The hectic energy of the city seemed to provoke its citizens into behaving erratically. The previous day's historic mayoral election had given the city new life as the people realized that for the second time in just under one full year that they had passed through history. Both humans and deviants alike were adjusting to their new lives as they realized that Markus Manfred, the leader of the deviants himself, was now the leader of Detroit as a whole. None of the human bigots knew what to expect or how to behave now that a deviant was calling the shots, and in return they seemed to calm down for the most part and were finally keeping their unwanted and unwarranted hate-filled opinions to themselves.

In a strange form of protest humans began vandalizing and looting android exclusive shops and facilities in record numbers. In response to the sudden spike in targeted crime all of the city's police precincts were going into overdrive, and all available consultants and private detectives were volunteering their services to aid in chasing down and apprehending the criminals before they disappeared with their ill gotten goods.

Sprinting down the sidewalk with Bruno only a few paces ahead of himself Connor chased after a thief with nearly one-thousand-dollars in stolen Thirium to not only arrest the thief but to ensure the valuable and important android exclusive product was returned to the facility that he had just broken in to. It didn't take long for Connor to find the man since he had chosen the Zeta Facility to rob and had run past the brownstone the exact moment Abby had reached out to Connor via emergency text message to inform him of the theft.

Bruno was barking loudly as he gave chase and preconstructed the best possible angle to bite onto the man's arm or leg to stop them from running. The K-9 unit didn't want to risk the man panicking and dropping the bottles of Thirium in a desperate bid to escape the two pursuing detectives, but he didn't have many options considering he didn't have hands or the words to communicate his orders to the human thief.

"Stop!" Connor shouted as he quickened his already swift pace and managed to catch up to the thief with little difficulty as the man's energy began to wane at a steady clip until he was panting for breath. "Detroit Police!"

"Fuck off!" The man swore as he gave Connor a spiteful albeit brief glance over his shoulder. Seemingly realizing his impending failure, the man threw his arms up into the air and sent the ten bottles of stolen Thirium flying above his head to lessen his weight and continue running. "Take that nasty shit! I don't need it!"

Reacting quickly Connor managed to awkwardly yet accurately catch all ten of the falling glass bottles one by one with his hands and arms to prevent the Thirium from smashing on the ground and spilling into the streets. Dropping to his knees to gracelessly catch and hold all of the stolen goods Connor found himself suddenly panting for breath himself as his overheated system struggled to cool down after such a long and unexpected chase that took him eight blocks away from the Zeta Facility.

Taking a moment to breathe Connor didn't budge until he heard a loud yelp of pain down the street followed by a man complaining about a dog biting him, then some loud barking as Bruno had clearly taken the thief down despite the man's attempts to get away. He knew that Bruno caught the thief and was holding him at bay.

"Good boy..."

Sighing to himself Connor carefully got back to his feet with the ten recovered bottles of Thirium secured in his arms and began walking back toward the Zeta Facility. The idea of hailing an autonomous cab seemed somehow like more work than just walking considering the struggle it'd cause with securing ten glass bottles in the back of the vehicle.

Just as the deviant detective reached the fourth block of journey with his retrieved bottles in his grasp, he felt Bruno's cold nose bumping into the side of his leg to let Connor know that he had finished his pursuit. Looking down he saw the K-9 unit's panting maw, perked up ears and wagging tail. Bruno was clearly pleased with his successful chase.

"Did you apprehend the thief?"

'Yes!' Bruno confirmed proudly as he and Connor walked back to the Zeta Facility together. 'Bruno stopped the thief.'

"Good boy. Where is he right now?"

'Detective Miller arrested thief. Detective Miller is in charge of thief.'

"That's good." Sighing with a deep and slow breath Connor fought to get his system to cool down properly. "One less thief on the streets."

'Fourteen thieves!'

"Yes, we did apprehend thirteen thieves beforehand, but I was-" Stopping short Connor noted that his system was warning him of an increased core temperature, stress level and a low power level. He was feeling the ill effects of exhaustion and couldn't deny it. "...It doesn't matter."

WARNING:

[...Elevated Stress Level Detected: ^40%]

[...Thirium Volume - 94%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - ^102 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - ^16 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - ^100.3 Degrees Fahrenheit]

-RECOMMENDED ACTION - Engage Low Power Mode]

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

'Connor is struggling.' The attentive K-9 unit was always quick to pick up on whenever Connor or Lucas were exhibiting negative vital signs. 'Connor needs rest.'

"I'll rest after the sudden spike in illegal activity fades."

The tension in the city was high. Hundreds of digital billboards showed Markus's face and congratulated him on his big win as Detroit's first deviant mayor. Even with all of the positive responses to and from Markus about his win a lot of people were still anxious about a deviant being in charge of the city.

To combat misplaced fear and doubts the same digital billboards also recounted all of Markus's past successes. The news footage of Markus's peaceful actions, his impassioned speeches and of his near sacrifice to protect his allies when Quondam was wreaking havoc were being played and replayed on a loop all day long. It did very little to ease tensions but at least it was some form of effort and one of the few times that the media could be used in a positive manner.

"I'll be sure to get my motorcycle repaired as soon as possible. That'll prove to be very beneficial in regard to future foot chases."

Having made it to the facility without any further interruptions Connor and Bruno entered the waiting area and spotted Abby looking stressed out as she leaned against the front receptionist desk with one hand on her lower back and the other hand pressed against her forehead. Not wanting the pregnant technician to make herself sick from stress while in her condition Connor addressed her in a calm voice as he gently placed all of the recovered bottles down on the desk for Barry to return to the storage room.

"The thief was arrested, and all of his stolen merchandise has been recovered."

"Oh, thank fuck." Sighing heavily Abby gave Connor a truly appreciative look as she realized her friend had come to her rescue. "The last thing I need today is a break-in and fucked up inventory. Sorry for being so blunt."

"I'm not offended." Noting that Abby should've been taking more time off to rest at this point in her pregnancy Connor delicately brought up the subject without making her feel like she was being judged or watched. "Anything else I can do to help you? There have been a lot of thefts in the area as of late and you might need some assistance."

"We'll be fine once our newly hired security guards show up to monitor every entrance and exit of the building, and stand outside the supply room doors." Giving Connor a curious glance Abby seemed to notice the same stress that Bruno had noted on Connor's person. His complexion was paler than usual, his eyes were slightly glassy, and his overall presence was unusually tense. "How about you? Need some help?"

"I'll be fine as well. I've merely been unable to get a moment's reprieve since five twenty-three this morning."

"Me too!" Abby replied casually as she put her palms to her growing bump. "Although, I suspect that your reason for getting up so early has nothing to do with a tinier version of yourself repeatedly kicking your bladder."

"That is a correct assumption."

Smirking a little Abby lightly pressed the back of her hand to the side of Connor's neck. "You're overheating even while standing still in a cooled off building." She knew he was getting worn down and needed a break. "Go back to your brownstone, rest and drink some Thirium."

"That is my current plan."

Bruno suddenly whimpered and pawed at Connor's leg. 'Police are responding to a break-in.'

"Where's the break-in?" Connor asked out loud as he slumped his shoulders with understandable irritation. "And does it revolve around deviants?"

'Yes!' Bruno confirmed as his L.E.D. cycled between blue and yellow. 'Epsilon Facility has had replacement biocomponents stolen.'

"Shit, we need to be fast." Heading toward the doors of the facility to leave as quickly as they had arrived. "Biocomponents cannot be handled aggressively or taken from their sterilized container in an unsterilized environment without causing egregious harm in the process."

Abby could only watch as Connor and Bruno raced to the exit in an effort to track down the latest thief targeting deviant facilities in the area. Even if she wasn't pregnant she couldn't do anything to help them out in the field. Deciding to help the two detectives in her own way Abby sent a text to Gavin to let him know that Connor and Bruno were running themselves ragged and to give them a hand.

"Why can't we just have one quiet week in the facility, Barry?"

"I don't know Mrs. Grayson." The smiling receptionist replied casually as he gathered up the reclaimed bottles of Thirium to return to the supply room. "Would you like me to place your usual lunch order?"

"Nah, I'll handle it." With her phone in hand Abby began cycling through her favorite takeout numbers by herself. "Somehow I feel like a nacho plate with a side of pickle slices and a chocolate pudding won't be enough for a day like today."


The entire day was spent with authority figures and law enforcement chasing down and arresting thieves targeting deviant communities. It seemed like every precinct was filled with petty thieves and vandals who targeted exclusively deviants. It was a slightly nice change compared to the usual violent drunks and drug addicts that kept the holding cells full year round, yet even so patrol was growing very tired of wasting their time with petty and whiny adults that can't accept changes that were voted in place by their fellow Detroiters. Unfortunately, it was becoming more common with each passing year for there to be a sudden increased in criminal behavior after any and all elections across the entire country.

Like a disappointed father Hank eyed the latest arrested thief with genuine disgust in his gaze. That disgust shifted to amusement when he saw the thief limping slightly and pressed his cuffed hands firmly against his own rear end as if in incredible pain.

"You'll be interrogated in a minute." Chris confirmed as he put the man in the already fairly full holding cell courtesy of the other arrested thieves and vandals who were brought in earlier in the day. Removing the handcuffs Chris gave the recently arrested man full range of motion with his hands and arms again. "And you can ask for your lawyer then."

Hank watched as the arrested man looked down at the opened spot on the bench then decided it'd be more comfortable to stand. He knew there was an interesting story behind the man's behavior and he had to ask Chris about it.

"So..." Making casual conversation as Chris returned to his nearby desk Hank gave the young detective an amused grin. "Did our latest guest get a complimentary cavity search, or what?"

"Nope. Connor and Bruno were chasing after the idiot," Chris noted as he turned on his terminal screen and began typing up his report. "and Bruno stopped him."

"Uh-huh, and how did Bruno do that exactly?"

"Well, when our 'new friend' began climbing up a chainlink fence to try to get away, Bruno jumped up and gave him a nice firm bite... on his left butt cheek!"

Laughing discreetly Hank just shook his head and now realized why the man was limping and holding his own ass while in public. "Did Bruno break the skin?"

"No, but I imagine there's a massive bruise forming there right now." Chris lowered his voice as he too began to chuckle. "I got there in time to see Bruno sink his teeth in and pull the idiot back down off the fence, and I watched as Bruno stood on the man's legs while keeping his jaws locked right on his butt. There was no blood anywhere, so I didn't bother to pants the already humiliated idiot to check for a wound."

"Dumb fucker deserves it. If he wants someone to feel sorry for him then he's going to have a good lawyer or religion."

"Want to interrogate him?" Chris offered with a cheeky, pun intended, grin. "You seem like you're in a good mood."

"Might as well." Rising to his feet Hank wiped the smirk off his face and tried to exude only professionalism. "It's not often I get the chance to watch someone squirm in their seat without me scaring them to the point they piss themselves."


The long day felt even longer as Connor and Bruno continued to chase after additional thieves and vandals trying to rile up the city with their bigoted attacks aimed at the deviant community. Another twenty-two criminals were apprehended on foot and handed over to the police to be transported to their respective precincts, and just as Connor finished rallying his latest catch into the back of the responded patrol car he was bombarded with more warnings regarding his fatigued system having a negative reaction to prolonged exertion being repeatedly put on his body. Dismissing the red warnings yet again Connor just sighed and put his hand on Bruno's ears as Jack drove off with the latest vandal now in the backseat of his patrol car.

Bruno could sense Connor's increased stress levels and let out a sympathetic whine as he pressed his cold nose into Connor's hand. The loyal K-9 unit knew his guardian was in trouble and he wanted to help.

"Let's get back to the brownstone, boy. It's getting late."

'Connor must rest.'

"You're right. I'll do so once we're back..."

Trailing off for a moment Connor put his hand to his head as he ran a quick self diagnostic.

...SELF DIAGNOSTIC: [ENGAGED]

...LOADING INFORMATION:

REGISTERED NAME: "Connor Wolf"

MODEL: RK-800

SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 51

ACTIVATION DATE: August 15th, 2038

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs

COMPLEXION: Caucasian

AESTHETIC GENDER: Male

HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown

ASSIGNMENT: Identify engineer of explosive devices; Speak with Skye Ramona

ASSOCIATION(S): Private Detective; Consultant with New Jericho Tower; Consultant with Henry "Hank" Anderson of Detroit Central Precinct

BOOTING PROCESSORS...

LOADING OS...

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...

-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]

-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]

-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]

-MEMORY STATUS... OK]

READY...

[...Thirium Volume - 63%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 130/80]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - 126 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - 19 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - 101.8 Degrees Fahrenheit]

WARNING:

-STRESS LEVELS: ^58%

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

"W-We'll go back to the brownstone right now."

Worried about Connor's health Bruno whimpered again and walked as close to Connor's legs as possible without accidentally tripping him.

Barely reaching the end of the block Connor stopped short and stood perfectly still. His head was aching, his heart was thundering, and his core temperature was still high despite taking things easy and being out in the autumn brisk air. Just as he thought he was about to collapse or enter emergency rest mode against his will, Connor felt a firm hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Gavin was now standing beside him and looking concerned.

"You all right, 'Tinman'?" Gavin asked as he noticed Connor's distant stare. He didn't need to be a technician to know that the deviant was in some need of some help and could use a helping hand. "Abby said you were running yourself into the ground all day."

"I'm... I'm okay." Lying in a pathetically obvious manner Connor attempted to walk away, but he didn't have the strength to get away from Gavin's grip. The squad car that Gavin had been driving was idling in the street behind the detective with the driver's side wide open confirming that Gavin had jumped out of the vehicle to check on Connor fairly quickly. "...I just need to get some rest."

"Don't we all. Hop in." Pulling Connor toward his squad car Gavin tried to get the deviant to join him for a moment. "I'll give ya' a lift back to your place."

"Th-Thanks, but I'll walk."

"Yeah, right! You can barely even stand! Just get in the damn car."

Bruno agreed with Gavin and put himself in front of Connor so he couldn't take another step forward. 'Connor needs help.'

Willing to admit defeat simply for the sake of peace Connor nodded slowly and agreed to let Gavin assist him. "...Okay. Thank you, Detective Reed."

"Jeez, just call me 'Gavin'. We've been through too much shit for you to be so damn formal with me all the damn time."

"Right." Watching Gavin walk away without a second thought reminded Connor of whom he was talking to. "Gavin."

Walking sluggishly over to the squad car Connor sat down in the front passenger seat and soon had Bruno sitting on the floor at his feet. Rubbing his hands gently along Bruno's chin and ears the weary deviant detective tried to sit back and relax for a moment. He didn't want to deal with any potential setbacks or errors from exhausting himself to the brink of shutdown.

It wasn't long before the squad car's simple forward motion gave Connor a strangely comforting lull and helped him to finally let his guard down. He was thoroughly fatigued and wanted to enter rest mode, but he didn't dare to that until he was safe in his brownstone and in his own bed.

"So, uh... How's... your brother?" Gavin tried to make small talk during the drive back to Tenth Street. "Is he at your place?"

"N-No, he's at actually at New Jericho Tower as of the moment." Connor confirmed as he fought to remain awake and alert. "With Markus now the mayor the tower needs the remaining four leaders to spend more time at New Jericho to compensate for his more frequent absences."

"Guess that makes sense." Scoffing to himself Gavin thought back about the election and was actually happy with the way it turned out. "Besides, getting to see and hear Kamski admitting that he isn't the best was a real fuckin' treat."

"I suspect that your positive reaction to his unfortunate commentary on his own future prospects as mayor amused many people in Detroit."

"Do you, uh, know that me and Kamski are... related?"

"Brothers, yes."

"Y-Yeah." Gavin was surprisingly relieved to know that Connor already knew of his connection with Kamski. The fact that Connor knew of their sibling relation but didn't hold it against him was vastly reassuring. "Fraternal twins separated at birth. Pretty fucked up, huh?"

"I suppose that's accurate." Connor sensed Gavin wanted to talk about his personal connections with Kamski and was willing to listen. "Do you know why you two were separated so young?"

"Yeah, my bio-parents couldn't afford to take care of one kid, let alone two! Elijah was born first and passed off to be adopted, while 'lucky' me got to stick around for all the abuse and trauma for fourteen miserable fuckin' years. Fuckin' prick got off easy..."

"I doubt as a newborn Kamski had much say in the matter."

"Yeah, I know. I just hate that we had such ridiculously different lives all because he was born a few minutes before me. Then again," glancing down at his phone mounted on his dashboard Gavin smiled at the picture of Abby saved on his lock screen. "if I didn't go through Hell as a kid, I wouldn't have my little slice of Heaven right now." Embarrassed by his own comment Gavin turned and gave Connor a pleading look. "D-Don't tell Abby I said that though!"

"Why not?"

"I just- I don't know." Idling at a red light Gavin sighed and shook his head somberly. "I guess I don't want her to see me as an emotional goof."

"It's noble to express genuine emotions and feelings." Glancing through his side window Connor watched the streets outside and focused on something fairly unusual yet somehow expected. "That's something I've steadily discovered throughout my... deviancy."

Gavin picked up on the momentary delay in Connor's words and turned his attention to the window as well. "What's up?"

"Damn it, it's a mugging in progress."

"Fuckin'-" Gavin saw a teenager pushing around a little old lady while trying to rip her purse off her shoulder. "I'll radio it in to dispatch."

Throwing open his door Connor jumped out of the car and rushed toward the mugger with Bruno right beside him. "STOP!"

The teen saw Connor running at him and proceeded to throw his hand inside the purse, pull out the wallet, and then turned on his heels to run off in the opposite direction in an attempt to escape the pursuing detective and K-9 unit.

Picking up speed Connor managed to get on the mugger's heels while Bruno kept pace right beside him. As the youthful and athletic mugger attempted to get away from Connor, the deviant detective was met with additional warnings regarding his poor vital signs and need for rest. Pushing away the red warnings in his vision Connor continued the chase and easily leapt over the edges of street curbs, fire hydrants, overturned trash bins and benches as he neared the runaway mugger trying to complete his daring escape.

Reaching out his hand Connor grabbed the teen's shoulder and pulled back hard enough to make the mugger drop the stolen wallet before shrugging out of Connor's grip to resume running off. Too exhausted and too weak to keep running Connor just reclaimed the dropped wallet and watched as Bruno continued the chase with three police drones hovering over the pursuit.

"G-Good boy."

Panting for his breath Connor turned around and felt his head swim for a minute as the warnings returned yet again.

WARNING:

[...Elevated Stress Level Detected: ^65%]

[...Thirium Volume - 55%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 130/80]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - ^117 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - ^23 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - ^102.1 Degrees Fahrenheit]

-RECOMMENDED ACTION - Engage Low Power Mode]

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

As he pushed the red numbers away from his now compromised vision once more Connor realized that he had stumbled back to the scene of the crime just in time to return the wallet to the shaken victim while Gavin got her statement. The woman's gratitude was abundant as she reclaimed her wallet and immediately opened it up to view the photographs of her children and grandchildren tucked inside with genuine adoration.

Trying his best to cool down and regain his composure at the scene Connor noticed that his hearing seemed to be malfunctioning as the voices speaking around him sounded suddenly muffled and distant, while darkness encroached on his vision from the corners. It was rare to experience sensory impairment and as a result Connor began to waver on his feet in confusion as his own exhaustion continued to wear away his stubborn resolve.

In a futile attempt to remain conscious Connor tried to recalibrate his system and barely took notice of Gavin approaching him slowly and then swiftly just as Connor's legs gave way and the world around him went pitch black and deafeningly silent.


...SELF DIAGNOSTIC: [ENGAGED]

...LOADING INFORMATION:

REGISTERED NAME: "Connor Wolf"

MODEL: RK-800

SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 51

ACTIVATION DATE: August 15th, 2038

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs

COMPLEXION: Caucasian

AESTHETIC GENDER: Male

HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown

ASSIGNMENT: Identify engineer of explosive devices; Speak with Skye Ramona

ASSOCIATION(S): Private Detective; Consultant with New Jericho Tower; Consultant with Henry "Hank" Anderson of Detroit Central Precinct

BOOTING PROCESSORS...

LOADING OS...

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...

-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]

-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]

-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]

-MEMORY STATUS... OK]

READY...

[...Thirium Volume - ^99%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - 58 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - 9 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - 98.8 Degrees Fahrenheit]

WARNING:

-STRESS LEVELS: 70%

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

The deafening and smother darkness began to fade as Connor's system rebooted itself with far better vital signs and without any difficulty. As his heavy eyelids cracked open Connor found himself staring up at a blurry white ceiling. The icy chill of a cool compress resting over his forehead, the light but recognizable pressure on his exposed chest, and the rhythmic beeping of nearby Thirial activity monitor told Connor that he was currently laying on the treatment table within the safety of an Android Emergency Care Facility. Blinking twice Connor cleared his vision and looked down at his chest to see the two wireless leads monitoring his system and confirming that the beeping of the monitor was recording his own Thirium pump rate.

As he made a move to lift up his head Connor felt warm and gentle palm press against his shoulder to keep him still. Recognizing Abby immediately Connor gave her a slightly ashamed look as he laid back down to continue resting.

"You've been asleep for just over two hours." Abby confirmed as she checked the attached monitor recording Connor's vital signs, and then wrapped a Thirium pressure cuff around his exposed bicep. "How do you feel?"

"...Foolish."

"Normal after passing out in the middle of a sidewalk."

"I presume Gavin brought me here."

"You presume correctly." Abby managed to seamlessly make small talk while also taking Connor's vital signs more closely. "Bruno's out in the waiting room with a bowl of Thirium, so he's okay too. Also, Bruno caught the guy for you, and Gavin confirmed the mugger's going to be charged for his theft."

The confirmed arrest was the only positive thing Connor could think of. "That's good."

"I knew you weren't feeling quite like yourself. I should've-"

"No, it's not your fault." Connor didn't want Abby blaming herself for his own stubbornness and inability to admit to his own limitations. "I should've taken a moment to rest. We both knew that I was suffering from exhaustion, and yet I chose to willfully ignore it."

"Well, the good news is you'll make a full recovery. I'm just concerned that your stress levels haven't dropped back down to at least thirty percent while you were in rest mode."

"I've been dealing with a lot lately. My stress levels are going to be higher than usual for a while longer."

"Even so, you should've had your stress levels drop back down to a far lower number while you were sleeping." Sympathetic to stress and overall discomfort Abby gingerly put her fingers against Connor's hair as if wanting to comfort her patient. "Need to talk?"

"I... I don't know."

"Try." The encouragement was sincere and entirely friendly. "What's on your mind?"

"...Many things."

"Yet again, we have something in common. My mind is being overwhelmed with hormones and fear for the future. You?"

"I'm also worried for the future, but I have a strange feeling that the world is actively changing around me in a way that I instigated but cannot stop."

"You did help change the world for the better by helping Markus with the Revolution last year, so, yeah. I'd say that was something you instigated. Why does it bother you now?"

"I'm not sure. It might be connected to the impending one year anniversary of the Revolution, or it might be connected to the fact that despite all the positive changes there are still an unsettling number of bigots still attempting to hold back progress."

"There's always going to be one closedminded asshole who'll fight progress out of selfish naivety. That's unfortunately a normal occurrence."

"Even so, it feels wrong." Connor propped himself up on his elbows and let out a small sigh and carefully pushed himself entirely upright to sit on the exam table. His head spun for a moment but he didn't pass out a second time. "The election was tense enough, but today it's worse. Bigots are targeting deviants despite the votes for Markus coming from both the humans and the deviants."

"Just remember that hatred is a two-way street." Abby lowered her hand from Connor's hair and gave him a small smile. "Don't let their horrible attitudes and outlook on life affect your own."

"You're right. It's just frustrating to confront such people repeatedly for the same shortsighted reason."

"Tell me about it. Treating assault victims every day gets very disheartening."

"I guess at the very least we're able to help victims when they need it, and that's a positive found within a negative."

"See? You're not walking that hateful path and you're already feeling better."

"I suppose that's true."

"Why don't you hail a cab and go sleep in your own bed so you can rest properly?" Abby suggested as she gave him a kind a smile and put her hand to his shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I know you can just walk, but I think it'd be best if you didn't push yourself. Take it from someone who's struggling to take maternity leave because I can't stand the inactivity that comes from bed-rest."

"I'll try to remind myself it's not selfish to get some rest and to not fight every battle that comes my way."

"That's the spirit!" Beaming proudly Abby watched as Connor removed the leads from his chest and Thirium pressure cuff from his bicep before he slipped off the edge of the exam table to stand up on his slightly trembling legs. "Go lay down, sleep and not do another damn thing until tomorrow."

"Are those technician's orders?"

"More like sage advice from a friend, but if you want me to I don't mind ordering you around. It's not often I get to tell a detective what to do, you know, unless it's Gavin and we're home."

Rebuttoning his dress shirt Connor sighed and gave Abby a small nod as he slowly made his way toward the door of the exam to take his leave. He felt Abby wrap her arms around his arm as she accompanied him to the waiting room, and he knew that she was going to make sure that he actually hailed a cab and didn't try to walk while still feeling very weak and was in desperate need of some rest.

Seeing Bruno wagging his tail as he entered the waiting room was enough to make Connor's tense shoulders slump slightly as he walked. As he reached out his free hand Connor chose to sit down and cybernetically hail a cab as expected of him.

"I'm okay, boy." Connor promised as he rubbed Bruno's chin affectionately. "How about you?"

'Bruno is okay.'

"Good."

'Doctor Abby gave Bruno Thirium.'

"Even better."

Sitting down beside Connor in the available chairs Abby gave her friend a warm grin and envied his ability to seamlessly communicate with his family pet. "Rest up and you'll feel better in a few days. I'd recommend a vacation, but I think that'd be a little too much to ask of you."

"Maybe I'll take a vacation in the spring."

"Good idea. Get away from the city and start the next year off right." Abby noticed an autonomous cab now idling at the entrance to the facility and knew that it was meant for Connor. "Your ride's here. Go home and rest."

"I'll do so if you do the same."

Giving Connor a cheeky grin Abby had to admire his slick negotiation skills. "I'll leave when Gavin comes back to check on me. Deal?"

"Very well." Standing up again Connor kept his palm on the back of Bruno's head and looked back at Abby behind him. "I'll take care of myself, and you do the same for yourself."

"You got a deal. Goodnight, Connor."

"Goodnight, Abby. Thank you for your assistance."

Exiting the facility together Connor and Bruno entered the back of the idling cab with a heavy drop onto the seats as they eagerly wanted to bring the day to an end. Both detectives were exhausted and needed the chance to rest properly before handling any other cases.

"Today was a good day." Connor noted as he patted Bruno's back. "We helped to stop twenty-four criminals today. That's a new record."

'Bruno likes our record.'

"So do I." As the cab drove down the street and parked in front of Connor's brownstone the deviant detective sighed and gave his own home a strangely longing look as his fatigue settled into the very core of his being. "With any luck we won't have to worry about breaking it any time soon."

-next chapter-