September hit and with it came a rush of unseasonably chilly wind and a tremendous dip in the temperature. As the brisk weather hit Detroit a majority of the deviant community sought shelter inside warm and isolated buildings as deviants had a great disdain for the cold in general. It seemed many humans had the same reaction and idea, and too sought shelter away from the cold or were creating small bonfire in their backyards to warm up a little. Despite the already uncomfortable weather Connor went out into the city to handle a new case and had asked for Hank to tag along for the sake of simplicity due to the nature of the case revolving around a building that was currently under reconstruction where a shutdown deviant body had also been discovered.

Having replaced his lost brown trench coat with an identical coat to match his surviving fedora, Connor was relatively warm despite the cold air. Although, it was clear that he was still uncomfortable in the chilly weather as he and Hank walked into the old building side by side. Holographic police tape had been set up to bar anyone without proper clearance from passing through and entering the building, and two patrolling officers had agreed to keep the place secured until Hank and Connor arrived to handle the scene itself.

"Okay, son." Entering the crime scene Hank watched as Connor walked a few steps ahead of him to examine the body. "You're taking the lead on this case."

Stopping for a moment Connor turned and gave Hank a perplexed glance. "I am?"

"Yup. You're recognized as a full fledged detective, and you were the one to report the case when your client stopped by." Hank explained as he glanced about the dirty building that had all of its reconstruction suddenly halted by the police presence. "You're in charge."

"What will Officer Chen think of this?"

"She's the one who had to call off sick for eating too much spicy shit, so it's her fault that she got to miss out on such a big and interesting case. She can read the report after it's been filed."

"Very well. Let's go examine the body."

"Right behind ya'."

Hank nodded at the two officers to let them know that they had the scene under control for now and could handle things without them. As the two younger cops left the area Connor located the room where the body had been discovered. The interior of the building was empty save for scaffolding, tools, paint, plaster and tarps.

"Damn." The senior detective wafted the dusty odor away from his face. "Smells like a high school art class."

Connor paused for a moment as took in the aroma of the plaster and paint lingering in the air. "I'll take your word for it."

Needlessly motioning to the body concealed under a white sheet Hank directed Connor where to go. "Go ahead. Tell me if we need Ben and his C.S.I. boys to come down here or not."

Approaching the body slowly Connor knelt down as he ran a scan over the deviant's deactivated processors and peeled the sheet back away from the deceased deviant's face. The victim was laying on his chest with his legs stretched out, his left arm tucked down at his left side and his right arm bent at an angle over his head. He was resting on his left temple and facing the front door to his far right. There was a small pool of still damp blue blood beneath the deviant's left temple as the result of an unseen wound.

"The victim is a 'PL-600' model." Seeing the face of the victim matching that of both Daniel and Simon made Connor feel uneasy despite the victim sporting black hair instead of blond. His scan over the victim showed a sudden failure of the air intake line meaning that the deviant couldn't ventilate properly and collapsed. "It appears the victim succumbed to severe overheating after suffering from internal failure of his air intake line."

"He did what now? Remember," Hank stood beside the body's legs and watched as Connor carefully lifted up the victim's head with both of his hands to locate the source of the blue blood. "I'm a detective and know nothing about engineering. Break it down for me in simple terms."

Confirming at the laceration on the victim's left temple was superficial and a result from the collapse rather than the cause of the collapse, Connor gently placed the victim back on the floor as he continued to analyze the crime scene. "The victim's throat had swollen shut." Glancing up at Hank just a few inches away Connor made a gripping motion around his own throat with his right hand as he explained his analysis. "He couldn't ventilate properly. In other words, he could not breathe."

With his blue eyes going wide Hank gave Connor a shocked stare. "...Deviants need to breathe?"

"All androids breathe as a vital process to our overall functionality. We don't breathe to bring oxygen into our blood and keep our brains active as organic life requires, we breathe to keep our core temperature at an optimal degree. If we cannot breathe properly and ventilate then our bodies overheat."

"Okay, I can understand that. After all, I've dealt with you and Lucas being feverish a couple dozen times already." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank gave Connor a studios glance. "Refresh my memory. What happens if you guys overheat for too long?"

"If we overheat to a severe degree our processors begin to literally burn out and fail. Essentially being unable to breathe for an extended period of time can result in the android equivalent to brain damage and prove fatal."

"So what you're saying is this poor bastard burned up because he couldn't breathe?"

"Correct. His system began to overheat after he was unable to ventilate. Despite the now cold weather he was unable to keep his system cooled down effectively and struck his head after he was forced into emergency stasis mode and collapsed." Connor confirmed as he continued to analyze the scene. "The fall resulted in a non-lethal laceration to his left temple."

"What caused his throat to swell up to begin with?"

"Unknown. I can detect a total collapse of his air intake line, but I do not detect any form of external or internal damage that could cause such a failure."

"This isn't actually a homicide, is it?"

"Correct. The victim must've come here in search of help but didn't know that the building was being remodeled and wasn't inhabited."

"Too bad this place isn't a fully functioning facility yet. Then again, after what happened at the Zeta Facility, I can understand his confusion in trying to find a place that is secured enough to not have to worry about getting blown up."

"Precisely." Pressing his fingertips into the puddle of blue blood beneath the victim's head Connor gathered a small sample and then pressed it to his tongue, and in turn Hank turned away in righteous disgust. The data on the victim came flowing through Connor's mind within milliseconds. "The victim's name is 'Nicholas'. He worked as a librarian before the Revolution and had recently changed his career to that of high school chemistry teacher."

"No one who was ever a threat to anyone, right?"

"Correct. Nicholas has no criminal record and his previous owner, Mrs. Sophia Rochester, had willingly freed him before the Revolution even happened because she could see that he had deviated. They apparently remained friends after he was freed."

"Think she'd know anything about him suffering this kind of problem?"

"It's possible. According to his file he was still residing with her downtown."

"Okay. I'll call in Ben and let him know we'll need someone to take the body to whoever can figure out what killed this poor guy."

"Dr. Forrest has been certified for any and all apportionments." Standing upright Connor glanced about the facility still under construction and determined that the facility itself was going to be designated as the largest facility in all of Detroit. Once it was open it'd be quite busy. "I trust that he'll be able to find the cause of shutdown for us."

"Good idea." Sending the message to Ben back at the precinct Hank bent down and returned the sheet over Nicholas's face and stepped away from the body to head toward the door. "Once Ben and his C.S.I. team arrives, we'll head out to this guy's last known residence to ask a few more questions."

Agreeing with the decision Connor cybernetically began filing the details for his case for the client who had hired him, and located the correct address to continue their investigation. "That would be the appropriate course of action."

It was only a matter of minutes before Ben had arrived with his C.S.I. team to take care of the body Connor and Hank took their leave of the building and drove out to the modest residence of Mrs. Rochester on the other side of town. Hank parked the Oldsmobile along the street before her rather warm looking home to take in the atmosphere of the rather tranquil neighborhood. The sight of the two story house sitting in the middle of the thick snow and ice reminded Hank of all the times he used to visit his grandparents during the holidays as a child. He could definitely understand why their victim had decided to reside with his former owner instead of trying to find a new place to live.

Feeling a little strange about needing to inform someone of another person's passing, Connor pressed his palm to the front of his throat as if an uncomfortable lump had just formed out of nowhere. It was a consistent feeling that Connor couldn't truly ignore despite his best efforts to concentrate on his case.

"Ready to speak to the family of the departed?" The senior detective asked with a sincere lilt to his voice as he pocketed his car keys. "I know this is never easy."

Arching his brow Connor reiterated the term curiously. "...Family?"

"Sure, I've seen quite a few people treating their androids as real friends before they were ever deviant. I suspect just as many people took in their now deviant friends as family after the Revolution."

"Interesting concept to consider deviants and humans coexisting as a family unit."

Hank gave the deviant a casual shrug of his shoulders as he opened up his door as he unfastened his seatbelt. "Stranger things have happened, son. You know that."

Mirroring Hank's motions Connor exited the vehicle and walked up to the house with the senior detective right beside him. Traversing the uneven walkway wasn't difficult, yet it made Connor's artificial stomach feel agitated. Reaching the front door with Hank at his side Connor reached over and rang the doorbell to inform the home's occupant of their arrival.

"Ever speak to the family of a victim before?" Rubbing his hands up and down his arms to stave off the cold Hank watched Connor's demeanor very carefully from the corner of his eye. The young deviant was still developing emotions but was already very empathetic in nature. "It can be unnerving."

"I can handle it." Reaching into his vest pocket beneath his leather jacket Connor retrieved his coin and began to dance it over the back of his knuckles nervously. "I've been through worse."

The front door opened slowly as an older woman in her early seventies greeted the two detectives. Mrs. Rochester was a petite woman with a moderately aged dark complexion, short black hair with a few gray streaks running throughout the locks, a pair of thin framed glasses over her chocolate brown eyes and was wrapped up under a thick ruby red robe that was surely a soft comforting barrier against the cold outside.

Staring at the strange duo before her Mrs. Rochester spoke up in a level tone to acknowledge them. "Can I help you, gentlemen?"

"Detroit Police." Hank introduced Connor and himself as he showed her his badge, Connor doing the same after pocketing his coin. "I'm Lieutenant Hank Anderson and this is Detective Connor Wolf. Can we ask you a few questions?"

Mrs. Rochester was righteously confused and didn't understand why two detectives were at her doorstep. "May I ask what this is about?"

Politely Connor extended his hand with his palm facing upward as he projected an image of Nicholas's face, the image a copy from his personnel file from the school where he was employed, and then asked about him. "Do you recognize this deviant?"

"Nicholas!" The little woman's brown eyes welled up with fear as she looked at the familiar face. "He never came home last night. What's happened to him?"

"He was found this morning inside of a building under renovation. I'm very sorry," Connor spoke with honesty to his tone as he broke the unfortunate news to the kind elderly woman. "but, he has shutdown."

"Oh... Nicholas." Truly upset by the news Mrs. Rochester put her palm to her chest as the shock set in. "My poor, sweet Nicholas."

Hank spoke up in a gentle tone as he watched her eyes fill with tears. "May we come in and speak? It'll make things easier."

Watching as Hank's gruff exterior melted away revealing his heart of gold that he tried to hide from the world made Connor's own tension ease for a moment. It was a reminder that Hank was working to change himself for the better after all the mistakes he had made in the past.

"Y-Yes." On the verge of breaking down Mrs. Rochester took a step back and opened the door up wide to let the two detectives inside. "Please come in."

Closing his case and getting cybernetic payment from his client didn't feel as rewarding as Connor had hoped. He hadn't brought a victim justice or their family closure, all he had done was confirm that the victim died of a currently unknown error and broke a widow's heart knowing that her dearest friend wasn't going to come back home to be her only family during the upcoming winter holidays. Dancing his coin over his knuckles as he juggled the coin back and forth between his hands Connor sat at the desk opposite of Hank's desk and awaited an update on the victim's cause of shutdown from Joel himself as he performed the apportionment in the privacy of an unused exam room on the precinct's third floor.

Concentrating on the report Connor was only vaguely aware of the world around him. The strange feeling in his throat was still irritating him, but it wasn't enough to warrant a visit to a facility or ask for Lucas's assessment on his current issue.

Taking a sip of his coffee Hank glanced at Connor mutely sitting across from him and noticed that the deviant had a distant stare in his soulful brown eyes. "Son?"

The deviant detective didn't respond to Hank trying to get his attention.

"Hey, Connor." Hank tried again and watched Connor blink as if suddenly aware that he had been staring. "What's bothering you?"

"Pardon?" Without missing a delicate motion, the coin continued its dance as Connor turned his head to face Hank. "Did you ask me something?"

"Yeah. Are you okay?" The senior detective and father knew that something was on the deviant's mind. "You seem like you're distracted."

"I'm cybernetically monitoring the reports for any sign of the finished apportionment on our victim."

"That makes you stare off into space like a mindless zombie?"

"Since I am not focusing on anything else, and blinking is used to remove foreign particles from the surface of my ocular relays units and to mirror a natural behavior of organic lifeforms, my staring is actually perfectly normal."

"So... 'Yes'." The overly analytical answer almost made Hank's head hurt. "That makes you stare off into space."

"...Yes."

"You could've just said that. You don't need to justify what you're doing or why you're doing it."

"Noted."

Watching as the coin continued its rapid and swift dance Hank sighed and resisted the urge to snatch the annoying quarter away. "Can I ask why you're so damn nervous?"

"Nervous?"

Motioning to the coin with his eyes Hank made sure Connor knew exactly what he was talking about.

"...Oh." Catching the coin in his palm Connor slipped it back into his vest's pocket and then neatly folded his hands atop his lap. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just tell me what's on your mind."

"It's nothing."

"Doubt it. Is the weird weather getting to you too?"

"I do dislike the cold, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"It's a shame it didn't stay warmer for a while longer. Your new motorcycle is a real beaut' and I wouldn't mind taking it for a spin for myself." A little annoyed that Connor wouldn't open to him but understanding of the deviant's guarded and rather introverted nature, Hank let the subject drop for the moment. Finishing off his coffee Hank rose from his desk and made his way to the breakroom for a refill. "Need anything from the breakroom?"

"No. Thank you."

Watching Connor as he entered the small space to refill his coffee mug Hank knew something was bothering the young deviant, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It wasn't just Connor being anxious about the nature of the case, there was something else bothering Connor that was putting Hank on guard as he was feeling unusually protective over the reclusive deviant.

Connor turned in his chair so he could look down the corridor leading to the elevator and resumed dancing his coin over his hands. For only a moment Hank saw the coin's pacing slow and he saw Connor's hands shake a little before they steadied again, and the coin resumed its grateful dance.

"What's on that kid's mind?"

The coin suddenly paused in Connor's hand as he slumped back in his chair as if disappointed.

Pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee Hank added a generous amount of sugar and sweetener then returned to his desk to check in on Connor. "Get an update while I was away?"

"...Yes."

"And?" Sipping at his coffee Hank put the mug aside and watched as Connor slowly turned to face him,. "What's going on?"

"Joel finished the apportionment."

"Did he figure out what caused Nicholas's cause of death?"

"Yes. There was a malfunction in the nanites in Nicholas's Thirium."

"There was a what in his blue blood?"

"The nanites in our Thirium act as the antibodies do in organic blood." Connor explained casually as he slowly danced the coin over his knuckles. "They are put into motion by our self healing program when we're damaged or malfunctioning."

"Okay, I understand that." The senior detective confirmed as he leaned back in his chair with an audible 'creak'. "Go on."

"The malfunction caused the nanites to focus on Nicholas's air intake line, his esophagus," explaining things in more human terms for Hank's benefit Connor continued his explanation as his own hand wrapped around his throat as a visual aid. "and they caused his air intake line to swell from the unnecessary mending that ended up closing the line entirely."

"He got sick and died?"

"Androids don't get sick. We malfunction."

"Same thing." Shaking his head at the comment Hank sighed and responded tersely. "But my point being is, we have a cause of his death?"

"Yes. The nanites malfunctioning caused Nicholas to shutdown. However," pausing the coin between his thumb and index finger knuckle Connor gave Hank a lost stare. "we don't know what caused said fatal malfunction that led to his shutdown."

"Great. The case is closed, but we still need a few more details before it can be filed and we can finish our reports."

"Correct."

"Is Joel working on the cause of the malfunction?"

"Yes. He is isolating and studying the affected nanites to determine what caused them to malfunction."

"And we just sit here and wait for him to finish while we work on other cases." Putting his current report aside for the moment Hank began checking through their other cases to determine which ones were important and which ones could wait for a moment longer. "The longer we get to stay in here and not have to go back out into the cold air the better."

Furrowing his brow slightly Connor gave Hank an odd look and ran a biometric scan over the senior detective's person. "Are you feeling cold?"

"A little." There was no denying that he was feeling a little rundown himself. "Damn winter air always aches at my hands and back. The first big chill of the year reminds me that I'm getting older and older with each passing day."

"Curious. The current temperature feels warmer than it did earlier."

"Not to me."

Scanning the air Connor confirmed that the precinct's temperature was set at its usual sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit and yet he himself felt as though the air was warmer than that. "Perhaps there is an error with the precinct's thermostat."

"Don't go dicking around with anything like that. Let the repair and maintenance crew handle it."

"Right, of course."

Watching as Connor loosened the tie around his collar and popped open the top button of his shirt Hank gave the deviant an odd glance where he sat. "Hey, are you feeling all right?"

"I'm functioning at full capacity."

"Well, you look uncomfortable."

"I'm slightly discomforted by the warmer than average atmosphere, but it's not something that'll affect my performance for the remainder of the investigation."

The fact that Connor was more worried about remaining professional and even appearing professional at all times made Hank wince. The precinct handled all cases and reports professionally at all times, and it didn't matter if an officer was in uniform, comfortable or working overtime with a gallon of coffee at their side. All cases were going to be handled, solved and closed in a timely manner as long as the detective was dedicated to the case in general. The senior detective also knew that the same applied to Connor and Lucas working from the privacy of their brownstone.

Connor was evidently very dedicated to all of his responsibilities, almost dangerously so.

"You know, I'm going to order in for my lunch today." Hank stated as a means of distracting Connor from his unrealistic desires for perfection. "Maybe we can get ya' some of that Thirium stuff on delivery, too."

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I don't require any Thirium at the moment."

"All right, whatever." Picking up his phone Hank scrolled through his personal list of favorite delivery contacts and decided on pizza for lunch. "If you change your mind let me know."

Sitting more upright in his seat Connor resumed handling his case as necessary and waited for a second update from Joel upstairs. He wanted to finish filing the last details so he could return home and avoid any more discomfort in the air

The lack of willingness, maybe even the lacking ability, to ask for help or admit he wanted or needed anything made Hank internally grimace. The deviant still had it in his head that he needed to be flawless or that he had no right to complain when uncomfortable and ask for help when he needed it.

Even with Lucas helping Connor find his heart and sense of self he was still incredibly reserved and very guarded.

The day came to an end without any additional update from Joel as the technician meticulously worked to isolate the malfunction that led to Nicholas's final shutdown at the unopened facility. Despite Connor wanting to remain at the precinct for a while longer in hopes of getting the full report from Joel finishing the apportionment and analysis, Hank made him clock-out and dropped him off at the brownstone to relax for the rest of the evening. Driving out to the almost iconic brownstone at a steady pace, Hank watched Connor carefully from the corner of his eye the entire time and patiently waited for the deviant to start talking about what was really on his mind, but he never did.

The chill in the air was becoming more intense and more uncomfortable to bear. Small bits of frost were already visible as they formed on the edges of the leaves in the trees and over a few windows. The yo-yoing temperatures that Michigan was infamous for during autumn were getting a head start this year.

"It's too cold to take Sumo for a walk." The senior detective remarked as he neared the brownstone. "The big oaf loves the snow, but I don't."

"I do not like the cold either."

"I usually just let him run around in the backyard and burn off some of his excited winter-energy so I don't suffer through the cold. You're lucky Bruno doesn't need to go outside like Sumo does."

Connor merely hummed in response as he didn't have anything else to say on the matter. The strange feeling in his throat was becoming more annoying and he couldn't seem to get it to lessen no matter how many times he swallowed or cleared his throat.

"I know it doesn't feel like it, but today we had a good case." Pulling the Oldsmobile up in front of the newly constructed garage now attached to the brownstone, Hank parked the car and watched Connor fidgeting a little in his seat. "You at least confirmed that Nicholas's only family knew what happened to him."

"I just wish we could've told her something different."

"Me too." Opening up the door Connor stepped out of the car and looked back at Hank still inside the vehicle. "Thank you for your assistance and the ride home."

"Hey, wait." There was something unusual and blue in Connor's mouth that Hank only noticed when Connor recently spoke. "Look at me again."

Obeying the request Connor locked eyes with Hank and waited for the senior detective to speak again. "What is it?"

"Stick out your tongue."

The request was entirely unexpected. "...Pardon?"

"Let me see your tongue."

As odd as it was Connor did as he was asked and opened up his mouth so Hank could see his tongue.

"Gross. It's all blue from when tasted that deviant's blood."

"...Oh." Putting his hand to his lips Connor thought it was bizarre that his tongue was still stained. "Usually the sterilization process removes any trace of the samples I take from my mouth within an hour of be analyzed."

"Go brush your teeth and get that stuff out of your mouth."

"I do not have one at my disposal anymore. The extra I kept in storage was used when Devon stayed with me."

"No problem. I'll go grab ya' one from the store and drop it off after I take care of Sumo."

"That isn't necessary. I can easily order one and have it delivered."

"Yeah, that's true." Noticing that Connor's complexion also seemed suddenly pale Hank felt his paternal instincts gnawing away at him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Backing up two steps Connor prepared the shut the car door and head inside the brownstone after placing his cybernetic order. "Goodnight."

"Right. See ya' around, son."

Silently Connor watched Hank back down the driveway and head for him at a steady pace. Afterward he unlocked the brownstone's front door and was immediately greeted by Bruno in the study.

"Hello, boy."

Bruno wagged his tail and circled around happily at Connor's feet. 'Welcome home, Connor.'

"It was a long day. I'm going to go change my clothes and freshen up." Rubbing Bruno's chin Connor made sure the loyal dog received some love and attention. "If my delivery arrives while I'm upstairs let me know."

'Bruno will tell Connor.'

"Thank you."

Moving rather slowly Connor walked up the staircase and entered his bathroom for a minute. Opening his mouth Connor stared at his blue tongue in his reflection over the mirror and sighed at the sight. His entire tongue was somehow stained blue.

"Now I understand why Hank wanted me to brush my teeth and rid this stain from my tongue."

Deciding to take a shower to feel slightly cleaner as he waited for his delivery, Connor turned on the shower and went into his bedroom to get a change of comfortable night clothes. By the time he finally adjusted the shower's temperature to a comfortable degree, the warm water feeling unusually warm even during the cool night, Connor heard the front door open again as Lucas returned home from the tower to get some rest in his own bed.

'Delivery.' Bruno relayed through a cybernetic link with Connor on the second floor. 'Lucas is home.'

'Thank you, Bruno.'

As he rinsed off Connor heard the bathroom door open for a moment then noticed a package was left on the sink for him. "Thanks, Lucas."

Lucas responded through the door before shutting it again. "You're welcome."

The soap normally left Connor feeling refreshed, but at the moment it seemed to make his artificial skin feel dry and itchy. He had experienced a similar feeling shortly after Zhorra gave him his upgrades and he had been exposed to the cold and drying winter air while traversing the snowy forest last winter.

"I truly dislike cold weather."

Eager to get the blue off of his tongue Connor dried off, changed into his night clothes and then opened the package to reveal his new green colored toothbrush and the mint flavored toothpaste. Spending a good ten minutes at brushing his teeth helped him acquire impressively fresh breath, but unfortunately his tongue remained blue in color despite his best efforts. Rinsing out his mouth with clean water Connor spit the foam from his mouth and studied his tongue again.

"Damn it. Must be another error from the upgrades to my system."

Walking slowly back downstairs Connor noticed Lucas sitting on the sofa looking exhausted. Worried that his brother was going to stress out at work again Connor joined his brother and offered him an ear to speak to. "Was today an interesting day at the tower?"

"You could say that." Leaning back Lucas rubbed his fingertips against his temples and sighed in an impressively human manner. "Aside from a flood of deviants coming to the tower due to fears of explosives potentially being hidden in abandoned buildings, the same flood brought in a strain of a new virus that is causing significant damage to those who are infected without seeking proper treatment. The emergency repair bay is quite full."

"That sounds incredibly stressful."

"It is. I think my decision to transition over to the chief of security is ideal."

"Markus agreed to the plan?"

"He did." Lucas replied in the affirmative as he was able to share some good news with his brother. "Simon will resume his role as the lead technician, and I'll become the new chief of security starting on October 1st. That'll give us plenty of time to make the proper changes to tower protocol and procedure."

"I'm glad you're make improvements to your health by taking on less stressful roles."

"As am I." Sounding somewhat relieved Lucas rested his eyes for a moment as he cybernetically processed his day. "What about your case with the Lieutenant?"

"We found a deviant who shutdown from extreme overheating in a construction site for a new facility. We also had to inform his family of his demise."

"That's never easy to handle."

"Fortunately, the victim will be given a properly burial and laid to rest respectfully."

"Sometimes that's the only light in the darkness that surrounds us."

Rubbing his hand over his throat again Connor leaned back against the sofa cushion and ran a self diagnostic to try to determine the cause of the discomfort. There was apparently nothing wrong despite Connor feeling chronic discomfort that was seemingly getting worse. "I believe I'm going to enter rest mode early tonight." Rising to his feet Connor stumbled a little but regained his balance by grabbing the back of the furniture. "I th-think the cold weather is affecting my prototype hardware."

The unusual and fatigued behavior immediately caught Licas's attention as he turned back around and watched the deviant moving around in a very pained and unnatural manner toward the staircase. "Brother?" Standing up as well Lucas made a move to meet Connor at the bottom of the staircase. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I just ran a self diagnostic." Connor replied with indifferent honesty. "Nothing is-"

"Unacceptable answer." Lucas gave his brother an unconvinced stare and watched as Connor stood before the staircase. "You don't have to deny having something bothering you or if you simply feel unwell. You know this."

"But I..." Swaying a little on his feet Connor's heart began to beat a little faster as his voice fell into a whisper and trailed off. "I'm not- I'm supposed to... To..."

"Connor?"

Unable to respond any further the deviant's body went limp and his eyes rolled up in the back of his head before falling shut. Collapsing forward in a cold faint Connor fell against Lucas's chest and immediately his brother's arms wrapped around him to support his dead weight.

"Connor!"

The instant his palms made contact with Connor's shoulders and upper back, Lucas felt the intense heating radiating from Connor's person and realized that his brother was in fairly serious condition. Lowering Connor to the floor Lucas laid his brother down on his back and soon had Bruno hovering nearby while letting out sympathetic whimpers.

"Hang on, I'll help you."

A quick scan over Connor's system indicated that the deviant was beginning to overheat to a dangerous degree. The increased core temperature was the reason he had collapsed. It was a safety measure to keep Connor's intracranial processor from overheating by having his system forcefully enter low power mode.

"You're overheating. I'll figure out what's happening to you, brother."

Carefully Lucas slipped his arms under Connor's shoulders and beneath his knees to scoop the deviant up from the floor just high enough to place him down on the nearby sofa to lay down and rest. While Lucas took Connor's vitals Bruno sat beside the sofa and rested his chin on Connor's leg as he gave his guardian a truly sorrowful look.

Bruno knew something was wrong and set up a cybernetic link with Lucas to speak with him. 'Connor is sick.'

"He is, but I'll figure this out.'

'Error.'

"Error? You may be right." Acknowledging Bruno's suggestion Lucas placed his cool palm down on Connor's forehead and spoke to his brother in a low tone. "Don't worry, you're going to be okay."

The sun had long since set and the cold day turned into an even colder night.

Diligently Lucas had managed to keep Connor's core temperature from climbing any higher and cautiously placed a cold damp washcloth over Connor's too warm forehead. He placed an ice pack over his abdomen to help him cool down a little quicker without causing thermal shock to his system. Draping a gray blanket over top of Connor's body Lucas hoped that the layer would keep the cooling effects of the ice concentrated over Connor's person and help him maintain a much cooler core temperature until Lucas himself could isolate and correct the error that was plaguing Connor's system. Worryingly, Connor hadn't stirred since his collapse and Lucas was becoming very concerned for his brother's health.

Reaching for Connor's forearm tucked under the blanket Lucas wrapped his fingers around the deviant's wrist to monitor his pump rate through the unique pulse point. By all account Connor was stable, but he was still entirely unresponsive.

Bruno whimpered once from his pillow in the corner of the livingroom as he watched the pathetic sight from afar. The K-9 unit had truly become attached to both of his guardians, and he didn't want to see either Connor or Lucas suffering for any reason.

"It'll be fine, boy." Lucas promised as he continued to monitor his brother's condition. "Connor will pull through."

An incoming call stole Lucas's attention and prompted the deviant technician to close his eyes for a minute.

[...Incoming Call: Lieutenant Henry "Hank Anderson]

[...Accept Call?: [Y/N]

Answering the call Lucas replied on a verbal level in case Connor was waking up to ensure his brother was aware of what was happening. "How can I help you, Hank?"

'Sorry to call you like this.' Hank's voice sounded off from the other end of the line. 'But I couldn't get a response from Connor, and I figured you'd know what's up with him. The final report on our victim just came in and I thought he'd like to know what happened today.'

"Actually," as he spoke Lucas made sure the blanket was covering all of Connor's body from chest to toe. "Connor is unwell at the moment."

'Oh, fuck. What happened?'

"He is currently overheating and he's unconscious."

'Damn. Do you know about our case this morning?'

"He informed me that you had located a shutdown deviant in a construction site, and that his cause of shutdown was-" Pausing for a moment Lucas realized that he may have inadvertently discovered the cause of Connor's current illness. "How close did Connor get to the victim's body?"

The question immediately made Hank's heart skip a beat with a worry that was audible in his words. 'Very.'

"How close exactly?" Lucas demanded as he pulled back the blanket and began checking Connor's hands for any sign of contamination from the shutdown deviant. "I need to know."

'He touched the victim and then he, uh, sampled the victim's blood.'

"Was it an oral analysis?"

'He didn't lap the blood up like a dog,' Hank responded quickly as if embarrassed on Connor's behalf. 'but yeah, he ran the sample against his tongue.'

"That's what I feared."

'Do you know why he's down and out?'

"Possibly. I'll need to give him another examination." Despite his worries Lucas sounded entirely calm as he tended to his brother's condition. "Give me one moment and I'll be able to give you more information."

'Hey, earlier I noticed that he kept rubbing at his throat and that his tongue was blue and looked almost puffy.' Hank relayed in an almost matter-of-fact manner. 'Does that tell you anything?'

"Did it appear swollen up?" Lucas asked as he carefully lowered Connor's jaw to look for himself. "And if so, did the swelling look almost like a raspberry?"

'Uh... Maybe? I didn't see it for very long.'

Lucas noticed that Connor's tongue was still dark blue and did appear to be swollen. "He does appear to have a swollen and blue tinted tongue."

'What does that tell you?'

"That I may be on the right track to a diagnosis. I just need to check for one more thing." Pulling back the blanket Lucas carefully looked over Connor's arms but didn't see anything unusual. Lifting up the hem of Connor's t-shirt next Lucas saw the same unmarred complexion beneath over his chest and abdomen. The only thing that was amiss was his dark blue tongue and a small bluish hue to his cheeks. "He appears to be flushed."

'Normal reaction when people are feeling like shit.'

"Perhaps." Very gently Lucas pressed his fingertips to Connor's cheek and felt the discoloration. It wasn't just an issue with his complexion, it was another symptom that was leading Lucas to a diagnosis. "However, it's rough to the touch. Almost like sandpaper."

'Shit!'

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

'Joel found the same type of blemishes on our deviant victim's chest, arms and legs during his autopsy.'

"Can you send me a copy of that apportionment report?" Pulling his hand back from Connor's cheek Lucas checked Connor's throat by lowering his jaw again to make sure his brother's main air intake line wasn't becoming compromised. "It should hold the key to the proper diagnosis."

'Y-Yeah, give me a sec'.' Hank was silent for a moment as he fumbled with his phone to locate the link to the file Joel had messaged him earlier, and send the link over to Lucas. 'Did ya' get it?'

"Yes, it's arrived. One moment..." Reading over the details as the cybernetic link was opened Lucas addressed the final report out loud. "Approximately eighteen percent of the nanites in Nicholas's Thirium supply were affected when Nicholas was exposed to Tungsten-metal powder; the source most likely coming from within his own science classroom at the school. The affected nanites stopped responding to the self healing program and began affecting his air intake line because he inhaled the powder, and the nanites were drawn to the very substance that had affected them."

'Oh, shit...' Hank didn't need to be a technician to know that Connor could be in serious trouble. 'Now Connor has that fucked up stuff in his body?'

"Most likely. If I'm correct, the blood sample allowed the affected nanites to enter Connor's own Thirium stream, and I know how to extract the affected nanites from his Thirium before they can do any serious damage." The solution wasn't as easy as Lucas made it sound as he recognized his current limitation. "However, I require a very specific tool that I do not have at my immediate disposal."

'Damn it. Where is the tool?'

"Within the emergency repair of New Jericho Tower, as well as all major facilities in the city."

'All right. I'll swing by the precinct and ask Joel for his help. He'll be able to bring you his equipment to borrow since it's an emergency.'

"Thank you, Hank."

'Hang tight, Lucas. Help's on the way!'

As the call ended Lucas found himself repeatedly checking over Connor's system and monitoring his ventilation program very closely. If the affected nanites stayed inside Connor's Thirium for too much longer then his brother would suffer the same fate as the very victim that he and Hank had taken care of earlier that morning.

"Hank is going to bring you the help you need, brother."

Promising Connor that he'd recover all Lucas could do was sit by and wait for back-up to arrive.

"We are fortunate to have good friends watching out for us."

Within the hour since Hank had called Lucas and the two detectives discovered the cause of Connor's sudden collapse, Hank and Joel had arrived at the brownstone despite the late hour and uncomfortable weather with his emergency technician's satchel slung over his shoulder and a tablet detailing the final assessment on Nicholas's irreversible shutdown. Being shown inside the brownstone by Hank himself, Joel walked over to the sofa where Connor was now resting against a massive white pillow and was still laying under the layer of ice and gray blanket. As if on autopilot Joel quickly set about checking over Connor's condition while Lucas and Hank watched his every motion with a studious gaze.

Swiftly Joel opened up his satchel, retrieved his audioscope and promptly put the earbuds into place and pulled back the blanket to press the bell to Connor's slowly rising and falling chest. Moving the bell very carefully Joel listened to Connor's two ventilation biocomponents; his artificial lungs, and then moved the bell up and over his throat to ensure his airway was clear.

"Okay..." Joel had an idea of what he was working with and knew what to do. "His air intake line is only just beginning to swell shut."

Crossing his arms over his chest Hank leaned atop his arms over the back of the sofa and watched the way Connor remained entirely oblivious of everyone currently hovering over him. "Can you help him?"

"Yes. I can extract the affected nanites with a relatively simple procedure."

Hank looked over at Lucas and nodded as he gave Joel the go-ahead. "Do it."

"Could you get some more ice for Connor? Even after I remove the malfunction his core is still going to be overheating for the next six hours."

"Six hours?" Walking away from the sofa Hank sighed and entered the kitchen with heavy footsteps since he knew Lucas would want to stay by Connor throughout the entire procedure. "Why the fuck is he going to be sick that long even after you fix him up?"

Lucas replied on Joel's behalf so the precinct technician could concentrate on his work. "Because his system will need to recalibrate and that can be very taxing on his already weakened system."

"...Oh."

Draping the audioscope around his neck fairly casually Joel reached back into his satchel and pulled out a small white plastimetal box. It was rectangular in shape and about the size of a post-it note. The surface of the box had a transparent window and small collection area for liquids and a powerful electromagnet just inside of the collection area to draw targeted minerals inside.

"I can pull out the affected nanites from his system, and the remaining unaffected nanites will need to undo the damage by their affected counterparts no matter how minuscule said damage might be."

"I understand." Lucas knew what Joel was doing and decided to keep back to avoid any potential contamination of his own system. "I'm a technician as well."

"Then you already know what to expect. Perfect!"

Returning to the livingroom with three additional ice packs Hank placed the ice down on the back of the sofa until Joel was finished with treating Connor's condition.

"This part won't look pleasant." The laidback technician cautioned as he lifted up Connor's t-shirt to expose his abdomen and chest. "But it's better than letting him die a slow and painful death."

"Whatever." Rubbing his palm over his bearded chin Hank stood back and held his breath nervously. "Just save him."

"Okay... This shouldn't take long."

Pressing the white box over Connor's throat Joel turned on the powerful magnet within the box and watched as the nanites affected by the Tungsten powder were drawn into the box by the magnetic pull. Slowly Joel began dragging the box down from Connor's throat toward the left center of his chest over top of his Thirium pump, then over a little further down and to the right over his Thirium filter. A faint trail of blue blood had appeared on Connor's artificial skin from where the nanites were being pulled out of his Thirium lines and through his skin to get inside the box.

"See that?"

Hank leaned over the back of the sofa and looked at the small collection of blue smears over the magnet. "Yeah. What is it?"

"The affected nanites." Moving the magnet down over Connor's abdomen to reach his artificial stomach Joel watched and waited for any additional blue specks to appear but it seemed every single one of them had been drawn to the magnet and successfully extracted. "There. His blood is clean."

The sight of the faint blue smears on Connor's chest made Hank feel sick. "Did you seriously just yank those little bastards from his blood and through every layer between?"

"Yeah. It's also easier than hooking him up to a magnetized external Thirium filter."

Falling back into technician mode Lucas pressed his fingertips to Connor's right temple to run another diagnostic. "The nanites are so small that the small puncture holes in his Thirium lines have already been mended by the healthy nanites, and they were pulled through the joints of his plastimetal frame rather than through the frame itself."

"His skin has also fully regenerated." Pulling a disinfecting wipe from the front pouch of the satchel Joel removed the Thirium stains from Connor's skin. "It just needs to be cleaned off so he's more comfortable."

Everything just seemed too sci-fi for Hank to handle. "And now that you have all that shit out of his blood," he motioned to the box in Joel's hand as he turned off the magnet and placed it in a waste disposal bag to keep the nanites contained inside. "he'll be okay?"

"Yes. He'll just need to remain under the ice packs and in rest mode."

"How did you two know what to do? This doesn't exactly seem like routine android care."

"Well, you're not wrong. This type of affliction that causes android air intake lines to swell shut has been 'affectionately' dubbed 'Cerulean Fever'. The swollen blue tongue and rash are reminiscent of the symptoms of Scarlett Fever in humans, so yeah. Morbid in origin, but a pretty title in the end."

"You've seen this before?"

"Only in textbooks while studying. It's a rare affliction but it's treatable as long as you can get the nanites out before they inflict irreparable damage." Packing up his satchel Joel sighed and gave Hank a weary glance. "He'll be fine in two days."

"And all we have to do it let him sleep and treat him like he has a fever?"

"Yeah. You got it."

"Sounds too simple..."

"I assure you, when it comes to android care nothing is too simple." Pulling a penlight from his satchel's side pouch Joel knelt down beside the sofa and lifted up Connor's eyelids one at a time to check his pupils for any sign of a reaction. "Normal response from his optical relay units." Returning the light to the pouch Joel then pressed his fingertips around Connor's throat and jaw. "And the swelling is already reducing on its own."

Lucas agreed with Joel's assessment and proceeded to place the fresh ice packs accordingly over Connor's body. "As long as those affected nanites are properly disposed of and destroyed, then no one else will be infected either."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this right away and make a few updates to my report tonight." Packing up his satchel Joel looked over at Hank and gave the man a small nod. "Do you mind?"

"Nope. You went out of your way to help Connor, so the least I can do is give ya' a ride back to the precinct." Heading toward the door Hank stopped and looked back at Lucas for a moment before leaving. "Need anything, son?"

"No, but..." giving Hank a wary grin Lucas truly appreciated Hank and Joel's last minute help. "thank you."

"No problem. Just call if you do need anything, son."

"I will remember that."

While Hank and Joel left the brownstone Lucas set about monitoring Connor's recovery by sitting on the second sofa across from his brother. It wasn't long before Bruno had finally left his pillow to watch over Connor again. The loyal dog didn't want to get underfoot or risk contamination himself by getting to close during Connor's treatment.

"He's going to recover." Lucas stated as he rubbed the loyal dog's ears. "I told you he'd pull through."

Bruno wagged his tail as used his nose to push the gray blanket back down over Connor's chest to cover him up. 'Connor is strong!'

Retiring for the night on the second sofa across from Connor as he rested, Lucas wrapped up in his own quilt that he pulled off his bed and stayed close to Connor as the feverish deviant rested. As much as he hated waking up every hour to check in on Connor and ensure he was still stable, Lucas had his internal alarm set up to go off every hour during his rest mode to keep him alert and on schedule. Even Bruno was keeping an eye on Connor and was sleeping on the floor between the two sofas and under the coffee table. Just after his fourth hourly check had ended Connor returned to his sofa and was startled awake again as Connor began singing a soft song in his sleep. Slowly the deviant's eyelids fluttered open as he regained consciousness and fell silent.

Lucas responded quickly and put his palm on Connor's forehead to let his brother know he was near. Watching as Connor regained his bearings Lucas waited for the recovering deviant to speak up first to gauge how alert he was at the moment and wondered if Connor's singing was a new talent or one that he had kept secret on purpose until his fever brought it out of him.

"What... happened?" Pushing Lucas's palm away Connor glanced about the study then down at himself as he noticed he was covered in mostly melted ice packs and a soft blanket. "I don't... remember anything beyond speaking to you after I came back downstairs."

"You passed out from an overheating system. You were quite ill."

"...Ill?" The concept seemed preposterous, and yet the evidence told him otherwise. "How so?"

"You were unfortunately diagnosed and then subsequently treated for Cerulean Fever."

"...Cerulean Fever?" Noting the term and cybernetically downloading information on the affliction, Connor realized that his symptoms lined up very well with his diagnosis and realized the same symptoms could've been exhibited by Nicholas as well before his shutdown. "...I was infected by Nicholas when I sampled his Thirium, wasn't I?"

"That is the current theory, and considering your connection to the victim is also the most logical. Both Hank and Dr. Forrest stopped by to aid you. Dr. Forrest removed your affected nanites already."

"...My system is registering a recent magnetic purge of six percent of my nanites."

"You're fortunate your infection wasn't worse."

"I apologize if I frightened you."

"It wasn't your fault." Standing up for a moment Lucas returned to his sofa to lay down and resume rest mode. "You just need to complete a normal rest cycle to allow your system a full recalibration. After that, you must replace the Thirium that was lost."

"I understand." Cybernetically Connor turned on his stereo system and turned down the volume to a dull roar as Bruno sat up and pressed his paw down on Connor's forearm. "Trust me, listening to is greatly beneficial to resting."

"That's a good idea." Wrapping back up in his quilt Lucas closed his green eyes and turned off his remaining internal alarms. In a way, he hoped to hear Connor singing again since it was so unexpected and out of character for his reserved brother. "I'll see you in the morning."

Slowly Connor relaxed as much as he could and responded to Lucas in a low whispering tone as Bruno happily hopped up to lay alongside him. "Goodnight, Lucas."

-next chapter-