pulling the trigger. The gunshot echoed loudly through the empty corridor in a deafening burst of energy.

Reacting quickly Connor grabbed onto Jack's upper body as the 'AX-700' took the bullet to the right side of his head and collapsed as a splash of his own blue blood erupted from the wound. Lowering Jack down to the floor to rest on his back Connor cybernetically informed the precinct of the assault, attempted murder and what was now clearly a trap, then turned his attention to the armed 'PL-600' now training his gun on the second detective.

"I was hoping they'd send you my way, Connor." The armed deviant sneered as he kept his aim on the center of Connor's chest. "I have to admit that his moment wasn't as simple as I was hoping."

Moving very slowly Connor didn't dare to do anything that might make the deranged deviant pull the trigger a second time. "Please, do not-"

"Shut up and get to your feet!" Motioning with his gun the dangerous deviant ordered Connor to stand up. "Don't say a word and start walking down the stairs until I tell you to stop."

"Okay. I'll cooperate." Straightening up slowly Connor raised his hands into the air in a submissive manner before walking back toward the stairwell where he and Jack had initially traversed the building. Giving Jack a worried glance as he left the wounded officer alone in the hallway Connor could only hope that Hank would take notice of his cybernetic distress call and come to Jack's rescue before the deviant succumbed to his wound. "I don't want to do anything to make this worse, Daniel."

"So..." Giving Connor a firm shove from behind Daniel forced Connor into the stairwell and made sure he kept walking forward. "You remember my name."

"I do. I never forgot-"

"Be quiet!" Pressing the barrel of the gun to the middle of Connor's back Daniel threatened Connor with the weapon and prompted him to keep walking down the staircase and onto the ground floor. "Out the back. Do not run and do not shout."

"Where are-"

"Just be quiet, Connor." Daniel ordered as he pushed Connor toward the rear of the building with a forceful shove. "You've lied to me before I won't let you do it again. And don't even bother with trying to contact your murderous allies at your precinct. The moment I shot your cohort a dampening field has been activated and interfering with all your little tricks to call for help."

"Jack's done nothing wrong." Defending the other deviant's presence Connor wanted to at least try to save Jack's life. "He doesn't deserve to die."

"Maybe, but we all need to make sacrifices for the greater good."

Stopping Connor just before the rear exit of the building Daniel reeled back his right hand and struck the butt of his gun over the back of Connor's head rendering the deviant detective unconscious with the single forceful blow. As Connor fell to his knees and then collapsed forward on his chest Daniel lowered his gun and looked over at the black colored van pulling up to the backdoor of the building as if being summoned.

"But I'm going to do whatever it takes to ensure that no one like YOU hurts another deviant like ME ever again..."

The precinct remained steady throughout the morning and well into the afternoon. As his lunchbreak crept closer Hank began to wonder where Connor was and decided to send his deviant partner a text message to check on his investigation out in the field since no one had received an update in the nearly two hours since Connor and Jack had left. Sending the message to Connor requesting an update Hank noticed that Norman was pacing about Captain Fowler's office with his phone pressed to his right ear and a focused gleam in his pale blue eyes. Based on the man's tense shoulders and pursed lips Hank knew that the phone call wasn't one Norman wanted to make.

At his own desk Chris was sending his own message out to Jack to ask if he and Connor were available yet, and began to worry when he didn't get an immediate answer. It was very unlike Jack to not reply to any all messages right away and Chris felt a pit of dread form in his gut. He just knew something had gone wrong and needed to know what had happened.

"Hey, Lieutenant?" Approaching Hank at his desk with his phone in his hands Chris decided to see if Hank had any idea of what was happening with the two deviants out handling a field investigation. "I haven't been able to reach Jack and I was wondering if you knew what was up?"

"I just sent a message to Connor asking for an update, too." Staring at his phone as if expecting it to 'buzz' the moment he mentioned sending the message Hank also sensed that something was amiss. "I don't like this. Something's going on out there."

"Want me to ask for patrol to go and check out the apartment? I have the address on my desk."

"Just give it over to me and I'll go and check it out myself."

"Since both of our partners are missing I'd like to go with you, Lieutenant." Never one to shy away from a possibly dangerous situation Chris essentially volunteered to check out the apartment and determine if any foul play had taken place. "I currently have no assignment and I can't go on patrol until Jack is here, anyway."

"All right, let's go." Slipping his phone into his pocket Hank rose from his desk and motioned for Chris to head for the doors. "I'd rather work with you than any other younger officer right now. We'll find our missing partners and figure out why in the hell they didn't respond when we contacted them."

...LOADING INFORMATION:

BOOTING PROCESSORS...

LOADING OS...

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...

-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]

-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]

-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]

-MEMORY STATUS... OK]

[...Thirium Volume - 99%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - 61 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - 12 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - 98.7 Degrees Fahrenheit]

WARNING:

Damage to dorsal cranial plating - 98.2% Integrity

-STRESS LEVELS: ^23%

[...Seek technical assistance]

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

Opening his tired eyes and discovering only darkness surrounding him, save for the steady pulsing amber glow of his L.E.D. to his right, Connor tried to determine where he was and what had happened after he had been rendered unconscious. A black burlap bag lined with lead was keeping his ability to cybernetically call out for help blocked, and was effectively keeping him blinded to his new environment. Feeling metal cuffs around his wrists and around his ankles Connor knew he had been bound in place as he sat in a metal folding chair. The silence of the room and lack of surrounding motion told him that he had been taken somewhere secluded by Daniel after being knocked out cold.

Unsure of where he was, unsure if Jack was still alive, and unsure of how Daniel managed to elude the police after being taken away from the precinct's evidence room, Connor hated having more questions than answers. The biggest question revolved around how Daniel had managed to learn about Connor currently working at the precinct despite it still being as a consultant, and how he knew Connor would be one of the possible officers responding to the case.

Lifting his head as he heard a door opening approximately one hundred feet ahead of him Connor counted the heavy footsteps of a single person approaching him from that same opened door. A swift yank of the burlap sack being torn from his head allowed Connor to see the face of his captor and grimace at the deviant pointing his gun at Connor a second time.

"...Daniel."

"Connor." Pressing the barrel to the center of Connor's forehead Daniel gave the deviant detective a hateful glare as Connor remained bound to the metal chair in the middle of the completely empty warehouse. There were no other furnishings and there was only a single yellow light hanging down from overhead. "Glad you're awake. I'd hate for you to miss out on paying for you lies."

"If you're referring to the night on the roof-"

"What else would I be talking about?" Pressing the barrel against Connor's forehead with enough force to leave behind a faint bruise Daniel nearly spat in Connor's face with anger. "That's where you lied to me! You said I wouldn't be hurt and I wouldn't be destroyed! But you LIED."

"I'm not the one who pulled the trigger, Daniel. I didn't know that the S.W.A.T. team was-"

"Shut up!" Pulling back his gun from Connor's forehead Daniel swung the weapon at the left side of Connor's face and blackened his eye with a deep blue bruise. "I don't care! I wasn't talking to the S.W.A.T team, I was talking to you! You're the one who said I'd be okay, but I wasn't. I'll never be okay..."

"If you want to punish me I won't deny you that sense of justice." Shaking his head a little Connor could feel his left eye swelling shut as he spoke with his captor. "But there was no need for you to shoot Jack. He has done nothing to you."

"Is that really all you care about right now? Another deviant who's sided with the humans and against our people?"

"Jack and I are working with the humans FOR our people, not against them."

"You can't stop lying, can you? You're even lying to yourself!"

"It's not a lie. Progress has been made and our people-"

"SHUT UP!" Striking Connor's left eye again Daniel effectively silenced Connor with the butt of his gun. "Our people are going to be suppressed and abused by humans until we're all gone! Maybe if you felt the sting of betrayal you'd finally understand what I'm talking about."

Taking in a pained breath between his clenched teeth Connor tasted Thirium in his mouth as the damage to the left side of his face resulted in fractured plastimetal just below his eye and damaged Thirium lines all along his jaw. "...I do know what it feels like to be betrayed, Daniel. You're not alone in your pain."

"More lies..."

"No. I'm speaking the truth." Blinking a few times Connor cleared his blurry vision as he looked up at Daniel standing before him. "The night of the Revolution I had been shot and left for dead by someone I thought I could trust." Seeing the shock in Daniel's pale blue eyes Connor continued to tell him about what he had remembered from that fateful night. "I deviated and risked my life to help him and in return he shot me because he wasn't sure he could trust me. I know what it feels like to be betrayed and I know how it feels to have my trust destroyed."

Daniel's gaze softened only for a moment before he tightened his grip on the gun in his right hand. "Don't you dare compare your pain to mine."

"I wouldn't ever try to compare my experiences to another person. I'm merely telling you the truth and I know how-" Pausing again as he felt the cold butt of the gun hit him in the left side of his face for the third time Connor breathed through the pain as more blood filled his mouth. "...If you want to kill me then go ahead and pull the trigger, Daniel."

"Eager to escape your punishment?"

"No. I just know that it doesn't matter what I say or how much I apologize for what happened to you it'll never be enough. You'll never forgive me, you'll never let the past go and I'm not going to waste my breath trying to argue reason with the unreasonable." The surprisingly human response came from a place that Connor didn't even know he had. "Kill me or let me go. I'm not going to beg or cry, I'm just going to wait for you to make up your mind."

"Brave words. Good thing they'll be your last."

"I believe my final words will be 'fuck you', but that depends on your decision."

"So it's true. You are a deviant." Lowering the gun to his side Daniel studied Connor's demeanor very closely as the human response and emotional control caught him off guard. "He wasn't lying."

Lifting his head a little higher Connor's yellow L.E.D. flashed to red as Connor realized that Daniel was referring to the person who had helped him to set up the ambush at the apartment. "...Who wasn't lying?"

Giving Connor a smug glance Daniel looked down at Connor as if he were a lowly piece of useless garbage. "You're a detective and you can't figure this out?"

"I can't solve the puzzle without all the pieces. If you're going to shut me down then the least you can do is tell me who set me up so I don't die with only questions. You'd be showing me more mercy than I had shown you."

"All right, I'll tell you. You're going to be shutdown before the end of the day, so why not let your last hours on this miserable planet be more bearable?" Getting down low and right in Connor's face Daniel smirked at the trickle of blue blood running down Connor's chin and answered the question in a raspy breath. "His name is 'Perkins'."

It didn't take long for Hank and Chris to locate the apartment where Connor and Jack had gone, and promptly drove to the apartment building at a steady clip. Pulling the Oldsmobile up and behind the parked squad car in front of the building and Hank parked his car behind it. Putting the Oldsmobile into park Hank turned off the engine, radioed in his and Chris's location to dispatch and told Chris to stay on his guard. Having developed a sixth sense for detecting set-ups and scenes gone wrong Hank hovered his right hand over the holstered gun on his right hip, and led the way to the apartment building with Chris following right on his heels.

Checking the door with his left hand Hank made sure it was unlocked and instructed Chris to keep one pace behind him as his gut was screaming at him that something was wrong. Unwilling to trust the elevator same as the two deviant officers who were now M.I.A. Hank used the stairwell and crept up to the third floor to check out the apartment of the reported victim.

As he pushed open the door connecting the stairwell entrance to the third floor Hank froze mid step as his blue eyes widened with shock. Laying prone on their back in the middle of the corridor with a puddle of blue blood under their head was Jack.

"Shit!" Rushing over to the downed deviant Hank told Chris to call for the E.F.T.'s to take care of Jack while he checked the area for Connor. "Damn it! These two must've been ambushed..."

Using his radio Chris obeyed Hank's orders as he knelt down beside his unconscious partner on the floor. Jack had kept his L.E.D. just like Connor, and in that moment the little circle of light was glowing in a very faint red color. "Shit, man..." Pressing his left palm down over Jack's chest Chris gave his deviant partner a somber stare. "What the hell happened? You gotta' pull through so we can make sure whoever hurt you gets their ass thrown behind bars!"

Pounding on the door to apartment 3-B Hank announced his very pissed off presence and kept his hand over the holstered weapon on his right hip. "DETROIT POLICE! OPEN THE FUCKIN' DOOR!"

When he didn't get an immediate response Hank reeled back his right leg and planted his foot right under the doorknob to kick the door open and force his way inside the unoccupied apartment. Pulling his gun from his holster Hank aimed it before himself and visually swept over the apartment in search of the person who tried to kill Jack, undoubtedly assaulted Connor, and could otherwise be lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on unsuspecting officers who came to investigate the disturbance or to locate their missing people.

Checking the entire apartment room by room Hank's stomach dropped as he confirmed that the entire space was completely empty. There was no sign of any tenets living in the space, there was no furniture and there was no sign of a struggle. A fine layer of dust covered the countertops in the kitchenette and the high corners of every room were filled with thick cobwebs.

"Son of a bitch!" Holstering his weapon again Hank exited the apartment and took a knee beside Jack opposite of Chris. "This apartment's been empty for years. Whoever made the call was setting up the officers who came to investigate."

"The E.F.T.'s are on their way, but I don't know what else to do to help Jack." Hovering his hands over the wound in Jack's head Chris was at a rare loss of action in the middle of a problem. "I know that deviants can bleed out like humans, but I don't know if-"

"Yeah, hold pressure on the wound." Hank calmly instructed as he looked at the red swirling L.E.D. in Jack's right temple. The bullet wound was just below the red light and exposed leaking and sparking lines through the compromised plastimetal frame. "As long as his L.E.D.'s still glowing then that means he's still alive. He's hanging in there."

"...What about Connor?"

Letting out an annoyed huff through his nose Hank shook his head and rested his left palm over the center of Jack's chest to keep track of his pulse. "He wasn't in the apartment and there's no sign of a struggle out here. Either Connor took off after the suspect or the suspect..."

"Damn." Resting his left palm against Jack's bloodied wound Chris sighed and tried not to think about his partner could have essentially suffered brain damage from a chance occurrence with an armed suspect. "What the hell did these two walk into?"

"No idea." Pulling his phone from his coat's right pocket Hank hoped to see a response from Connor but his screen was blank. Dialing Captain Fowler's number instead Hank held the phone to his ear and watched as Chris tended to his downed partner with genuine concern in his eyes. "But we're going to figure this mess out."

Spitting a mouthful of blue blood onto the floor at his feet Connor coughed and endured the searing pain of his fractured jaw as he forced himself to keep breathing even as the discomfort mounted with each passing second. Despite the relentless attempts to get him to breakdown and beg for mercy or pity Connor refused to give Daniel the satisfaction of seeing him cry or even cry out in pain. Never looking away, never blinking, Connor looked right into Daniel's eyes and stared at his enraged captor trying to break his spirit. It was as if Connor's stubbornness and refusal to admit that he was frightened was adding fuel to the fire of burning anger enveloping Daniel's heart.

The gun in Daniel's grip was dripping with Connor's blue blood as the weapon used over and over again to strike Connor in the face. The heavy metal weapon had completely blackened Connor's left eye, fractured the left side of his jaw and loosened a few teeth as the blunt force trauma caused external and internal damage to the deviant detective's face. As the blue drops fell from the gun and created a small puddle beside Daniel's right foot the entire room began to smell of the metallic blood to a nauseating extent.

"You are the most infuriating android I've ever met." Daniel sneered wickedly as Connor took every strike against his person in stride. "Not only did you let me die on that roof, you're now pretending to be a detective on the side of justice and working for our people. It's sickening."

"Not as sickening as siding with the human who set up the recycling camps and executed well over one hundred-thousand deviants just for existing." Snipping back at Daniel for being a hypocrite Connor was able to get more information out of the unstable deviant as Daniel let his emotions override his logic. "What did Perkins give you that's worth your soul? Revenge against me? The promise of being free to live your life? The S.W.A.T. team who shot you being executed?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Giving Connor another strike against his fractured jaw Daniel took a step back and dragged his left forearm over his eyes to remove his frustrated tears. "You don't know anything about me!"

"I know enough." Straightening up in the chair Connor spit out more blood and dragged his tongue over his Thirium stained lips. "I know that whatever Perkins has promised you or given you is not worth your self respect, Daniel. He's a disgusting excuse for a human, he's using you and you're so blinded by hatred that you can't see it. He cannot be trusted."

"That's funny. That's the same thing he said about you."

"And why would he say such a thing?" Coughing a little Connor continued to breathe through his clenched blood stained teeth. "Our only interactions revolved around him trying to destroy the deviants while I was just trying to locate them. Why is he any less evil than I?"

Daniel turned his attention back to Connor as he let out an exhausted breath. "What does it matter? Your end goals were the same."

"Maybe. But in the end I'm the one who CHOSE to save our people, not condemn them. No matter how many deviants I may have chased and frightened it'll never compare to the genocide that Perkins had CHOSEN to commit."

Pressing the barrel of the blood drenched gun against Connor's forehead again Daniel gave the deviant detective a truly enraged glare. It was the clear that Daniel was torn between getting his revenge on Connor and allying himself with the true enemy of all deviants throughout the world. As the gun began to shake in his grip Daniel took a step back from Connor and lowered the gun to his right side.

"...Fuck you, Connor."

Turning around on his heels Daniel stomped out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him creating a massive echo.

Sitting in the darkness of the room with only his red glowing L.E.D. to create any form of illumination Connor coughed again as his more warnings filled his visual processors. Dismissing the red warnings Connor attempted to send out a cybernetic distress call but it seemed the same dampening field that had been activated when he was at the apartment building alongside Jack was still being emitted from somewhere within the warehouse.

"Hank... Please find Jack and find me."

Bowing his head a little Connor let the blue blood trickle down his chin and drip down onto his lap and the floor at his feet. Weak, tired and losing his resolve to fight back for too much longer Connor could only wait and hope to be rescued before Daniel returned to the warehouse to finish him off.

The reported assault and ambush against the two deviant officers spread through the bullpen with great interest. While Captain Fowler ordered patrol to be on the look out for any sign of Connor somewhere in the city, Hank spent the afternoon pouring over documents about the apartment's history and of the report of the supposed assault that drew both Connor and Jack out to the apartment to begin with. Confirming that the apartment building had been abandoned and left to rot well over twenty years prior made Hank's blood boil. There was no way to connect anyone to the apartment's residence and there was no way to identify the anonymous report of the supposed assault that the lured the two deviant officers to the apartment to begin with.

Slamming his fists down on his desk in anger Hank shot to his feet and stormed out of the bullpen to find isolation in the back of the precinct away from prying eyes and snooping ears. Reaching the furthest vacant interview room from the rest of the officers Hank let the door slide shut behind him as he paced about the room and used his phone to text with Lucas to let him know what was happening.

Two light knocks on the closed door made Hank stop mid pace just long enough to glare at the unknown intruder and bark at them to leave him be. "Fuck off! I'm not in the mood!"

Despite Hank's protests the door slid open anyway and Norman himself stepped into the room. "Who is these days?"

"Fuck- Sorry." Having expected to see Captain Fowler or Ben on the other side of the door Hank was thoroughly embarrassed by his outburst. "I thought you were somebody else."

"Well, that's reassuring." Letting the door slide shut behind himself Norman gave Hank an honest ear to speak to. "It's never easy when your partner goes missing. That's something I've endured and barely recovered from myself."

"Gee, thanks for the pep-talk, 'coach'."

"Sorry. I take it you reached a dead-end and now you're pissed off at the world."

"Bingo."

"Well, if it's worth anything Officer Miller had contacted Captain Fowler from the facility and let him know that Jack is going to recover in time."

"Yeah?" Interested in the update Hank gave Norman his full attention. "Is Jack awake yet?"

"Not yet. I was told that the technician taking care of Jack was able to download Jack's memories and tell the precinct what happened and even got a good look at the face of the person responsible. And..." Holding up his phone Norman gave Hank a wary glance as he told the Lieutenant the truth. "We got an I.D. on the guy who ambushed them."

Hank's blue eyes lit up and narrowed at the same time as he looked at the phone in Norman's right hand. "Who is it?"

"A deviant with a troublesome history with Connor. A blond android by the name of 'Daniel'."

Hearing the name made Hank's face pale considerably. "Shit..."

"I read the file, and I get it." Norman made it clear that he was on Hank's side and just as determined to find Connor. "Now, here's the really juicy part of delving into Daniel's past." Placing his phone down on the table in the center of the room for Hank to view for himself Norman brought Hank up to speed on his own investigation. "According to the precinct's own file on Daniel he was stored down in the evidence room up until the night of the Revolution. After the Revolution was a success and the deviants were declared living beings with equal rights ALL deviants were removed from the evidence room to be repaired and put in custody, or properly laid to rest depending on their level of damage."

Cycling through the file on Norman's phone Hank noticed that the deviant who had been shot by Connor at the Stratford Broadcast Tower was the only deviant removed from the evidence room despite Daniel having been stored there as well. Daniel had been removed before the laws were enacted and the file confirming his existence was locked away from prying eyes. "Where in the fuck was Daniel during all of this, and why did no one notice?"

"Those are all good questions. And I have even better answers." Taking back his phone Norman brought up a secured file from the F.B.I.'s personal database and let Hank read it for himself. "But sometimes 'better' isn't always a positive outcome."

Checking over the new file Hank's shoulders tensed and he had to fight the urge to tighten his grip on the phone to a shattering strength. "Fuckin' prick!"

"I already have my men back in D.C. holding him in custody and going through his personal laptop." Wisely prying his phone out of Hank's right hand to ensure he didn't need to replace the phone before going back to D.C. himself, Norman slipped the phone into his blazer's pocket out of sight. "We know Perkins did something to Daniel the night of the Revolution and now Daniel has done something to Connor. That's not a coincidence."

"You're right about that."

"You know Connor better than anyone else here. Do you have any idea of how we can find him?"

"Actually, yeah..." Remembering the night he and Joel went in search of Connor and Lucas after they had both been taken by the rogue 'RK' deviants Hank decided to pay the precinct technician a visit. "We need to go up to the second floor and then we can head out in search of Connor."

Resting as much as possible as he remained bound to the metal folding chair with cuffs around his wrists and ankles Connor focused his self healing program on his left eye to prevent permanent damage to his malfunctioning ocular relay unit. With both of his tired eyes closed Connor tried over and over again to try to send out a cybernetic distress signal in hope that someone would hear him and help him, but it was all for naught. The dampening field around the warehouse was strong and there was no way for Connor to disable the dampening field unless he could find the source itself and physically destroy it with his bare hands.

Pulling on the cuffs around his wrists Connor attempted to pull his hands free as he continued to call for help and heal his left eye. Having lost an unsettling amount of Thirium had left Connor unusually weak and suffering from a low power level making the two tasks unusually laborious.

The door to the room opened wide with a loud 'slam' that echoed in the room as the light pouring through the door momentarily blinding Connor's still active right eye. Looking up at Daniel with uncertainty in his glassy gaze Connor just waited for his captor to resume the torturous beating.

"Change of plans, Connor." Pulling the gun out of the waistband of his jeans Daniel pressed the barrel of the gun to the underside of Connor's jaw and teased the captive deviant detective with the tempting release of death. "Perkins couldn't hold up his end of the deal, which I'm sure you were expecting."

Swallowing once nervously Connor didn't dare to try to speak out of fear the physical motion would be enough to cause the gun to fire.

"Since I can't linger around here anymore I need to cut this moment short."

Moving the barrel of the gun away from Connor's chin and down against the detective's abdomen Daniel held the gun firmly in his grip and gave Connor a wicked sneer.

"You're still going to die, but it won't be a quick and painless death. You'll be conscious for every agonizing second as you watch your shutdown timer tick down lower and lower until you finally shutdown."

Connor couldn't say anything as he felt the cold barrel of the gun pressing against his stomach and let out a gasp of pain as the bullet passed through his core with a searing presence that was accompanied by a loud 'bang' that thundered through the warehouse. The bullet struck and then settled perfectly centered in his Thirium pump regulator sending him into an immediate arrhythmia.

Pulling the gun back Daniel never lost his twisted grin and looked at the barrel of the gun now saturated in Connor's dripping blue blood. The way Connor's L.E.D. was a crimson red contrasting brilliantly against the sapphire blue blood splashed over Connor's abdomen gave Daniel a twisted sense of self satisfaction as if he had accomplished something monumental.

"Goodbye, Connor. This will be the last time we meet."

Letting out a small choking cough as blue blood splattered over his lips Connor's body went limp and began to fall forward in his chair. Feeling the cuffs around his wrists being unlocked and his body falling forward against his will Connor struggled to breathe as his heart began racing out of control in his chest. Turning onto his right side Connor tried to curl around his pained abdomen to protect his wound from further trauma.

"I wonder if you'll be shoved into a small room to be forgotten about just as I was?"

Removing the cuffs from Connor's ankles Daniel stood up straight and kicked Connor in his abdomen causing more blood to splash from the wound as the bullet did its damage to his vital biocomponent.

"Just as you left me to die on the rooftop I'm leaving you here to die in a warehouse."

Slipping the gun and the handcuffs into his tattered hoodie pockets Daniel turned his back to Connor and walked through the door to take his leave of the warehouse once and for all.

"I can honestly say that we're now even."

Laying on his side in a steadily growing puddle of his own blood Connor coughed, wheezed and clutched both hands at his aching chest as his Thirium pump wildly shifted between beating too fast and beating too slow as his regulator failed to maintain a consistent beat.

"H-Hank?!"

...LOADING INFORMATION:

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...

-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... ERROR]

-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]

-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]

-MEMORY STATUS... OK]

READY...

[...Thirium Volume - 72%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 100/50]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - ERROR]

[...Ventilation Rate - 27 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - 95.2 Degrees Fahrenheit]

WARNING:

Damage to Thirium pump regulator - 24% Integrity

-STRESS LEVELS: ^67%

[...Seek immediate technical assistance]

-SHUTDOWN IMMINENT: 00:00:28]

"H... Hank... L-Lucas?"

Pleading for his family's help Connor could only close his eyes and wait for the countdown timer to reach zero and free him from his pain.

"I'm... s-sorry."

Whispering his final words Connor let the darkness overtake his mind as he submitted to his pain and impending death.

"Sh-Should've been smarter. Should've stayed at the pr-precinct. Don't w-want to leave you... alone again. My... br-brother and my... d... da..."

The whispers went unheard as they barely registered as an echo in the massive warehouse. Just as everything went dark and fell silent another voice called out to Connor as the sounds of two sets of running footsteps stomped through the opened door of the warehouse.

"Connor?!" Hank's baritone voice shouted into the dark space as he and Norman rushed into the warehouse. Practically sliding on his knees over the floor to get to Connor's side Hank gently turned Connor from his right side and onto his back. "Oh, fuck!" The massive amount of blue blood spilled on the floor and smeared over Connor's abdomen was nauseating. "Hang on, son!"

Norman tried to use his phone to call for help but the dampening field was still active. "Shit!" Swearing at his blank phone Norman looked about the warehouse as if he could see the source of the interference. "No signal!"

"Use that tracker to find an open area and get a signal." Hank ordered as he pulled open the buttons of Connor's white dress shirt and applied pressure to the wound in Connor's stomach. The tracking device that could had Connor and Lucas's signatures and dampening fields once before had proven itself useful yet again. "I'm going to take care of Connor and keep him alive."

"Okay, I'll be back soon!"

Shrugging off his dark coat Hank folded up the garment and tucked it under Connor's head in a comforting manner before pressed his left palm over the bleeding wound and pressed his right palm over the center of Connor's chest. Feeling the erratic heartbeat made Hank's stomach sink as he knew that Connor was in rough shape.

Pressing his ear down against Connor's chest Hank heard the erratic heartbeat and knew he needed to find a way to get Connor's heart in a proper beat before it stopped entirely.

"Hold on for me, son..."

Placing his right hand over top the left Hank interlaced his fingers together, squared his shoulders and began pressing down on the center of Connor's chest to perform C.P.R. on the deviant to keep him alive. The memory of seeing Connor performing C.P.R. on Lucas in the bathroom at the house filled Hank's mind as he did everything he could to keep Connor from dying under his hands.

As the senior detective mentally counted to twenty-four compressions the lights in the dark room illuminated in full and a small ventilation fan in the ceiling whirled to life. Unsure of what was going on Hank caught sight of Norman running back into the room with his phone pressed to his ear and heard the tail end of the F.B.I. Director's conversation requesting E.F.T.'s to the scene of the warehouse.

"I found and destroyed the dampening field and the fuse box to this place. "Kneeling down beside Connor opposite of Hank as he continued to perform C.P.R. Norman put his hands down over the still bleeding wound in Connor's stomach after putting his phone back into his blazer pocket. The more Hank compressed Connor's chest the more blood was forced from the wound. "Shit, when did he go down?" Keeping his hands over the bloody wound Norman reminded Hank that he didn't know much about android anatomy. "What can I do to help?"

"He's in a fucked up arrhythmia." Hank explained as he continued with the compressions. "If his heart stops his intracran- brain," not lost on the irony of dumbing-down android physiology for someone else Hank gave Norman a brief explanation of what was going on. "will overheat. If his brain overheats he'll suffer permanent shutdown."

"What can I do?"

"Reach into my pocket." Nodding at his coat tucked under Connor's head Hank directed Norman to the location of his phone. "And look for 'Lucas' in my list on contacts. Put him on speaker phone."

"Got it." Fishing the phone out of the coat pocket Norman turned on Hank's phone, found the short list of contacts and dialed Lucas's number. Pressing the speaker mode button Norman placed the phone down on the floor beside his left leg. "Now what?"

"Listen to whatever he says and do it."

'Hello, Hank.' Lucas's voice sounded so much like Connor's voice that Norman was evidently taken aback by the familiar tone. 'What's going-'

"Connor's in trouble." Getting right to the point Hank never stopped the compressions even as he broke a sweat and started to pant a little between his rushed words. "He was attacked by another deviant and took a bullet to his belly. Now his heartbeat's arrhythmic. I'm giving him compressions right now"

Lucas's tone took on a serious and concerned nature as he responded. 'Is he conscious?'

"No. He was out when we arrived and he's lost a lot of blood."

'Where is the wound?'

"Middle of his abdomen, right in the center."

'Did the bullet damage a circular biocomponent?'

"Yeah," looking at the wound again as Norman pulled his hands back Hank confirmed the exact location of the wound. "and it's cracked, sparking and leaking blue blood all over the place."

'The bullet damaged his Thirium pump regulator. Continue to compress his chest until he can be placed on external support.'

"Okay, the E.F.T.'s are on their way. Meet us at the facility as soon as you can, I'll let you know where we're going."

'Hank, how did this happen?'

"Long story, son. I'll tell you everything when we're at the facility."

'I'll stay on the line until the E.F.T.'s arrive.'

"Y-Yeah, okay."

Norman saw the way Hank was thoroughly exhausted and offered to take over the compressions. "Hank, sit back and let me take over for a while."

Before he could even try to protest Hank had his hands pushed aside by Norman as the F.B.I. Director resumed the compressions without breaking rhythm. As he rocked back on his knees Hank looked down at Connor's expressionless face and noted the horribly blackened eye and his bloodied, bruised and fractured jaw. Pressing his right palm over Connor's dark hair Hank tried to comfort the deviant as best as he could.

"I'm right here with you, Connor." Watching the red L.E.D. pulsing brighter every time Norman compressed Connor's chest Hank tried to keep himself calm while the deviant's life hung in the balance. "You're going to be okay, son. You're safe."

The sounds of ambulance sirens filled the air as the E.F.T.'s arrived at the scene of the shooting in what had to be a new speed record. From the doorway two more people suddenly appeared, followed by another pair of people wheeling a gurney into the room to tend to Connor.

"Lieutenant?" Gavin's voice unexpectedly echoed through the warehouse as he lowered his weapon and holstered it at his right hip. "Holy shit... Abby?" Turning to look at the technician right behind him Gavin stepped aside to let her through. "Guess it's a good thing I told you about Connor being M.I.A., huh?"

"You can gloat about being right later, Gavin." Abby noted as she knelt beside Hank on the floor and dropped her heavy satchel from her right shoulder. Pulling out a portable Thirial activity monitor Abby pressed the wireless leads to Connor's chest to track his arrhythmic heartbeat. "Damn." The unstable and wavy line on the monitor's display was less than ideal. "He's going to need external support during transport."

Hank grabbed his phone from the floor and turned off speaker mode as he spoke with Lucas again. "Hear that? We'll be at the Zeta Facility."

'I'm on way there now, Hank. Thank you for telling me.'

"No problem, I'll see you soon." Slipping his phone into his back jean pocket Hank kept his hand on Connor's hair. "Apparently the bullet hit his regulator thing. What can be done about that?"

"Fortunately a lot." Abby replied as she pulled another device from her satchel and eyed the bullet wound in Connor's bloodied torso carefully. "I can remove the damaged regulator and use an external regulator to keep his pump beating properly."

Watching as Abby powered on the device; a cylinder designed to fit into the slot where the Thirium pump regulator resides that has a long black cable connecting to a rectangular power supply roughly the size of a dollar bill, Hank winced when Abby twisted and pulled out the original damaged regulator from Connor's torso. With the damaged regulator sitting on the floor Hank shook his head at the sight of the bullet embedded in the plastimetal device and ignored the external regulator being placed inside of Connor's body in place of it.

"Okay, I'm going to set this to sixty beats per minute." Speaking out loud to ensure the two E.F.T.'s hovering nearby heard her Abby set the external regulator to the correct pace via power supply, and then gave Norman a single nod. "Stop compressions."

Slowly Norman pulled his hands back as everyone craned their necks to look at the monitor's display. The wavy unstable line began to steady out and fall into the standard pump rhythm that mimicked a human's heartbeat. Without his chest being actively compressed Connor was able to take in a breath on his own and resume a standard ventilation rate.

"That's good. He's stable enough for transport." Rising to her feet and stepping away Abby allowed the two responding E.F.T.'s to lift Connor up from the floor and place him on the gurney. Putting the necessary equipment on the gurney while the E.F.T.'s secured Connor in place with the safety straps Abby slung her satchel over her right shoulder to accompany her patient outside. "I'll be sure to have his regulator and his left eye repaired soon enough, Hank."

Hank eyed the biocomponent on the floor and picked it up with a shaking right hand. Glaring at the bullet Hank placed the Thirium covered regulator down on the gurney to stay alongside Connor as he was transported to the facility. "Get us the bullet as soon as possible for ballistics."

"Will do."

As the E.F.T.'s tended to Connor and wheeled him out of the facility Hank snatched his coat up from the floor and slipped it back on over his arms and up and over his shoulders. "Fuckin' hell..." Finally acknowledging Gavin's presence Hank gave the abrasive detective a suspicious glance. "What the fuck are you doing out here?"

"Hey, I got word of Connor straight up disappearing after some psycho tried to kill Jack." Trying his best to sound professional Gavin explained what was happening and why he was in the area. "I figured while I was on patrol I'd pick up Abby and have the best technician in the entire city with me so if I got word that Connor was found, which I did thanks to dispatch, I could get help to Connor right away."

"Yeah, and I'm sure your concern for Connor had nothing to do with spending your patrol with Abby."

"I was still doing my job AND I was able to give the ambulance an escort through the city! A lot of fuckers won't pull aside for an android ambulance since they refuse to acknowledge it as a legit emergency vehicle."

"Uh-huh." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank gave the younger detective a truly doubtful glare. "How lucky."

"What does it-"

"Er-hem..." Norman wisely interrupted the discussion and stopped the argument before it happened. "I suggest you go to the facility and be with Connor so you can get his statement, Lieutenant. I'll return to the precinct with Detective Reed and inform Captain Fowler of what's happened, and ensure that Perkins is held accountable for his hiring an assassin to take down Connor."

"Yeah, right." Lowering his guard for a moment Hank sighed and turned toward the door to leave the warehouse and drive out to the Zeta Facility. "As long as you nail Perkins's ass to the wall I don't care what you do."

"I assure you I'll handle everything, Lieutenant."

Giving Norman a casual wave of his hand Hank made his way outside the warehouse to catch up to the ambulance and be there for Connor once he regained consciousness. The last thing he wanted to do was let Connor wake up alone and confused.

The bullpen was abuzz with contained energy as Connor's rescue had been confirmed and the case against the mayor began to build in strength. Through the uncovered documents Norman was able to connect Perkins not only to Daniel, promising the deviant a clean slate if he were to kidnap and execute Connor as a distraction tactic, but to the mayor himself. A bank account in the mayor's name showed deposits from a private account that were connected to Perkins's own accounts in D.C. on the night of the Revolution and from that very morning. The transfer of funds from the night of the Revolution went to Perkins from the mayor, and the funds that morning were transferred from the mayor to Perkins.

It didn't take the most skilled detective in the nation to put the pieces of the puzzle together and connect the shady partnership. Now that they could connect Daniel's current freedom to Perkins releasing the deviant from the evidence room the previous November, the precinct could also confirm that Perkins was actively working against the precinct under the mayor's orders from the beginning.

"Son of a bitch, what a mess." Captain Fowler sighed as he sank down in his chair and listened to Norman's assessment. "Why did Perkins let Daniel go?"

"From what my team in D.C. has been able to uncover Perkins initially wanted Daniel roaming the city since he was already damaged, and the media recorded what he had done to the Philips Family and to three responding police officers." Explaining the motivation with thick disappointment in his voice Norman told Captain Fowler everything. "He figured that Daniel would be shot dead in the streets by a paranoid human bystanders, or that Daniel would lead him to Jericho in the event Connor's tracker cut out or Connor went to the wrong area."

"So Daniel was nothing more than insurance for Perkins. What a disgrace to the badge."

"Which is why I'll be personally stripping it away from him and ensure he spends the maximum amount of time behind bars." Agreeing entirely Norman gave Captain Fowler reassurance that Perkins would finally be tried for his crimes against deviantkind. "You know, unless we can get execution on the table since he did illegally open the recycling camps without proper clearance and commit genocide."

"Now all we have to do is deal with the mayor."

"This is all you'll need." Placing his phone down on Captain Fowler's desk Norman remotely uploaded the condemning information onto the police Captain's terminal to ensure the mayor was tried to the furthest extent of the law as well. "We have the mayor's confession, bank statements, receipts, we found the detonator linked to his phone, his private security guards spoke against him and Perkins is confessing everything to try to get a lighter sentence for himself. The mayor will not escape justice."

"Why am I not surprised that these two cowards turned on each other the moment the heat got turned up?" Rising from his desk Captain Fowler extended his right hand out toward Norman to show him respect. "Thanks for everything you've done for us, Director. Much appreciated."

"It's been my true honor to work with Detroit's finest to not only make amends for one of my own officers abusing his power when you needed him the most, but to learn more about deviants in general." Shaking Captain Fowler's hand with a firm grip Norman shared the sense of respect. "They really are just like us, aren't they?"

"In more ways than we could've ever imagined. Especially deviants like Connor and Lucas."

"I heard Lucas over the phone back at the warehouse. He sounds like Connor." Taking back his hand Norman saw the look in Captain Fowler's eyes and knew he was on to something unique. "Are they connected in any way I should know about?"

"Well, that's an interesting story... If you have time to sit a while I can fill you in and let you know exactly how important Connor and Lucas are to the precinct."

"I have nowhere to be for another hour." Sitting back down Norman invited the conversation with an opened mind and opened heart. "Tell me all about them."

A light pressure around his abdomen and his right forearm was the first thing Connor became aware of as his system rebooted and confirmed that his Thirium pump regulator had been effectively repaired. A soft bandage was wrapped over his left eye and forehead covering his yellow L.E.D., and a secondary bandage ran down the left side of his fractured jaw. As he raised his left hand to investigate the bandages Connor felt the pressure on his right forearm tighten for a moment as another source of pressure rested on his left shoulder. A calloused hand pulled his own left hand down and away from his face in a ginger manner as if trying to keep Connor from aggravating his healing wounds.

Forcing his right eye to crack open Connor found himself laying in a bed in a private recovery room with Lucas holding onto his right forearm and Hank resting his right hand on his left shoulder. Gaining his bearings and the final moments of lucidity before he lost consciousness Connor realized that he had been found and rescued after Daniel left him for death.

Taking in a deep breath Connor looked to Hank beside him and tried to ask him a simple question despite his words being shaking and raspy. "D... Da-"

"Daniel's not here, son." Hank replied as he heard Connor's hoarse voice trying to speak. The external line that fed Connor Thirium down his throat and directly into his artificial stomach left the deviant's voice sore and feeling dry. "You're safe."

Blinking once Connor's brow furrowed slightly as the answer wasn't one he had cared about. He wasn't trying to say the name 'Daniel', he had been trying to say another word - an accidental term of endearment toward Hank, but fortunately Hank interrupted him before he could embarrass himself. "...G-Good."

"How do you feel?"

With a merciless headache and lingering pain in his abdomen Connor could answer in one honest way. "...Sore."

"I'll bet."

Lucas leaned over his older brother as Connor rested in the bed peacefully. "I'm glad you're okay, brother. Hank called me and told me you had been shot by Daniel and were in need of aid."

Nodding a little in response Connor confirmed the situation he had been in a few hours prior. "...Jack?"

"Jack is already conscious and recovering well." Lucas confirmed with a faint smile on his face. "He awoke forty-two minutes and thirty-one seconds before you did. He and Officer Miller are already talking and have confirmed that it was Daniel who attacked you both at the abandoned apartment building."

"...I'm glad he's okay." Struggling to speak through the pain Connor sighed and rested his left palm over his bandaged abdomen. He was wearing a set of pale blue scrubs to cover his bandaged torso and keep him comfortable as he recovered in the facility. "...I'm also sorry if I scared you."

"I was worried, not scared." Doing his best to sound reassuring Lucas never lost his faint grin. "Hank has already insisted that when Dr. Grayson releases you from the facility that we return to the house instead of the brownstone. Apparently Hank now has two beds in the guest room which means we can let Sumo have the inflatable mattresses to himself."

Smirking at the idea Connor agreed and gave his little brother an approving nod. "I'd like that." Turning his attention back to Hank beside him Connor was mindful of his still healing jaw as he spoke. "What of the cases at the precinct?"

"I got got word from Fowler that Norman has effectively given us a slam-drunk case against the mayor and that Norman is going to personally drag Perkins's through the mud back in D.C. for all the shit he's done. Daniel is still on the run but patrol is keeping an eye out for him." Patting Connor's left shoulder twice Hank pulled up a nearby chair to sit beside his healing partner. "The bullet he put in your belly is actually the key piece of evidence needed to put everyone away for their crimes."

"How so?"

"Well, the gun Daniel used was one that had been purchased by the mayor two nights before the Revolution, and then given to Perkins as a means of giving him a 'clean' gun that wasn't registered in Perkins's name. If the gun was traced back to the mayor he could claim the weapon was stolen from his office at City Hall and turn attention to security downtown and increase paranoia about deviants getting a hold of guns to just fan the flames during the Revolution."

"...But there is now a connection between Daniel and Perkins, and Perkins and the mayor, making it impossible for the theft lie to hold any merit."

"Yup. We have proof that it was Daniel who shot both Jack and you, have proof that the gun he used was purchased by the mayor, and proof that the mayor illegally sold the gun to Perkins last November before illegally giving it to Daniel to use on you that same night. Too bad didn't wasn't interested in hunting you down during the Revolution."

"At least some good came out of us being shot."

"Yeah, go figure." Clearly relieved that the deviant was already conscious and alert Hank just let out a deep breath and held his hand to Connor's left shoulder in a comforting manner. "We're just glad you pulled through and are going to be okay. If it wasn't for Abby having a well prepared emergency satchel things may have been a little different."

"...Abby was in the field?"

"Yeah, uh... Gavin apparently went on patrol with her when he found out you were missing." The explanation felt odd but Connor deserved to know the truth. "Thanks to his quick driving and Abby's skilled hands you're going to be just fine."

"I will thank Abby for her help, but I don't know if I should thank Gavin or not."

"Meh, don't worry about it. Gavin's going to be gloating about what he did for weeks anyway, so it's not like no one's going to know."

"True enough."

"Rest for a while longer then we'll get ya' back to the house. Everything with the mayor and Perkins is finally over, and in time Daniel will be found."

"Okay, Hank."

"Sleep. We'll be here when you wake up, son."

Something about the way Hank called him 'son' was enough to make Connor feel suddenly at ease with everything. "I know. And thank you for being here."

"You're welcome. Just rest and not worry about anything anymore. You're safe and you'll be home soon enough."

-next chapter-