The cold night felt all the colder even as Hank stared at out the window overlooking the steadily whitening hospital parking lot as the second snowstorm settled over Detroit. Needing a moment to stretch his legs and think about something, or rather someone, other than Connor for a while, Hank had stopped by St. Mercy Hospital to check in on Gavin and actually felt sorry for the comatose man. The two strong minded detectives had often butted heads in the past as they both had emotional baggage that would weigh them down on bad days, but when all was said and done the two detectives still respected each other to some degree even if they wouldn't openly admit it to each other or even to themselves.

Standing by the window as the new snowstorm began to bury the city under a slowly deepening layer of white crystalline flakes, Hank watched as Gavin remained almost entirely motionless in the bed as the nearby cardiac monitor recorded his calm heartbeat. Gavin had been stable ever since he had been revived by the unknown android at the scene of the broken-into store, but he wasn't showing any sign of regaining consciousness.

"How's he doing?" Tina whispered as she entered the room and drew Hank's attention toward herself. Brushing off some snowflakes from her jacket and raven black hair, Tina entered the private space to check on her best friend. "Dr. Wilson hasn't called me, so I imagine I haven't missed much."

"Not that I've seen." Hank confirmed as he noted Tina's fatigued demeanor. Her cinnamon brown eyes were dull and had heavy bags forming beneath them, but that didn't stop her from giving her partner a kind smile. "If you're here then I guess I can head out on patrol again."

"Sure. But I have to ask, why'd you stop by the hospital?"

"I needed to stop driving for a minute and I wanted to make sure something wasn't happening to Reed that the hospital couldn't tell us about because of the shitty weather."

"Tell me about it." Removing her snow covered jacket Tina sat in the chair beside Gavin's bed and lightly placed her palm on the back of her unresponsive best friend's forearm. For whatever reason she and Gavin were inexplicably close and unfailingly loyal to one another. "Without the androids keeping the cell towers active and the roads cleared... Let's just say I've been worried about communication for the first time since I joined the force."

"Go figure it'd take all the androids going deviant and telling humans to solve their own fuckin' problems before we realized how much we need them."

"Yeah, even Gavin's going to have to accept that deviants are important to us and make our lives a little bit better."

Curious about her response Hank gave Tina a studious glance. "How's that?"

"The suspect we chased at the store is the one who gave Gavin C.P.R. at the scene." Patting her hand on the back of Gavin's arm Tina watched as the I.V. giving his body fluids dripped slowly and silently from the I.V. stand beside the bed. "The suspect was also an android without its skin activated."

"An android without its skin helped Gavin?" Thinking back to his and Connor's previous investigation at the Stratford Broadcast Tower, Hank heard a small bell ring inside his head as he picked up on a potential pattern of behavior. "Sounds like Markus."

"No, Markus has one blue eye and one green eye." Tina sharply noted. "This android had two brown eyes."

"Oh, well that narrows it down." Replying sarcastically Hank gave Tina a small smirk. "Got any other description of this android who took time out of its precious day to save Gavin's sorry ass?"

"Uh, aside from having what I think was a masculine build," Tina tried to picture the android in her mind but she had been so focused on Gavin that she didn't spend much time looking at the android himself. "the android was wearing jeans, boots, a dark coat, I think a sweatshirt and a dark beanie. Not exactly the most stylish or noticeable of clothing choices these days."

"Sounds like this guy wants to keep a low profile. Can't say that I blame 'em."

"I wish I could find him."

"Want to get him arrested before Gavin can wake up and be a prick to him?"

"No, I just want to thank him." Keeping her hand on Gavin's arm Tina offered Hank a casual shrug of her shoulders. "According to the C.C.T.V. footage at the front of the store, this particular android entered the store after it had been broken into and vandalized by humans. He was just looking for Thirium and got spooked when Gavin and I turned up."

"A homeless android." Watching the snowstorm from the corner of his eye Hank dreaded the idea of anyone be stranded in the blizzard. "Shit..."

"Yeah. I've never arrested someone for being poor or homeless before, and I don't plan to start now."

"Right. Well, if I see an android who matches your description I'll send ya' a message and let you know where he is. Being told 'thanks' by the cops might be a great way to start bridging the gap between the humans and deviants in this city."

"You're right. I never had any problems with androids in the past, but I know Gavin's problems run deep. Maybe this will help him turn over a new leaf." Moving her hand downward to gave Gavin's cold fingers a gentle squeeze, Tina hoped her best friend would wake up soon. The burns to his right hand were healing just fine and by all account Gavin wouldn't suffer any permanent impairment to his hand. "After all, it's never every day that the person you want to kill ends up being the one who saves your life."

Following after Bruno as the android German Shepherd led the way to fresh Thirium, Connor kept his arms wrapped tightly around his chest in an attempt to stave off the cold and to keep his abdomen stable after enduring emergency repairs to his artificial stomach. Without taking the time to properly rest Connor was suffering from lingering pain to his core that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Having dug Bruno out of the snowy android graveyard had caused physical exertion to his already taxed body, and now Connor was running on a lower than usual power level in an attempt to prevent any form of emergency rest mode before he found the Thirium and returned to his makeshift shelter for the night.

The building snow and dropping temperature was making it twice as difficult for Connor to walk, but considering Bruno was walking slowly because of his missing rear leg it wasn't all that noticeable. To anyone passing by it looked like Connor was any normal guy taking his dog out for a late night stroll before it became too dangerous to go outside in the strengthening blizzard.

"We m-must be getting c-close."

Connor spoke to Bruno out loud even though the android dog could only respond on an internal cybernetic level. None of the android animals were equipped with voice boxes and as a result they could only directly speak with their fellow androids on a cybernetic wave length.

"C-Can you s-still smell the Thirium e-even with the w-wing blowing?"

Bruno stopped in his tracks as he sniffed the air and then sniffed at the sidewalk under his paws again. With his ears back and his tail motionless Bruno was clearly trying to hone in on his current scent trail. Turning to look at Connor behind him Bruno grumbled a little before continuing on his way forward.

"I h-hope you're right." Small coughs threatened to steal Connor's voice at any moment. "W-We can't b-be out in the c-c-cold f-for much l-longer."

Trailing the scent of Thirium to a nearby pawnshop Bruno led the way through the snowy sidewalk and down a narrow alleyway to the rear of the closed store. The shop had been closed down due to the storm and a large wooden crate that once held a dozen bottles of Thirium had been left sitting beside the dumpster to be disposed of later on.

Looking about the area Connor detected a single motion control camera monitoring the rear of the property and cybernetically disabled it for exactly one minute to ensure that he and Bruno could get the Thirium without someone accusing him of theft for a second time in as many days. Approaching the wooden storage crate Connor knelt down in the snow while Bruno put his paw on top of the crate to indicate a successful hunt. Prying open the crate with his gloved yet still freezing hands Connor noted the content contained eleven empty bottles of Thirium and only one full bottle left.

"D-Damn."

Plucking the odd treasure from the bottom of the snow covered crate Connor walked back down the alleyway with Bruno right at his side. The Thirium itself had been out in the cold long enough to partially freeze and become nearly undrinkable.

"N-Need to th-thaw this out."

Tucking the Thirium under his jacket lapel Connor tried to use his own limited body heat to warm the slushy Thirium back into a pure liquid form. It'd take a little time, but at the moment Connor had all the time in the world to dedicate to getting the Thirium back a drinkable temperature.

"W-We should t-try to get b-back to Jericho. There a-are burn b-barrels that c-can k-keep us w-warm and thaw the Th-Thirium."

Having never been onboard Jericho himself Bruno walked beside Connor and let out small whines and grumbles as he sensed the other people in the buildings around them watching them curiously. His enhanced sense of hearing and smell gave Bruno enough knowledge to recognize over two dozen humans on any given block and he was picking up on several wanted fugitives hiding temptingly close by.

"S-Sorry." Connor knew what Bruno wanted to do and reminded the dog that neither of them were police officers anymore. "I c-can't arrest a-anyone anymore and y-you're dec-commissioned."

Grumbling again Bruno's pace slowed and then he stopped altogether as he let out a pitiful whine. His own power level was so low that the decommissioned K-9 unit was struggling against emergency rest mode as well. Pausing on his three paws Bruno couldn't move another centimeter and his rump lowered to the sidewalk to sit down and rest.

"Bruno?"

Stopping mid stride Connor turned around to look at the dog as Bruno sat down and whined again. Detecting the low Thirium volume and low power level being emitted by Bruno's system Connor knew that Bruno wouldn't be able to walk to Jericho on his own. At the moment Connor's own low power and healing core meant it'd be too difficult for Connor to carry the dog the rest of the way before he collapsed from extreme cold and exhaustion himself.

Unwilling to abandon Bruno after the dog helped him to find some Thirium in the middle of the storm, Connor decided he needed to find a way to give the Thirium to Bruno before the dog fell into emergency rest mode. Making sure the Thirium was secured in his jacket first, Connor patted Bruno's head and then gently scooped the dog up and into his arms to carry for a moment.

"I-I'll get you th-the Thirium."

Whining as he sensed Connor's own low power level Bruno whimpered and rested his chin on Connor's shoulder. Trying to convince Connor to drink the Thirium and keep himself stable was proving to be a difficult battle and the tired dog was no match for a stubborn deviant.

"My Thirium i-is at ninety p-percent c-c-capacity. Y-You volume i-is not."

Shivering as he walked Connor continued on his way toward Jericho only to stop and preconstruct a new route. He'd never make it to Jericho before losing strength, and going back to New Jericho Tower was out of the question. Thinking on his feet and being the ever adaptable deviant that had allowed him to survive despite the odds stacked against him, Connor made a new decision and changed his route.

"T-The park has m-metal b-barrels that c-c-can safely contain a b-bonfire. We'll g-go there and th-thaw the Thirium, th-then find shelter f-for the night."

The building storm outside the city barely matched the internal struggle and turmoil of the tension building inside New Jericho Tower as the four deviant leaders tried to find the identity of the person who had attempted to murder Connor. Without any properly functioning security cameras inside the tower actively monitoring the corridors, it'd be incredibly difficult to identify the would-be assassin and discover their motivation behind the failed attack. An openly painful lack of witnesses - or at least a painful lack of witnesses who would actually admit to seeing anything, made the amateur investigation all the more frustrating for the quartet to handle.

Sitting in the emergency repair bay Markus held the empty bottle that previously contained the tainted Thirium and let out an open sigh. There were no fingerprints or shoe prints that could lead to any prime suspects, and there was no clear motivation behind the assassination attempt. Markus knew of Connor's sordid reputation and knew there were a handful of deviants who still mistrusted Connor, but the idea of any of them attempting to kill Connor seemed absurd.

"I wish we had put a camera over the doorway of the repair bay." Lamenting his lack of forethought Markus looked over at North as she checked the doorway for any sign of intrusion. "We should've been securing the tower the moment we set foot inside the building."

"You can't blame yourself for this." Turning to face Markus as he sat on the edge of the exam table, North gave him a small smile. "You're not infallible."

"No, but I am supposed to be able to protect my people when they need my help."

"You did help Connor. You've helped all of us."

"It doesn't feel like it's been enough. Like, I haven't been doing enough."

"You've done plenty. Now, let us help you." Joining Markus at the table North pressed her cool palm against his cheek and held it there in a comforting manner as she looked into Markus's mismatched eyes. "You can't lead all of our people entirely alone."

"I know that." Putting his hand over her hand Markus leaned into North's touch and felt somewhat at ease. "It's just so difficult trying to keep our people feeling united when one of us feels like an outsider and other deviants with misplaced grudges are keeping him away. It's too dangerous for any of us to be alone right now." Glancing at the snowstorm blowing past the window Markus worried for any and all deviants who might be hiding out in the streets. "Even if we hadn't won our protest, the freezing weather would still be a dangerous foe to face."

'Markus?' Josh's voice suddenly appeared in Markus's mind as their cybernetic link was opened. 'Simon and I found something very bizarre. You need to come and see for yourself.'

"Did you find the assassin?" Standing up abruptly Markus inadvertently caused North to lower her hand as he clued her into the discussion. "Where are you?"

'We didn't find the assassin, no.'

"What about any evidence? Salt, more tainted Thirium, anything at all?"

'Markus, what we found has nothing to do with the assassination attempt.'

"Then what did you find?" Looking at North beside him Markus nodded once as they crossed the repair bay to leave the sectioned off area and rejoin their allies elsewhere in the tower. "Where are you?"

'Take the elevator and descend to a new floor that Simon and I just found.'

"A new floor?" Entering the elevator as instructed Markus hovered his palm over the control panel before selecting his floor. The confusion in his voice was enough to make his and North's brows furrow. "Where?"

'Beneath the tower. You need to meet us down on sublevel fifty-one.'

It wasn't an easy journey but it was successful all the same. Reaching Riverside Park after a twenty minute walk through the snow and wind had left Connor feeling weaker than ever before. After gently laying Bruno down on a park bench to rest for a moment Connor set about locating the nearest metal trash barrel and using the paper garbage contained within as fuel. Using his resourcefulness to his advantage Connor found an old paper fast food bag in the barrel and opened up a panel in his left forearm to expose a few wires. Removing the end of one wire from its metal coupling Connor pressed the edge of the paper to the exposed sparking wire to ignite the paper and then start a warm bonfire at last.

Connor was watching Bruno carefully as he reached for the bottle of Thirium tucked under his jacket after re-securing the panel in his forearm. For reasons he couldn't understand Connor was now suddenly very concerned for the dog's well being and wanted to make sure he'd be okay. It was as if he had suddenly felt responsible for the dog and wanted to take care of him in a way he just couldn't put into words.

Holding the bottle of partially frozen Thirium over the small flame was enough to cause the ice crystals to steadily thaw, but the howling wind and stubborn snow falling from the sky guaranteed that the bonfire would be smothered out before the Thirium was pure liquid again. Shaking the bottle and turning it slowly above the flames, Connor managed to get the Thirium to a more drinkable consistency just as the snow and wind doused the bonfire and left behind only a small pile of ashes and an equally small plume of smoke that disappeared into the wind.

"H-Hope this is e-enough."

Tripping a little as he walked through the deep snow Connor knelt down beside the bench and opened the lid on the now warmed bottle of Thirium and held it up for Bruno to lap-up. When the dog didn't immediately start drinking the Thirium Connor sighed and put his free hand on Bruno's head.

"Y-You need it m-more than I do." Coughing as the wind chilled his vents and caused the circulating Thirium within to slowly freeze, Connor had to fight to speak and encourage Bruno to drink the Thirium. "...The s-s-sooner you drink this, the s-sooner we c-can find sh-shelter."

Whining a little Bruno nosed the end of the bottle to try to push it back toward Connor to drink.

"No. I'm n-not more import-tant than y-you. We're b-both free d-deviants and j-just need to surv-vive."

Bruno reluctantly started to lap-up the Thirium as Connor gently rubbed his ears in a reassuring manner. For the first time in months the decommissioned K-9 unit had someone watching over him like his deceased former partner used to do, and it was nice to have someone understand him even if they could only speak on a cybernetic level.

"G-Good dog."

As the Thirium disappeared from the bottle an icy wind gusted over the river and cut into the exposed artificial skin of Connor's face and neck. The blizzard was relentless and anyone who was exposed to the extreme cold was feeling the ill effects of the foul weather itself.

Curling around himself as much as possible Connor tried to endure the harsh winter winds as his artificial lungs begged him to find warm air to circulate through his core. Every breath he took ached at his chest and his core as a whole. Small ice crystals began to form inside the lines circulating Thirium around his chest and soon Connor's entire Thirium supply would become too slushy and frozen to circulate properly.

"W-We need to-"

Coughing harshly Connor dropped the empty Thirium bottle in the snow beside him and leaned forward on both knees. Curling around himself enough to brace against the chilly wind, Connor's ventilation biocomponents spasmed as the vital biocomponents tried to agitate the freezing Thirium enough to break up the ice crystals and keep the Thirium circulating.

"F-Find..." Trying again, Connor spoke to Bruno as he began to lose power due to the strain on his biocomponents and slip into emergency stasis mode. "Find... sh-shelter."

Collapsing on to his side in the snow as his eyes slipped shut, Connor knew nothing more of the world around him. Blackness stole everything from Connor's vision as a faint red text warning him of his freezing Thirium and dropping core temperature appeared then faded away within seconds. The snowy white storm vanished from sight and the sound of the howling wind became eerily silent.

Sensing that something was very wrong with his new friend Bruno climbed off the bench and circled around Connor while nervously whining and sniffing at the downed deviant. Pawing at the snow covered ground anxiously Bruno's own system was able to pick up on Connor's weakened vital signs and his emergency programming as a K-9 unit, decommissioned or not, prompted Bruno to find first aid for Connor before it was too late.

Sniffing at the air Bruno sent out a cybernetic 'ping' to find the nearest the first responder and honed in on a registered vehicle patrolling the immediate area.

Letting out a single loud bark Bruno rushed off toward the street and nearby patrolling car as fast as his three legs could carry him. The building snow and his slowly regaining strength were only mild obstacles to the still dedicated decommissioned K-9 unit.

Making a slow and careful drive from the quiet hospital back to his lonely house in the dark of the snowy night, Hank sipped at his cup of overly sweetened coffee and turned off his radio to escape the nonstop chatter from dispatch. Not wanting to listen to music and accidentally distract himself from his snowy, hazardous environment while navigating the slick streets, Hank stared through the somewhat foggy windshield and ignored the rhythmic swiping of the windshield wiper blades moving back and forth in an endless battle to clear the snow, ice and rain from the glass barrier. Driving anywhere in the snow made Hank think of the horrible night he lost Cole, and knowing that the world around him was struggling to survive made those thoughts twice as bleak.

The senior detective peered through his side window as he idled alone at a red light and tried to get an idea of how deep the snow had become. It looked as if the snowplows and salt trucks hadn't even touched the city thanks to the brutality of the thickening snow and ice. Thankfully there were no other cars in the area and the light traffic made things a little easier to handle.

"Shit. I hope no one got caught up in this mess. Tonight's a terrible night to be left out in the cold."

Just as the red light turned green a furry mass suddenly appeared in front of the Oldsmobile and refused to budge. The mass stood in front of the Oldsmobile and seemed intent on keeping Hank from leaving.

"What the fuck?"

Shifting the car into park to ensure the car didn't slip on the slick roads, Hank eyed the creature through his windshield as if needing to figure out what he was seeing in the middle of the storm.

"Is that a damn dog? Son of a bitch..."

A loud bark confirmed his suspicions as Hank finally realized that the dog was a three-legged German Shepherd. Noting a red glow in the right temple of the dog also confirmed that Hank was looking at an android dog and not an organic dog.

"Don't tell me the animals are going deviant, too..."

Opening his door Hank stepped out of the car and made a move toward the dog to shoo it away from his car and out of the street. As he waved his hands toward the dog Hank noticed that the dog seemed to be focusing directly on him as if the dog had been trying to track him down and was now trying to tell him something.

"Go on, get outta' here. Go find somewhere warm to hide for the night. Go on!"

The dog stepped toward Hank and pressed his nose against Hank's hand before biting onto the cuff of Hank's coat in a strong grip. Tugging a little the dog began to pull on Hank's coat to try to lead him elsewhere.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Protesting the dog's aggressive attempt at communication Hank refused to budge and verbally disciplined the dog. "Let go!"

Whining once the dog didn't stop tugging and pulled even harder on Hank's coat. The dog's three legs were no match for the steadfast human and it started to slip on the icy street under his paws as it failed to pull Hank forward.

"I said..." Jerking his arm down Hank yanked the sleeve out of the dog's mouth and then held up both arms to keep them away from the dog. "Let go!"

Undeterred the dog tried again and whined even louder as it turned around as if trying to point Hank in the right direction. Refusing to move out of the street the dog stood its ground and pawed at the snowy street while grumbling at Hank.

"What's wrong with you? Crazy fuckin' dog..."

Barking and circling around once the dog tried again to get Hank to follow after it. Desperate and needing help the dog didn't dare move until Hank agreed to follow after it.

"Why aren't you hiding out with the other deviants? No one should..." A horrible thought entered Hank's mind in an instant. "Hold up... Why ARE you out here?"

Picking up on the reason behind the dog's urgency Hank sensed that the dog was trying to tell him something important.

"What are you trying to tell me? Show me. Uh..." Trying to think of the basic dog commands Hank tried something simple yet effective. "Seek?"

Recognizing the command as one from its time as an official K-9 unit, the dog barked once as it L.E.D. cycled in yellow for a beat and began running back down the street and toward the park from whence it came.

"W-Whoa, shit!"

Struggling to keep up with the running dog in the blizzard Hank had to quickly get back inside the car and roll down his side window to keep track of the dog through the snow. It wasn't the oddest chase in Hank's rather unorthodox career as a detective, but it was definitely one of the most memorable. It wasn't easy driving along the slick streets while watching the dog through his side window, however, Hank managed to trail the dog three blocks West and toward a very familiar park that was becoming buried in the snow.

"The park?"

Knowing where the parking lot was at the park despite the heavy snow making everything look like a single white layer, Hank pulled the car into the lot, rolled up his window and watched as the dog continued into the park and then stopped short to wait for Hank to join him.

"Fuck me. Some homeless guy must've gotten caught in the storm."

Barking loudly as he waited for Hank to step out of the car the large dog's red L.E.D. glowed brightly against the swirling white snow as it remained focused on taking care of its downed friend.

"Where are you taking me?"

Trudging through the snow Hank followed after the large dog as quickly as he could and managed to keep a decent pace behind the dog.

"What's going on?"

Leading Hank to the cause of alarm the dog stood beside a motionless body laying on its side in the snow next to a bench. Staying beside the downed figure as any loyal dog would do the dog pawed at the person's shoulder and gave Hank a pleading look.

"Oh, no..."

Kneeling down on the snow covered ground Hank pressed his fingertips to the cold neck of the body and failed to find a pulse. The icy coldness of the person's skin reminded Hank of a corpse and had quickly destroyed any hope he had of saving the person who had been left exposed to the cold.

"Fuck, poor guy."

Grabbing onto the person's shoulders Hank gently rolled the body over from their side and onto their back to look at their face before calling in the found body to dispatch. As the figure was rolled over Hank saw an unexpectedly familiar face and in turn Hank's face paled to a deathly shade of shocked white.

"C-Connor?!"

Returning his fingertips to the side of Connor's neck Hank pressed down and waited for a pulse to appear, but still felt nothing. Just as he was about to tear open Connor's jacket to begin C.P.R. on the unresponsive deviant Hank remembered that Connor was an android and androids didn't have pulse points as humans and other organic creatures do.

"Shit, can you hear me? Connor!"

Looking around through the swirling snow around him as hoping to find some more help Hank noticed the dog watching him and honed in on the red L.E.D. in the dog's right temple. Reacting quickly Hank pushed up the beanie covering Connor's hair and saw the L.E.D. in Connor's right temple also cycling in red. If the light was glowing then it meant the android powering said light was still active.

Connor was still alive.

"Oh, man... You scared the shit outta' me! You're the last person I was expecting to see out here."

Replacing Connor's beanie Hank knelt down again and pressed his ear directly against Connor's chest. Over the gusting wind that drowned out the sounds of the rest of the city, Hank was able to hear a slow and feeble beat. The fact that Connor had a heartbeat just confirmed that he and the other deviants throughout the entire country were in fact alive.

"Thank fuck... You're still alive." Hank sighed as his relief was short lived. "But you're unconscious and you're freezing. I can fix this. Yeah, I can fix this..."

Leaning back to rest on his knees Hank took in a deep breath and leaned over Connor one more time as he pulled the deviant's limp arm around his shoulders. Lifting Connor's body up from the snowy ground Hank managed to pull the deviant into a fireman's carry across his broad shoulders and proceeded to turn around slowly.

"Well, I think I can fix this anyway. Fuck me..."

Walking very carefully through the building snow and ice Hank made his way back to the Oldsmobile with Connor now over his shoulders and the android dog trailing after him. Moving cautiously to ensure he didn't slip and land on Connor or accidentally drop Connor as he walked over the unforgiving frozen pavement, Hank decided he'd take Connor back to his house to take care of the deviant and help him get back on his feet as a means of making amends with his former partner.

"Okay, kid. You gotta' trust me right now. I'm the only one who can help you."

Opening up the passenger side door of the car Hank stooped down and sat Connor down in the front passenger seat and then secured the seatbelt over his chest. Shrugging off his own heavy coat the senior detective shuddered a little as he draped the warm garment over Connor's body to try to help the deviant warm up during the drive back to the house.

"All right, good. You're going to be fine."

As he was about to slam the door shut Hank suddenly remembered the dog who had helped save Connor and sighed. Turning to look over his shoulder Hank saw the three-legged android dog watching him and made another odd decision for the night.

"Okay." Snapping his fingers and pointing to the interior of the car Hank motioned for the dog to hop inside. "Come on. Up!"

Grumbling a little the android dog trudged over to the opened door of the car and jumped up to sit on the floor in front of Connor's legs. Placing his paw on Connor's left knee the dog rested his chin on the deviant's right knee to keep close to him.

Without anyone to know his name, Bruno was just the nameless dog who had saved Connor's life by unwittingly reuniting Connor with the last human he'd ever turn to for help.

"Good dog." Hank complimented as he realized that the German Shepard had saved Connor's life. "Very good dog."

Slamming the door shut Hank walked over the front of the car, sat down behind the steering wheel and proceeded to slowly back the car out of the parking lot and onto the street. With Connor now secured inside the warm vehicle Hank proceeded to drive about the increasingly slick streets at a frustratingly slow pace. The last thing he wanted to do was end up in a second car accident or cause any further harm to Connor.

"Hang on, kid."

Turning up the heat inside the car Hank made sure Connor was as warm as possible as he proceeded to handle the roads and struggle to get back home before the full force of the snowstorm hit the city. It was nearing midnight and the storm was predicted to drop approximately two feet of snow and ice over the city.

"I know you don't trust me and I don't blame ya', but you need to trust me just a little bit so I can get ya' somewhere safe, warm and out of the damn storm."

The investigation of sublevel fifty-one had proven to be far more interesting and intriguing than anything the four deviant leaders could've possibly imagined. The hidden floor beneath the tower held what looked like a massive testing bay that was complete with assembly tubes, diagnostic modems, technicians tools, exam tables and several storage cabinets filled with biocomponents, circuit boards and even spare android limbs. It looked as if the quartet of deviant leaders had ventured into the laboratory of a mad scientist who experimented specifically on androids, and said mad scientist had managed to do so without any disturbances as they worked in secrecy beneath the previously highly secured tower.

At the rear of the testing bay was a second door leading to another area that didn't appear anywhere on any of the tower's schematics. A strange garden filled with blooming trees, a calm pond and a towering white trestle of blood red roses at the center had greeted the four deviant leaders after they finally managed to pry open the electronically sealed room by forcing open the locked door.

However, the most bizarre secret found within the garden was another android that no one had seen before. An android that had a model, serial number and design that was unlike any other android, stood idle before the rose trestle in the middle of the garden. With only the faint blue glow of its L.E.D. to illuminate the dark garden the unknown android had been left cast in darkness by CyberLife after the company bankrupted and fled the tower.

Markus had wisely approached the android cautiously from behind and spoke to the android in a calm voice. Noting the pristine white and black blazer of the android standing before himself Markus tried to find a way to reach the still machine-esque being and create a genuine bond of friendship. The moment Markus had reached out to take the android's hand the deviant leader was met with pale gray eyes that were colder than steel.

Staring into the face of the android, one who bore an uncanny and unexpected resemblance to Connor, Markus held tightly on to the android's hand and tried to force a connection between his mind and its mind. The connection was stopped by a powerful firewall and the android easily tossed Markus aside and into the pond water as it cybernetically scanned the garden. The moment it noted there were four deviants in its presence the android began obeying dormant orders from CyberLife to eradicate all deviants upon sight.

The moment the android - the only 'RK-900' in existence, made its violent intentions known, it was met with violence in return.

Not wanting to see her dearest friend and lover destroyed by an unreachable android North returned to the lab to find a weapon to give herself and the other deviants an advantage. Constructing a crude but effective electrical pulse generator North aimed her significantly amplified stun gun at the android's chest the moment it appeared in the doorway to the lab. Waiting for the android to drop Markus after Markus had tried to reach it a second time only to be physically battered by the android, North squeezed the trigger and sent a powerful, debilitating electrical pulse throughout the android's body causing notable damage.

After the android dropped to its knees with smoke billowing from its mouth and its L.E.D. now entirely dark Markus pushed himself up from the floor to check on the damage he had sustained from the hands of the now disabled android. With small cuts to his face around his left eye and left jawline, bruised knuckles, fractured forearms and fractured chest frames, Markus looked like he had been caught in the middle of a boxing match and had lost.

Simon was at Markus's side in an instant and proceeded to pull on Markus's upper arm to pull him back and away from the deactivated android. "Shit! That was too damn close..."

"H-Help him." Markus insisted as he was pulled to his feet and led to a nearby exam table by Simon and Josh as they made sure their leader and friend was tended to properly. "We can't give up on him."

"You're kidding!" North blurted as she tossed her weapon aside onto the floor and gave Markus and incredulous stare. "That thing just tried to kill you!"

"He's a machine, but he can still be awoken." Wincing a little as Simon checked his bleeding lacerations and pressed his hands along the fractured frames along his chest, Markus tried to remain the voice of reason and not let his decisions become clouded by a very unfortunate misunderstanding. "We don't know anything about him, not even his name. We can't just treat him like a lost cause."

"Markus, look at it." Motioning to the motionless android kneeling in a plume of the smoke escaping its mouth North tried to emphasize her point and her mistrust toward the nameless android. "It's just like Connor and Connor was designed to hunt us down. Connor may have deviated but there's no guarantee that this one will deviate, too."

Josh sided with North as he helped Markus to lay back over the exam table so Simon could perform a more accurate assessment of Markus's condition. "She's right. That android's first reaction was to hurt you and target us. We can't risk rebooting it and letting it roam the tower full of deviants."

"We can't just throw him aside or act like he doesn't exist." Arguing with logic and reason Markus pushed Simon's hands back and forced himself to sit upright on the table once more. In pain but not deterred, Markus was focused on finding a way to help the nameless 'RK-900' find his place with his people. "This android is still one of us and needs to be helped."

"No." Refusing to do anything to help the now deactivated android North crossed her arms over her chest and metaphorically put her foot down. "I won't have anything to do with helping something that dangerous."

"Then stand back." Swinging his legs over the edge of the exam table Markus dropped down to his feet and used the edge of the table to support himself after enduring such harsh damage to his chest. He was weak but not too weak to fight back if necessary. "I'll take care of him."

"She... might be right." Hesitantly Simon spoke up and sided with North as he didn't want to do anything with the 'RK-900' either. "The way it attacked you and then targeted us without even saying a word tells me that the android is entirely machine-minded."

"We all were at one time. Why should he be condemned while we all get pardoned?" Using his arms to support his battered chest Markus approached the motionless android and carefully lowered his left hand to the android's right temple. There was a very faint signal coming from the android's intracranial processor confirming that despite the damage it sustained the android could be reactivated over time. "The damage isn't irreparable. We'll keep him in here to recover on his own without anyone disturbing him."

"And then what?" Simon slowly approached the android as well and stood beside Markus. As the tower's lead technician Simon was dedicated to keeping all deviants alive and healthy regardless of who they were and who they could become. "Hope he wakes up in a better mood?"

"No. We make sure he's healed and then we'll try to wake him up and encourage him to join us." As he made a move to pull the android's arm around his shoulders Markus winced and had to pause for a moment before moving again. "We can't give up on him because of one incident."

"...Okay. You're right." Helping Markus lift the android up to his feet Simon pulled the android's other arm around his own shoulders and slowly walked over to the exam table to lay the android down with Markus's help. "We'll keep a diagnostic modem connected to him at all times and monitor him from afar. Recovering on his own will take a long time; weeks if not months, and we won't be able to focus solely on him while taking care of the rest of the tower."

North still protested the notion and made it clear she didn't agree with Markus's decision. "You can't just set up monitors and hope for the best. If it's anything like Connor then it could find a way to escape the tower without anyone noticing it or being able to stop it."

"Then we'll place a security camera over the door." Grimacing as he helped Simon to lay the android over the table Markus tried to give North the reassurance she needed to be on board with the plan. "We won't let him stay out of our sight or be entirely alone as he heals."

"Use the restraints to hold him down on the table, too."

"No." Refusing that particular suggestion Markus worked to unbutton the android's solid black button-down shirt to expose his chest. The necessary monitors and modems included a Thirial activity monitor to ensure the android's Thirium pump didn't burn-out while his self healing program was active. "He's not a prisoner. I won't do that to him."

Biting her lower lip North shook her head and looked away from Markus as if offended by his decision to treat the android like a free person and not a criminal.

"Monitor him closely." Instructing Simon with the android's care Markus stepped back from the table and took in a deep, calming breath. The pain in his chest made basic ventilation unexpectedly difficult. "I'll try to locate Connor and ask him if he knows anything about the 'RK-900' or how to reach him. If anyone can get through to this android, it'll be Connor."

"Connor's gone." Giving Markus a suspicious glance from where she stood North continued to express doubt regarding Markus's decisions. "He left the tower and by all account he will never come back."

"We won't give up on either one of them." Noting the way Simon was moving with utter caution around the android and way Josh was keeping his distance gave Markus confirmation that everyone was nervous about the new android's presence. While Connor was a deviant and empathetic, the new android was still a machine and apathetic. "Remember, we all had to learn how to trust each other before we could accomplish anything together. The same goes for him and for Connor."

The reluctant agreement from Simon and Josh didn't bode well for the future. With North still at odds with his decision Markus knew his future decisions would need to be mutually beneficial for everyone if he was going to keep the loyalty of his friends. Losing allies or trust could prove to be the downfall of New Jericho.

"Now that we have this taken care of," watching the motionless android being tended to by Simon gave Markus a strange sense of kinship with his friends. "we need to focus on finding the assassin potentially hiding in our midst. We won't let Connor's attempted murder go unanswered."

"Only after you get taken care of." North lowered her guard as she approached Markus and wrapped her arm around his arm to give him some physical support as he stood beside the table. "You're wounded and need treatment."

Dismissing his non-lethal damage as nothing more than a minor inconvenience Markus tried to maintain a sense of confidence. "I'll be fine."

"Come on. We'll head back up to the repair bay."

"All right." Turning to look at Simon and Josh as the two deviants finished hooking the monitors to the body of the 'RK-900', Markus asked for them to return to the repair bay as well. "Once the android's stable join us upstairs for a meeting. Also, keep this floor sectioned off from the rest of the tower until the 'RK-900' wakes up."

"Will do." Simon replied as he noted the android's very low power levels and secured the diagnostic cable to the android's blank L.E.D. with a subtle 'click'. With the 'RK-900' surprisingly stable Simon was able to put the android on very minimal support and finish running a diagnostic quickly. "We'll be right behind you."

Josh waited for Markus and North to make it to the elevator together before speaking up again. "We need to keep this android secured."

"And we will."

"I mean with the restraints."

"No, I won't do that." Giving Josh a rather offended glance Simon rejected such a cruel and heartless suggestion. "He's helpless and there's no need to do that to him."

"When he wakes up-"

"He'll be confused and alone." Motioning to the diagnostic modem beside the table Simon confirmed that the android had suffered damage to its intracranial processor, to its biocomponents and confirmed that the android would only be capable of running on minimal power until it had at least two power cells replaced. "He'll also be entirely too weak to stand up on his own, let alone try to do anything to anyone."

"I can't take that chance."

"Good thing I'm the lead technician then." The snippy remark made Josh take a step back as he and Simon had never had such a disagreement before. "I won't restrain a helpless, harmless person, and I won't go against Markus's orders behind his back."

"This is a huge risk!"

"And us standing up for ourselves and fighting for our freedom wasn't?"

"That was different!"

"How?"

"We... Look, this android's first reaction was to attack us." Josh wasn't going to have his fears invalidated by Simon's loyalty to Markus. "What's to say it won't try to attack us again?"

"What's to say he'll behave exactly the same after he wakes up? That electrical pulse took down his system and nearly killed him."

With no retort to such a question Josh fell silent and shook his head as if disappointed.

"Go ahead and meet with Markus and North in the repair bay." Shining a penlight into the android's gray eyes Simon confirmed that the android was currently offline and in the process of a long, lengthy reboot. "I'll make sure he stays stable during his isolated recovery period. I won't be long."

Moving slowly Josh stepped away from the table and walked toward the elevator to leave Simon alone with the unconscious 'RK-900'. Something about the way Simon and Markus were both vouching for the unknown android made Josh feel very uneasy on an internal level.

"It's nothing personal, I assure you."

Speaking to the unresponsive android under his care Simon made sure the 'RK-900' would be safe to reboot by himself without a technician's care.

"Give the world some time to catch up with deviancy tolerance and equality. You'll find your place among your people soon enough."

What was normally a fifteen minute drive took almost an hour to complete. The slow and perilous drive back to the house ended when Hank managed to inch the Oldsmobile up the ice covered driveway and shift the large, old vehicle into park. Careful not to slip on the ice or get blown around by the relentless wind, Hank walked around the front of the vehicle to the passenger side door and set about carrying Connor into the house to escape the storm. Hefting the deviant up and over his shoulder again Hank used his heavy coat to shield Connor's back as much as possible as he trudged through the now calf-deep snow drifts with the android dog following right behind him.

Fumbling with the key to get it into the lock Hank managed to get the front door open and stumble inside his warm livingroom to get out of the blizzard. Grateful that the house was warm and that the power hadn't been knocked out by the storm, Hank carefully lowered Connor down to the couch to rest before securing the front door shut behind him.

"Fuckin' finally..."

With a hearty slam the door was shut and then locked tight for the night. Checking the thermostat as he slipped off his shoes Hank decided to increase the house's temperature a few degrees to help compensate for the icy chill outside and keep the house as warm as possible in the event the power did fail.

"Okay, kid. Let's get you taken care of and warmed up."

Walking over toward the couch and away from the thermostat Hank looked down at Connor and then noticed that the android dog was sitting loyally beside the couch and watching Connor carefully. That type of loyalty and bond was rare to see in anyone, let alone a deviant new to emotions and an android animal that may not even be capable of deviating whatsoever.

"Sumo?"

Calling the Saint Bernard's name Hank heard the massive dog jump down from the bed in his bedroom and was soon met with the large furry oaf wagging his tail as he entered the livingroom.

"Some watchdog you are. Uh, what do you think of our guests?"

Grumbling a little Sumo followed after Hank as Hank knelt beside the couch and took notice of both Connor and the android dog sitting between the couch and the coffee table. Curiously Sumo approached the German Shepherd and sniffed at Bruno's nose while Bruno sniffed back, then barked once as he wagged his tail even harder. Trotting around the coffee table Sumo plucked his green fetch ball from his own pillow in the corner of the livingroom and brought it over to the new dog to drop down at its paws.

Unsure of what to do with the toy Bruno pawed at the ball once then used his nose to roll it back toward Sumo. Standing up from where he had been sitting Bruno accompanied Sumo over the large pillow after Sumo reclaimed the ball and seemingly understood that Sumo was welcoming him into the house. Being able to curl up on a warm pillow instead of being stranded in the cold city gave Bruno enough reason to stay in the house and keep an eye on Connor until his deviant companion was awake.

"Okay, good. You won't kill each other."

Glad that Sumo wasn't going to be aggressive toward the new dog in any way Hank proceeded to check on Connor and try to figure out how to help the hypothermic deviant.

"You two keep getting along and I'll do what I can to wake Connor up."

Pressing the back of his hand to Connor's forehead Hank was able to check the deviant's temperature and knew he was still dangerously cold. Removing the beanie from Connor's hair Hank checked for any sign of a head wound, then worked on unzipping the deviant's jacket and the hoodie beneath. The layers were keeping the cold out and away from Connor's core, but were also preventing the warmth from getting in.

"All right, kid."

Pressing his palm down over Connor's abdomen Hank tried to get an idea of how cold Connor actually was but he couldn't get an accurate read on the deviant's temperature through touch alone. Relying on his emergency training as a first responder Hank then ran his hands along Connor's chest and abdomen and noted that Connor let out a small groan of discomfort when his hands found the healing frames in Connor's abdomen and applied pressure to the recently repaired artificial stomach.

"Shit, you are hurt after all. I mean, more than your arm." Hank still felt immense guilt for shooting Connor and had to force himself to not stare at Connor's left arm where his bullet had struck. "Let's just hope this is as rough as you'll get."

After checking Connor's arms and legs for any signs of breaks or fractures Hank set about finding more layers and heating pads to help Connor warm up and regain consciousness. Pulling his coat out from beneath Connor's back as the deviant laid over top of it, Hank shook out the garment to ensure there wasn't any snow or ice clinging to the fabric before using it as a warm layer again. The good, firm shake caused Hank's phone to fall from the pocket and something else to go flying from the coat's pocket and hit the floor with a metallic clatter.

"What the fuck?"

Trailing the sound to the offending object Hank watched as a coin circled about on its side for two small loops before falling over and landing head side up.

"Shit."

Picking up the dropped coin Hank remembered that he had snatched the quarter from Connor back at the Stratford Broadcast Tower and never gave the coin back to him. Rubbing his thumb over the surface of the old coin for a moment Hank placed the coin down into Connor's limp hand and curled the deviant's fingers around the coin to hold on to it while he was unconscious. As far as Hank knew it was Connor's only personal possession.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken that away from you. It's your coin and not my business what you do with it."

Draping his coat over Connor's upper body to keep him warm Hank then set about locating extra blankets, clothes, heating pads and even a portable space heater to ensure Connor recovered from his hypothermia. The task wouldn't be too time consuming, but it would be crucial in keeping Connor alive until the storm passed.

"This is going to be a long night thanks to the damn storm. With any luck the power will hold and we'll be completely safe here."

Connor didn't react to Hank's voice speaking to him or react to Bruno as the android dog attempted to awaken him through a cybernetic line of communication. As the warmer air began to circulate through his ventilation biocomponents Connor coughed a little and a small crackle of icy Thirium within the lines inside his chest made the deviant sound as sick and miserable as he looked.

Hank sighed as he glanced at the blizzard covering the entire city under a layer of white through the livingroom window, and knew that keeping Connor warm and stable would be a bit of challenge. Not only did Hank not know much about androids in general, but a lack of supplies for androids and a lack of help would make things all the more complicated.

Having Sumo and the nameless android dog around made the house feel rather secure, and if necessary they could help Hank and Connor remain warm. After all, Sumo was a Saint Bernard and bred for icy climates, and Bruno - even if Hank didn't know that was the dog's name, was a German Shepherd that was bred to be a loyal and intelligent protector. Android or not, Bruno could be a very helpful companion.

"If we can just cooperate with one another for a few hours then we can survive this night together."

Placing his palm down over Connor's forehead again Hank could feel that the deviant's temperature had remained static at its current number and that Connor needed to get warmed up as soon as possible. Extra blankets and heating pads would be the best way to get started. With any luck Connor's condition wouldn't deteriorate any further now that he was out of the blizzard.

"I know you can't hear me, but, I'm sorry for hurting you and betraying your trust in the past. You didn't deserve to be disrespected just for walking through the door and following your orders."

The urge to make amends made Hank speak to the deviant in a surprisingly kind and contrastingly compassionate manner compared to his previously gruff behavior.

"I want to make things right, please be patient with me."

-next chapter-