A cold rain doused all of Detroit as a fall storm settled over the city with an unseasonably chilly presence. Enduring the harsh weather by remaining inside the brownstone Connor laid on the sofa within his study with his guitar over his lap and his hands strumming over the chords in an attempt to create a new melody and song. Bruno was laying over the second sofa to keep Connor company during the unnervingly cold and rainy day. As the gentle pattering of the rain struck against the glass windows Connor used the natural rhythm of the raindrops to inspire his rather somber melody that was seemingly coming from nowhere, and yet it was resonating deeply within his heart.

A loud rumble of thunder in the distance shook the brownstone as a single flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky. As a precaution Connor cybernetically began to track the storm's progress, only to have his processor go suddenly dark as the entire city fell under a blanket of deafening quiet as the power failed for all of Detroit. Bruno let out a loud bark in response to the odd silence of the brownstone as the afternoon storm gave way to an early darkness over the city.

Thunder echoed in the distance and lightning continued to flash brightly through the dark clouds of the sky above the city. The lack of power guaranteed temporary isolation as Connor was left without his cybernetic links and couldn't rely on the television to provide updates on the storm's progress.

"Damn. I've lost my ability to cybernetically connect with-"

Connor stopped short as a cybernetic call attempted but failed to connect with him. The call was automatically denied thanks to the lack of cybernetic connection being provided to his processors

"...Someone is attempting to communicate with me."

Bruno's cybernetic relays were also shut off which meant he couldn't speak with his guardian. The K-9 unit could only whimper somberly as climbed off the sofa and watched as Connor put his guitar aside for the moment.

"I don't like this. Whoever is trying to connect with me either needs my help or they need to tell me something important."

Focusing on his processor's communication relay unit to feed it more power, Connor suddenly felt an odd static fill his head as a cybernetic call had forced itself through using excessive power that nearly overwhelmed his processor.

'Connor!' Skye's voice finally cut through with a static but audible garble. 'North is dying!'

'Skye...' The fear and panic in the deviant attorney's voice was audible even through the static. 'What's happened?'

'I don't know. She suddenly got worse when the power went out and I don't know what to do, and I can't get a hold of Abby or Lucas or even Simon! Please! I need your help. North needs your help!'

'Where is she?' During the call Connor proceeded to grab his new brown trench coat and fedora to keep himself as warm and dry as possible once he set foot outside the brownstone to venture into the storm. 'I'll be there as soon as I can.'

'My loft.' Skye replied in a shaking voice as she fought to keep herself from panicking. 'We're secured, but we can't reach anyone else for help.'

'Good. Stay there, I'm going to get to you as fast as I can and get North help.'

'Hurry!'

'I will, I promise.' Ending the call Connor looked back and Bruno and gave the dog a simple order. "I need you to remain here to patrol the brownstone and make sure no one tries to break-in. I know you can handle this, boy. I'm counting on you."

Barking once Bruno wagged his tail and sat at attention at Connor's feet.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Opening the front door Connor looked at the rain soaking the city and released a silent sigh of apprehension. "Skye and North need my help, and I'm not about to let them down."

New Jericho Tower had been affected by the storm as well, but their emergency power generators had kicked on without any issues. With the tower enduring an emergency lockdown courtesy of low power mode taking away the function of the furthest external security cameras, the four leaders within the tower had taken it upon themselves to set up a form of basic foot patrol to ensure no one violent even attempted to access the tower. Despite the peaceful lull currently hovering over the city no one wanted to take any chances by letting their guards down and leave the tower opened for a potential attack by anyone who may have hidden ties to the defunct Quondam domestic terrorist group or want to revive the group after it ceased to exist.

Doing his part during the patrol Lucas roamed around the exterior of the tower with a giant black umbrella over his head and tried repeatedly to cybernetically connect with Connor from the distance. Being unable to reach his own brother was unnerving and made Lucas righteously anxious as he eyed the choppy waves striking the sandy shore of the harbor surrounding Belle Isle.

"I do hope you're all right and that I'm merely being jumpy right now, brother. I'd hate for something to happen to you."

"I'm sure he's fine." Markus spoke up as he met Lucas at the front door of the tower after Lucas finished his perimeter sweep along the shore. "I haven't been able to reach North, so I imagine the storm's just interfering with everyone's cybernetic relays at the moment."

"Even so, I dislike feeling cut off from my own brother." Closing his umbrella Lucas entered the front lobby of the tower right alongside Markus. He was fairly drenched despite the umbrella, and he looked miserable. "Has there been any sign of a threat from anyone outside the tower?"

"No, it's been nice and quiet." A rumble of thunder echoed over the tower just as Markus spoke as if to mock him. "Well, you know what I mean."

"And our people?"

"Calm." Nodding in the direction of the community room Markus directed Lucas's attention to Josh sitting among the other deviants and opening up about his personal experiences of living outside the tower, of his rescue from Chicago and of why he had been kicked out of the tower to begin with. It had taken a lot of courage to admit to his mistakes and own up to them, and as such Josh was receiving a lot of support. "Thankfully everyone's nice and calm."

"That's good. Where's Simon?" Lucas then asked as he and Markus continued to communicate out in the open to ensure their people knew that the two leaders weren't harboring any secrets whatsoever. "I haven't seen him all day."

"He's been up in the emergency repair bay for the past three days." The deviant leader admitted with just a twinge on concern in his voice. Reaching his hand into his pants pocket Markus palmed a small square box and internally smiled as he pictured the platinum band contained within. "He said he has something important to work on and he'd rather not be disturbed."

"Strange. Anything we should be aware of?"

"Not that I know of. I think he's trying to help someone while sparing them their privacy."

"If someone needs help then we should all be pitching in."

"Normally I'd agree, but I trust Simon's judgement on the situation." Letting go of the box Markus casually wrapped his arms behind his back military style as he hoped to have the chance to be alone with Simon soon enough and ask him a very important question. "He can handle it."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right."

"As our chief of security, former lead technician AND a private detective, I can understand why you'd be so suspicious and protective. It's all right."

"Does that make the other deviants nervous?" Watching the community room warily Lucas didn't want to make their people uncomfortable by mistake. "Me being... suspicious and all?"

"No. They've actually been far more at ease knowing that you're watching over everyone as the chief of security."

"I hope that's correct." Glancing out through the front doors of the tower to the stormy world outside Lucas began to contemplate how his role and his actions could be perceived in the eyes of his people. "I don't want to be seen as a threat. I want our people to know that I'm looking out for them."

It took the resourceful deviant detective only a few minutes to hack into one of the stalled autonomous taxis along the street, and it took him only a few minutes more to reach the public library where Skye's private loft was located. The moment the taxi was in front of the library Connor momentarily powered it down to preserve energy and to keep other people from trying to hail it. Racing up to the front doors of the library Connor pushed them open to discover that the library was empty save for the deviant staff still working despite the foul weather. The head librarian knew who Connor was and she gave him a rather disgusted look as he located the hidden stairwell within the decorative pillar leading up the private loft.

Connor rushed up the interior spiral staircase and reached the stop in just a handful of long, graceful strides. Entering the loft itself Connor glanced about and spotted Skye sitting on a large bed with her back presented to the staircase.

"Skye?" Connor called for the deviant attorney as he entered the second floor loft. Puddles of rain water marked each step he took as he neared his ally. "Skye, I'm right here. Where's North?"

With tears running down her face and his hand gently running through North's hair Skye answered Connor without ever tearing her hazel eyes away from her beloved and closest friend. "...She's dying. Simon was so close to finding a way to help her, but-"

"What happened?" Connor asked impatiently as he walked over to the bed and tried to run a scan over North's body. He faintly detected her destabilized software and faltering processor, as well as her incredibly weak vital signs. "Why is she in need of Simon's help? What's wrong with her system?"

"I don't know. She just... She just got much worse when we lost power. She was holding her own and then she just-" Losing her emotional composure Skye fought to keep her words stable as she spoke. "I can feel her slipping away."

"The power?" Connor was trying to develop a theory to connect the two events when he realized that the loss of a cybernetic relay could've been the cause for her drastic shift in condition and overall stability. "We need to get her out of here."

The idea of leaving the loft during the storm seemed too bizarre to understand. "Where are we going to take her?"

"Out to New Jericho Tower. If Simon was helping before then he can help her again."

"I don't think she's strong enough to-"

"We don't have time to discuss this." Approaching the bed Connor looked down at North's unconscious face and let out a small sigh as he bent down and picked up the deviant's limp body. While he didn't bear any grudges against North for her past attitude Connor just couldn't bring himself to see her as a true ally. "I used an autonomous cab to bring me here, we'll take it out to the tower as well."

Walking down the staircase with Skye right behind himself Connor ignored the persistent glare from the head librarian as he stepped through the library's front door and back into the rainy city. Moving carefully Connor carried North against his chest as he returned to the idling taxi and forced the side door open.

"Climb inside and support her." Connor instructed and watched as Skye obediently climbed into the back of the cab. Laying North over the seats with North's head resting over Skye's lap, the deviant detective sat down beside his two allies and restored power to the taxi. "It won't take long for us to get to the tower. Try to be patient."

"Just tell North to hold on." Skye whispered as she resumed combing her fingers through the unconscious deviant's hair as North rested peacefully over her lap in the back of the taxi. "I can't lose her. I need her in my life."

New Jericho Tower remained locked down and guarded due to the low power situation as the storm continued and only faint cybernetic communications were shared throughout the deviant community. As the storm continued to rage outside the tower and throughout the city Lucas resumed his patrol and continuously attempted to reach out to Connor through a cybernetic link. The line of static and silence suddenly became intelligible as Connor returned the cybernetic link and informed Lucas of the current emergency situation actively heading toward the tower as he spoke. When the severity of the situation came to light Lucas snapped into action and made sure Simon knew what was happening before he resumed monitoring the drive to make sure the taxi could access the tower without any delay.

It didn't take long for either Markus or even Josh to suddenly worry about North's condition. They had no idea that she was even ill or suffering from a glitch to begin with, and now she was on shutdown's door as her time began ticking away rapidly.

"How far out?" Markus asked as he joined Lucas outside the front door of the tower. "Simon's ready for her."

"They're just arriving."

Markus looked past Lucas and saw through the rain an autonomous taxi reaching the end of the drive and coming to a gentle stop before the tower. The side door slid open as Connor stepped out of the vehicle and held North in his arms up against his chest. As Connor made his way to the tower's doors Skye joined him and used her own jacket to shield North's face from the rain pelting down with an icy torrent.

"Take her to the emergency repair bay." Lucas instructed as he joined Connor and promptly pressed his fingertips to North's right temple. "Her system is struggling to maintain the most basic functionality. We need to find out what's affecting her system and correct it immediately."

Carrying North through the lobby and toward the elevator Connor looked at Skye and saw the genuine worry in her eyes. She truly cared about North, and it pained him to see her so distressed. "She'll be okay, Skye."

Silent as the elevator began its ascent Skye remained entirely focused on North's lack of reactions to the world around her. Markus and Lucas were watching over the downed deviant as well, but they held their silence. They didn't know what to say or do for their colleague in that moment beyond being just supportive.

The elevator arrived at the correct floor and the group proceeded to make their way to the emergency repair bay. Within seconds North had been placed down on the emergency repair table and Simon was actively securing the diagnostic modem to North's right temple. The readout on the modem was less than ideal as all of the numbers on display were very low and being shown in red.

"Damn it..." Simon swore as he fought to stabilize North's system long enough to finish the patch for her failing programs and systems. "Lucas, I could use your help over here."

"You got it."

Knowing there was nothing more that he could do for North in her time of need, Connor lightly put his hand on Skye's shoulder and wordlessly encouraged her to step outside of the repair bay for a few minutes. There was nothing more that anyone who wasn't a technician could do for North.

"Take a moment to breathe." Connor suggested as he guided Skye away to think and get some space. "I know this is difficult."

"I just don't understand it!" Skye admitted with a heavy blurt as she turned to face Connor in a nearly defensive manner. "Why is she so sick and weak? I've never seen her like that before. Ever..."

"I wish I knew the answer to that."

Scoffing at the comment Skye turned her back to Connor and wrapped her arms around herself defensively. "Some 'detective' you are!"

Ignoring the stinging remark Connor refused to take offense and just stayed beside her so she wasn't alone. "Simon and Lucas are with her." Hearing the door to the repair room slide open again Connor sensed Markus taking his leave of the room and knew he'd need to talk. "She's not alone, she's strong and she will survive this."

Stepping away for a moment Connor met with Markus as he stood on the opposite side of the closed repair bay door. He knew that the deviant leader would know what was going on through his close relationship with Simon and that he'd be able to tell him what was happening.

"She's shutting down." Whispering as quietly as possible Markus confided in Connor about the horrible moment. "Her hardware and software were designed to be disposable, and now her system can't recognize any of the necessary updates to keep her functioning."

"What can be done for her?"

"Simon's known of her condition for some time, and he's been working on a patch to correct this error ever since he diagnosed her error. The patch is nearly finished but even so, it might be too late."

"No. North is too strong to just shutdown without a fight, no matter what her system tries to imply."

"I hope you're right." Glancing over at Skye as she remained tense only a few steps away Markus felt his heart go out to her. "I'd hate to see what'd happen if we lost someone as strong and determined as North."

Nodding a little Connor pressed his palm to the control panel beside the door and waited for Skye to notice. The moment the deviant attorney heard the door 'hiss' open Skye turned, saw that Connor had opened the door to the repair room and took a tentative step toward Connor as she knew what was being silently implied.

Returning to the repair bay Skye looked at North's peaceful face as she laid over the exam table with the diagnostic cable still connected to her system. The nearby Thirial activity monitor showed a slow but stable Thirium pump beat, but her other processors were too weak to be detected.

Picking up North's hand in a supportive grip Skye pressed North's knuckles against her chest as she held onto her beloved's hand for dear life. "I'm right here with you. You're going to be okay."

Simon gave Skye an uneasy smile as she typed away on his personal terminal and began finetuning the last few details on the patch that he had begun designing for North weeks prior. It was on the brink of completion, but the lack of power made the process needlessly sluggish and painstakingly delayed.

"It's nearly done." Simon promised as he watched the percentage bar ticking up to one-hundred percent. He looked over at Markus who nodded in agreement and encouraged him to keep up his hard work. "Don't lose hope just yet."

"I won't give up on North as long as you do what you can to save her."

"You have my word."

Lucas finished adjusting the external support modems to give North her best odds at a full recovery before stepping back to let Simon resume the lead. "Her intracranial processor has been fully accessed and is ready to receive the patch whenever you're ready to install it. I don't expect there to be any negative side effects from the upload itself."

"Thanks for the assistance, Lucas. And now," the blond haired technician pressed a few keys on the modem's keyboard and checked the connection to North's right temple. "...the patch is being installed." Simon turned to look at Skye as he spoke with a professionalism most people would envy. "Whether or not it works we'll have to wait and see, but I'm positive this will work."

"That's it? We just sit here and wait?" Skye sounded frustrated as she pressed her hands to her nose and mouth in frustration. "We just wait..."

"If you want, I can reboot her processor enough to wake her up so you can... say something to her."

That type of suggestion felt weighted, and Skye knew that it came from some place deep from within Simon's heart. "What're you suggesting?"

"This is important." Simon lightly put his hand atop of Skye's shoulder as he lowered his voice. "Due the situation, you may want to consider saying-"

"No." In emotional defiance Skye backed away from the bed and glared angrily at Simon for even thinking that North wouldn't pull through. "I won't do that to her. It's cruel! I won't wake her up just to tell her something so horrible."

Leaving the repair bay once more to keep herself from shouting or breaking down, Skye marched down the corridor away and stood before the large window to peer out to the vast expanse of the rainy harbor beyond the tower.

Curious about North's condition Connor returned to the repair bay just in time to see Skye standing before the window with her face buried in her hands in emotional pain. The heavy rainstorm continued to pelt the window in icy cold drops as the ever darkening clouds outside continued to spread like spilled ink in all directions. The darkness of the storm was almost as bleak as the emotional storm brewing within Skye's heart.

"Skye." Connor approached his ally and tried to be of some form of support. "What has happened?"

Dropping her hands from her face slowly Skye tilted her head back slightly and let out a deep sigh to keep herself composed as she stared at the ceiling. "Simon can wake North up if I give her permission."

Connor didn't understand Skye's emotional distress as he stood just behind his ally at the end of the corridor. "Is that what you want?"

"She wants me to wake her up so we can-" Fighting to keep herself from shouting with rage Skye had to clear her voice and take a deep breath. "This patch is the only thing that can keep North alive, but... it could still fail. Simon thinks I should wake North up so I can tell her that she's... dying. And I won't do that! I won't let North's last moment of life be a cruel, inescapable darkness of impending death."

Losing her resolve Skye began to weep quietly, her hand pressing over her tear filled eyes to cover her fear out of a strange instinct to keep everyone from seeing her actually cry.

"You can wake her up so that you can tell her that you still love her." Connor argued quickly as he put his hand on Skye's trembling arm while he stood beside his pained ally. "You have the chance to say goodbye to her, to hold her one last time and get closure."

"I'm not ready to say goodbye! I was nearly killed and she- I can't do it!"

"...I don't think anyone ever is ready to say such a thing."

Connor pulled on Skye's arm to turn the deviant attorney around before he wrapped both of his arms around his shaking ally to support her in a strong, warm hug. In return Skye slowly lifted up her arms to reciprocate the hug as she began to cry harder, but kept quiet, as she let herself finally breakdown with utter sorrow.

"I know you don't want to hear this right now," Connor forced his voice to remain steady as tears began to form in his own eyes. "but saying 'goodbye' can be as comforting as it can be painful."

"...You think I should wake her up?"

"I think you should take the chance to speak to her and tell her everything you want to say. Let her hear your voice one last time, let her final memories be you telling her how much you love her rather than unending silence."

Skye nodded a little as she finally let go of Connor and proceeded to dry off her tears with the hem of her purple blouse. Taking a moment to breathe and gather her strength Skye prepared to return to North's bedside and pour her heart out to her beloved and best friend for what could be the final time.

Silently Connor stood idle in the corridor with his attention on the window's reflective glass as he listened to Skye walk back into the repair bay and heard Lucas and Simon exit shortly thereafter to give the frightened couple some privacy.

As the two deviant leaders exited the bay Lucas honed in on his brother and walked up behind Connor with pride in his green eyes. "You convinced Skye to talk to North, didn't you?"

"Yes." Connor nodded subtly without turning his head as he proceeded to stare at Lucas's reflection next to his own on the window's shiny surface as the rainstorm continued to cover the city under a layer of icy dampness. "...I think it was the right thing to do."

"It was. I know that if it was Simon in there so close to shutdown that I'd want to speak to him and let him hear how much I love him before it was too late."

"Now what do we do?"

"We do the only thing possible right now. We wait, hope for the best and continue to move forward even with such a bleak and horrible situation trying to hold us back. North wouldn't want us to stop living our lives or protecting our people because of something happening to her."

"I suppose that's true."

Lucas approached the banister overlooking the floors below and focused on the community room where Josh and the other deviants speaking to one another about their past traumatic experiences. "As long as we don't lose faith in one another then there's no reason to assume the worst. Even those who seem irreversibly broken, sad or misguided can always find a way to heal and move forward with the world in a more positive outlook."

The storm continued to rage for only an hour or so more before finally quieting down and allowing the power to be restored to the city. Reports of a few downed tree branches and loose powerlines seemed to be the worst damage that the city needed to deal with, and in return a small clean-up crew had been dispatched to remove the branches, secure the live wires and ensure that no one in need of emergency services were being overlooked. With the power restored to the entire city all of the deviant cybernetic relays had been reestablished and gave the deviant community a collected sense of relief to those who had been isolated and very limited by the temporary lack of communication between the tower and the other shelters throughout the city.

After two hours passed Connor decided to check in on his allies and stood outside the repair bay in silent contemplation while he listened to the silence on the other side of the door. Skye wasn't speaking to North anymore, which meant one of two realities: North was either unconscious and resting, or North had succumbed to her software failure and had shutdown peacefully with Skye, her beloved and best friend, at her side.

The silence was so thick and emotions were so tense Connor was unable to even hazard a guess as to what was happening. Reluctant to knock but still needing to check in with his allies Connor pressed his palm to the control panel beside the door and peered inside the doorway just enough to see Skye standing beside the bed with North's hand still in her own while her free hand lightly ran through North's long auburn hair.

The diagnostic modem was still sitting on the table next to the bed with a progress bar displayed at one-hundred percent success. Simon himself was on the opposite side of the bed as Skye with his audioscope pressed against North's chest to listen to her ventilation and heartbeat.

"...Simon?" Connor whispered politely as he remained just outside the room. "How is she doing?"

The lead technician's blue eyes lifted up toward Connor's face as he responded in a breathy sigh of relief. "She's alive."

"The software patch was successful." Connor sounded hesitantly relieved as well as he looked down at North's peaceful face as her processors slowly rebooted to full capacity and corrected what had been a previously terminal error. "She's going to make it."

"Yes." Skye smiled a little as a weak laugh escaped her lips. "She's going to be all right. She knows she's going to be okay."

"...You spoke with her."

"Yeah. Thank you for convincing me to wake her up." Turning to look at Connor standing a few feet away Skye confirmed that she had taken Connor's advice after all despite her initial hesitations. "We... We needed that moment to speak."

"You're welcome." Connor smiled warmly as he finally felt as though it was safe enough to finally have an optimistic outlook without fearing the crushing blow of disappointment looming overhead. "...I'll go let Lucas and Markus know the good news."

Connor fell quiet as he walked as an instinctive act as he didn't want to disturb North's much needed rest as he took his leave of the room. Using the elevator Connor returned to the ground floor of the tower and entered the private office to speak with his brother and Markus in person to ensure a more professional discussion as opposed to the relatively unprofessional and silent cybernetic links.

As he neared the office Connor caught a glimpse of Josh in the community room sitting alone and couldn't help but feel as if the shamed deviant was suffering just as much as any other deviant ostracized from the community. The sight of Josh sitting with his shoulders slumped, his arms resting limply over his knees and his hands nervously knit together confirmed how isolated and terrible he felt in that moment.

In spite of his lingering dislike toward the misguided deviant Connor felt compelled to reach out to him and be a rock for him to lean against. No one was perfect and no one could fault someone else for acting out of fear when they believed that their life was on the line. Sitting down on the couch beside Josh without saying a word, Connor sat upright with perfect posture and just waited for Josh to break the silence, if and when he was ready to do so.

"...As much as I try, as much I beg for help from RA9 and hope that I'll be free of my own fears, I'm still terrified of the world around me." Closing his eyes as he spoke Josh sounded as broken as he appeared. "I had tried to remain the pacifist and avoid conflict at any cost, even if it meant that our people would continue to suffer because I was too afraid to stand up and fight back, and even after we've succeeded and earned out freedom I'm still afraid. I'm... I'm a coward."

"There's nothing cowardly about wanting to live."

"But there is something cowardly about be so preoccupied with sustaining an existence that you forget how to live." Opening his eyes Josh turned to look at Connor and gave him an impressively empathetic look. "You know how it feels to be cast out onto the streets on your own, and what it's like to fight to survive just long enough to see the next morning. I didn't appreciate what I had, and yet I was so scared of losing it that I tried to take your own life for no reason other than my own fears affecting my judgement."

"Fear is a powerful poison. That's why we learn to trust others and rely on our allies and friends to keep the toxicity of that fear at bay." Feeling as if he found some common ground with the very deviant who had nearly taken his life gave Connor a new appreciation for emotional adaptation and growth. "I've had to learn that for myself, and fortunately I learned before my oversight led me to a premature shutdown in a completely different way."

"I wish I could say the same thing happened to me."

"It already has." Connor looked Josh in the eyes and gave him an understanding look. "I know you don't see me as an ally to you but I am. I don't want anyone to suffer due to abuse, neglect or fear. Even if I had been told that you were being held captive in Chicago before Skye and I had even gone out there, I still would've done exactly as I had and saved you from that torture."

"Why? Why save the deviant who not only tried to kill you, but destroyed any trust they had with the other leaders by framing North for the crime?"

"I've learned that it's easier to forgive than it is to hold a grudge. I'd rather forgive you and move on with my life than resent you and carry a petty grudge on my shoulders for the rest of my life."

Pressing his hand to his eyes Josh tried to keep his emotional composure in check as he hadn't expected such kindness being shown to him, especially by Connor.

"If it'll help you heal and move on then I'll openly state it: I forgive you."

Letting out a single choked sob Josh began to breakdown and cry with tears or relief and gratitude flowing down his cheeks.

"You're going to be okay, Josh. Now that you know that I've forgiven you, it's time for you to find a way to forgive yourself." Rising to his feet Connor left Josh alone with his thoughts to ensure that the emotionally distraught could find the answers to his personal problems that he had been looking for. "It's okay to let go of your mistakes and move on as long as you learn from them."

Watching the dark skies slowly brighten through the glass door of the tower gave Connor a sense of healing and recovery. He had been sincere when he had forgiven Josh and that sense of openly stating seemed to release a horrible crushing weight in his heart. With his head held high Connor entered the private office a few feet away and saw both Markus and Lucas turn around quickly to face him the moment they heard the door 'hiss' open.

"North will recover." The tone of Connor's voice was positive but not energetic as he spoke to the two worried deviant leaders. "The patch was successful."

The tension in Lucas's shoulders seemed to melt away as relief washed over him in an instant. "Thank RA9. We weren't too late."

"She's really going to be okay?" Markus asked as if needing to make sure that what Connor was saying was indeed good news. "She'll live?"

"Correct." Connor smiled a little as he confirmed the good news. "She'll make a full recovery and be able to function alongside the rest of us. North is alive."

The rainstorm had broken up entirely and had given the waning evening sunlight the chance to create a magnificent and impressively bright rainbow over the sky that seemed to stretch from one side of the city to the other. Returning to the brownstone on foot with Lucas right beside him had given Connor a sense of ease and stability as he felt like he had reached a new point of personal growth, healing and acceptance that had long since been missing from his heart. The quiet of the evening and the rhythmic steps of shoes walking over rainy sidewalk surfaces was oddly soothing as the deviant detective pondered how far he had come in less than a year's time as a free deviant with his own growing and feeling heart beating away inside his chest.

It seemed Lucas was sharing the same deep sense of thought and wonder as his brother. Being able to assist North without actually taking charge of her care had been enough to reassure the deviant that he wasn't going to let anyone down by stepping down from the role, while also confirming that his security precautions had proven to be successful as the tower remained safe even during the prolonged power outage.

Everyone had stepped up when necessary and everyone had assisted each other without fail.

"It's very peaceful right now." Connor noted as he looked up at the clearing sky and just past the brim of his fedora over top of his hair. "If this is what follows every storm that comes our way then I think that I'll be able to endure the thunder, the lightning and the wind without batting an eye."

"Today was very unusual, yet it ended in an incredibly positive manner." Lucas agreed as he and Connor passed by Riverside Park and admired the view of the Ambassador Bridge glowing in the distance. "North's going to recover from her otherwise lethal error, the tower is secured, Simon is excelling as the lead technician, and Josh has begun his slow recovery after being in pain for so long."

"Perhaps this is a positive sign of things to come. The deviants are becoming stronger as a community due to the deviants all becoming stronger as individuals and banding together in times of crisis."

"I agree." Lucas had witnessed that behavior with his own eyes and couldn't be prouder. "We're all finally thriving together as one."

"It's taken quite some time to see it in our new world after the success of the Revolution, but we were right." Standing alongside the river and watching the moderate traffic passing back and forth across the bridge, Connor actually managed a small grin as he looked to the horizon and anticipated what was yet to come. "Everything will be all right."

Hand in hand Markus and Simon strolled through the arboretum and admired the rainbow shining in the sky against the contrastingly black clouds through the glass dome overhead. The serene moment left Markus feeling truly grateful for the chances he's had to experience love, trust and support through Simon even as they struggled through thick and thin together in the past. Even before they had become officially a couple Markus remembered feeling absolute fear of possibly losing Simon forever when the compassionate deviant risked his life at the Stratford Broadcast tower the day that they had shared their message of peace with the city just prior to the Revolution.

The feeling of giving Simon a hug when he returned to Jericho covered in his own blood but otherwise still in one piece was something that Markus could only describe as a fractured heart mending itself through a single embrace. It was only after his own rescue from Quondam and having Simon unfailingly at his side did Markus realize how much he truly loved Simon and how much he wants to spend the rest of his existence at his side.

"Beautiful night despite what happened throughout the day." Markus stated somewhat nervously as picked a red tulip from the nearby garden and handed it over to Simon to take for himself. "Makes this moment feel truly... right."

"What's so right about giving me my favorite flower?" Simon laughed as he accepted the crimson blossom and watched Markus take a step out in front of him. "You do it all the time and I always love it."

"This time I have something else I want to give you." Taking a deep breath as he took a knee before his beloved, Markus pulled the small box from his pocket and opened the lid to present the item carefully tucked away inside for Simon to see. "Simon, will be you bond with me?"

"Are you-" Shocked by the sudden proposal, one that he had dreamt about for months, Simon lost his voice but soon found the correct words. "Y-Yes! Of course I'll bond with you!"

Beaming with pride Markus happily got back to his feet and slipped the ring onto Simon's finger and then gave him a kiss. "Somehow I knew what to expect, but I'm still thrilled all the same! I love you, Simon. I always will."

-next chapter-