It was a strange new world for Lucas as he adjusted to his new and abrupt sense of self and his new life as a free deviant. Despite knowing what had happened to allow the Revolution to happen, despite having Connor as his support and having Markus as an ally, and despite having every opportunity to begin his life with a great reputation and only positive connections, Lucas couldn't help but feel as if his presence inside New Jericho Tower was somehow an intrusion. There was a strange tension in the air that only Lucas seemed to feel whenever he dared to roam the halls of the tower in favor of hiding out in his temporary private quarters or hovering over Sydney on the hidden sublevel. He felt like someone was always watching him and he didn't like that feeling.
Sydney himself hadn't made any progress on his recovery, although Lucas had managed to help Simon reverse engineer the missing vital components that were necessary for Sydney to reboot at last. It was difficult to anticipate how Sydney would behave after reactivation, and it'd be all the more complicated if he was left with permanent damage to his hearing, sight, voice or memorybank.
While Lucas had worked to aid the shutdown android as much as he could, he had also taken the liberty of altering his appearance slightly to help make himself stand out more when compared to Connor and Sydney in general. Lucas had darkened his hair from its rich brown hue to a raven black coloration and had managed to alter the color of his ocular components thanks to his advanced software. Now with green eyes in favor of steel gray eyes, Lucas appeared far more distinct and looked oddly more alive and less machine-like.
"This should be the last necessary component to reactivate Sydney's system." Lucas confirmed as he tweaked the final bits of circuitry before soldering them to the delicate piece of internal hardware that'd be synced with Sydney's intracranial processor. The last bits of circuits came from Lucas's own left forearm since his system was designed to allow him to be more sensitive to physical interactions with the world around him. "Hopefully his system will recognize the compatibility with my more advanced system and allow his external sensors to reactivate without issue."
"According to the latest diagnostics," Simon noted the details as he watched Lucas work with an impressed stare. "Sydney's system is now salvageable. Once the final component is in place we can attempt a manual reactivation and hope his processor begins the reboot processor without further manual interference."
"If we can get his system to activate without it requiring manual interference to initiate basic functions, then Sydney can and will recover." Finished with the final component Lucas gently lifted the newly updated hardware with a pair of surgical tweezers and let Simon take it in his own hand. "I trust you to install this on my behalf. My left hand is currently too weak to handle a two-handed procedure."
Simon accepted the tweezers and gave Lucas a stunned look. "You trust me to do this?" Even though he was the tower's lead technician Simon was still humble and acknowledged that Lucas had the superior skills thanks to having the most advanced programming CyberLife ever created guiding his every decision. "You're the one who can complete this without ever needing to double-check your work after the procedure."
"I have no reason to not trust you." Replying honestly Lucas flexed his left hand as he used a soldering iron on the remaining open circuits in his left forearm before closing the plastimetal panel and regenerating his artificial skin over the limb. His arm and hand would recalibrate to their former strength and mobility once it had enough time to heal on its own. "You aren't the type of person to harm another person. You're helping those who need it without question."
The bode of confidence made the blond technician modestly smirk. When the door to the secretive sublevel slid open and Markus appeared Simon's smirk turned into a full and bright smile upon seeing the deviant leader joining in on the procedure. "Markus, good timing."
"I take it there's finally been an update on Sydney's condition." Markus sounded relieved and tired at the same time. It was evident the deviant leader hadn't been adequately entering rest mode thanks to his somewhat wobbly stature and his low voice. "What did I miss?"
"Just the final component being completed." Showing Markus the fruit of his and Lucas's collaboration, Simon smiled and prepared to finally finish putting Syndey back together. If all of their theories were correct then the group of helpful onlookers were about to witness and take part in the first reactivation of an android that had suffered what was once considered irreparable damage. "Once this is installed then we can attempt to manually reboot Sydney."
"That's incredible." Walking closer to the exam table where Sydney was laying entirely prone and unresponsive, Markus looked down at the shutdown android with utter intrigue evident in his mismatched eyes. Even his fatigue couldn't mask his enthusiasm. "How soon until you can attempt to reactivate him?"
"It'll take six hours for proper recalibration." The blond technician explained as he gently turned Sydney's head so he could have access to the back of the android's head. The lack of artificial skin and hair had become normal for Sydney ever since Simon began to work on reviving his system. "After that, we'll run numerous tests to ensure his system tolerates the new components and attempt to reactivate through manual external stimulation."
"You'll send an electrical charge through his pump as if you were trying to defibrillate a destabilized heart rhythm?" The procedure seemed unusual to the deviant leader, but then again, he wasn't the chief technician of the tower. He trusted his allies to make the correct call but needed to hear it for himself. "Is that really necessary?"
"Since he wasn't shutdown through any proper procedures we cannot simple reboot him by traditional means." As he explained his methods Simon opened the panel on the back of Sydney's cranium to replace the last burned out piece of hardware and circuitry with the recently modified component. "We'll have to take a more crude approach to restart his system and ensure his pump engages first and foremost to get his Thirium circulating through his entire system."
"And when will we know if he'll reboot and be active again?"
"If his heart restarts then he'll be able to function as an active android again."
"...Not a deviant." Lowering his gaze to the floor Markus's shoulders slumped while his voice dipped equally low. "Damn it."
Lucas finished fussing with his left hand and gave Markus a rather perplexed glance at his dour reaction. "I was not initially a deviant upon my reaction. Sydney will be given the same opportunity that I had been given."
"Sydney was active for several hours and had formed memories before he was shut down." The sound of Simon securing the component into place and closing the plastimetal panel drew Markus's eyes upward from the floor and to Sydney's blank face with a sense of cautious optimism. "If he's still an obedient machine he may react negatively to all of our presences. There's also a chance he could be emotionally compromised by being gunned down by a CyberLife guard."
"That is true. If anything, Sydney will have a strong dislike toward any and all humans after what he endured." Agreeing with Markus's concerns Lucas secured his recalibrating left hand in a supportive sling around his shoulder to keep the appendage stable. Using only his right hand Lucas then assisted Simon with securing the diagnostic cable to Sydney's right temple and dull L.E.D. to ensure he rebooted properly. "Then again, his memories of that particular moment could have been corrupted."
"We'll have to make sure that Connor is here, not only out of respect for Connor but to ensure that Sydney can ask questions and get some answers by another deviant who bore witness to everything that had happened to him."
"I'll contact Connor and let him know what's happening."
Simon nodded as he proceeded to check over the system diagnostic and managed to show another proud smirk. "Let him know Sydney's processor is ready to be rebooted as I speak."
Markus and Lucas look over at the diagnostic modem and saw that Sydney's system was finally online and beginning its slow process of a full reboot. The sight of seeing life returning to a shutdown android, someone who had been declared death almost two months prior, was impressive to say the least.
"What's next?" A little eager to see if Sydney could live again and not just merely exist, Markus gave the rebooting android a hopeful look. "He'll need the external stimuli, right?"
"That's right." Pulling the white sheet down from Sydney's bare chest Simon pulled the two external pump stimulator paddles from the sides of the nearby Thirial activity monitor and placed the first paddle down on the center of Sydney's chest and pressed the second paddle on the left side of his chest - at the apex of his currently motionless Thirium pump. "I'll start at the lowest setting; two-hundred Jules."
Lucas took a cautious step back from the table to ensure he wasn't shocked as well and made sure Markus did the same. "I'm grateful that I didn't require such a crude method to reboot."
"Fortunately, he won't feel a thing." Simon managed to offer surprising words of comfort before preparing the charge. "Everyone keep away from the table and cross your fingers."
The two observing deviants made sure they were at a safe distance as the charge quickly built on the Thirial pump stimulator. Unsure if they should remain optimistic or let the cushion of pessimism potentially soften the blow of a very real chance of failure left the two deviants momentarily speechless.
"All right, sending charge!" Pressing the paddles down against Sydney's chest Simon pressed his thumbs down on the release triggers on the backs of the two paddles to let the pump restarting jolt surge through Sydney's heart. The jolt traveled from paddle, through the stopped pump and into the second paddle. "Charge delivered successfully."
The Thirial activity monitor remained blank as the jolt passed through Sydney's pump - his stopped heart; and failed to stimulate the pump properly. Not deterred in the slightest Simon upped the charge to two-hundred and fifty Jules before returning the paddles to Sydney's chest.
"Sending a second charge..." Once more Simon pressed down the paddles and watched as the charge surged through Sydney's heart. The increased voltage was strong enough to make Sydney's otherwise motionless body twitch slightly as his system responded to the stronger shock. A small 'blip' on the monitor drew everyone's attention the display screen while holding their breaths. "One beat."
Lucas ran a scan over Sydney's system and detected the previously stopped heart twitching a little as the pump contracted again and then relaxed as a second, then third and fourth beat followed the first. "I can detect a pulse."
"Monitor confirms the same pulse." Needing to be certain Simon returned the paddles to the stimulator and pulled an audioscope from the small rolling table of tools and put the earbuds in place before pressing the metal bell of the instrument against Sydney's chest. The android's chest gently rose and fell as his L.E.D. shifted from gray to red in coloration, then yellow. "Strong and stable heartbeat, and he's ventilating on his own. He's back online."
Proud of his friends' hard work Markus grinned and put his palm down on Sydney's shoulder. "This is incredible. You two managed to bring someone back from the dead. We can save so many more of our people and given them the chance to finally live as free deviants!"
"Don't celebrate just yet." Simon cautioned as he reactivated the artificial skin over Sydney's body. As the layer of skin slowly swept over the ivory white frame like a tide against the shore, the three deviants noted that a large patch of the skin failed to regenerate fully over Sydney's right eye leaving him with exposed plastimetal that encircled his eye and stretched partially down his right cheek. "Damn... His system is rebooting and it's recalibrating to the new components, but his system isn't fully compatible with the new components."
Markus eyed the exposed plastimetal curiously as he sought more information from his ally. "What does that mean?"
"Just as I feared." Gently Simon lifted up Sydney's right eyelid and revealed that his entire optical unit was pitch black save for the opaque bright blue dot that covered all of Sydney's brown iris and pupil. "He's blind in his right eye. I suspect he'll have a faulty auditory processor in his right ear as well."
"Can these issues be fixed?"
"It's difficult to determine at this time, but theoretically it's entirely possible."
Lucas lightly pressed his right palm against Sydney's left cheek as his connected his system to Sydney's system. He could detect a broken link between his new component and the visual process of his right eye. "It is possible. It'll take time for his system to fully recalibrate to the altered components, but in time he'll be able to have his vision and hearing restored to full function."
"At least there's still a chance for Sydney to have all of his functions fully operational. That's good enough for now."
"I'll inform Connor of this update." Lucas volunteered with a small grin on his face. "He'll want to be here when Sydney awakens."
The entirety of the previous night, morning and afternoon had been spent with Connor painstakingly looking into any and all information collected on the known fugitive Jack Pillar. It had been a laborious task since Connor had years of files that needed to be located and decoded after Pillar used his internal connections to hide his misdeeds in the past. Fortunately for Connor his advanced forensics software and still solid connection to the Central Precinct's internal databases allowed him to delve as deep as he wanted to go while sifting through the blackened documents. It wasn't too difficult for Connor decipher the coding or remove the black bars that had initially redacted the crucial information that kept Pillar out of prison, and with that information he was able to begin a proper search.
To make things easier for Connor to sift through, a majority of the police activity was revolving around the narcotics division since there was a sudden surge in overdoses on 'red ice' since the beginning of the new year. At least one-hundred people had been hospitalized in the past forty-eight hours and as a result Connor was able to more easily access police records that pertained to fugitives and homicide since fewer people were looking at the same files at the same time.
Sitting on the black leather sofa across from the display board Connor danced his quarter along his right knuckles as his soulful brown eyes remained transfixed on the details slowly emerging from his dig into Pillar's past. The gruesome details of the numerous murders Pillar had committed, of all the overdoses that were linked directly to his distribution of 'red ice', his threats of blackmail and all the assaults all made Connor's blue blood metaphorically boil.
"Jack Pillar is too dangerous to be allowed to roam the streets in any capacity."
Almost growling as he made his assessment Connor forced himself to read the report regarding the murder of one woman in particular: Barbara Marie Harris.
The report confirmed that Barbara had been a part of Hank's task force assigned to bring down the biggest 'red ice' ring in all of Detroit. The report also confirmed that one of Pillar's corrupted police contacts had exposed Barbara's name and her secret marriage to Hank making her an ideal target for Pillar. All it took was one bullet to Barbara's back while she was on foot patrol to end her life and leave Hank a widower and leave Cole without his mother.
"Now I understand the Lieutenant's near obsession in tracking down Pillar. Pillar murdered the Lieutenant's wife in cold blood."
Bruno, who had been laying on the floor with his ears pointed forward at the display board, perked up at that comment and turned to look at Connor over his shoulder. The decommissioned K-9 unit understood everything Connor was saying and let out a small grumble as he asked Connor a question on an unspoken cybernetic level.
"No, I won't assist the Lieutenant in achieving revenge against Pillar."
Tilting his head a little, Bruno whined and licked at his nose as his L.E.D. flickered between blue and yellow for a beat.
"I will help the Lieutenant find Pillar and have him arrested, but I will not condone him taking Pillar's life. That misplaced sense of justice needs to end."
The notion of humans killing each other humans to make things feel balanced was too primitive for the deviant's mind to fully comprehend. As far as he was concerned taking one life to justify the taking of another life would just create an endless cycle of murderous violence.
"I'm certain that I'll be able to assist with the investigation by being an unofficial consultant outside the precinct. I won't get in the Lieutenant's way and I won't make the other officers feel threatened by my presence."
Grumbling again Bruno lowered his chin to his outstretched paws and resumed staring up at the unblinking faces of the photos of Pillar and his known associates as if memorizing the details in the event he needed to track someone down. Ever loyal to Connor for saving his life, Bruno was eager to do anything he could to assist his deviant partner's search for Jack Pillar.
"Pillar has lost many of his connections due to his prolonged absence from the city." Cybernetically Connor cleared the images and names from the digital display board after confirming that the man's past allies had severed all contact with him. He also began removing faces and names of contacts that were currently in prison or had died to greatly narrow down his suspect list. "That leaves just two people left to investigate."
The images that remained were of two men. The first was Roman 'Rampage' Coleman, a notorious leader of an anti-android gang and 'red ice' dealer. The second man was Ted 'The Red Ice King' Jones. Rampage was currently walking the streets as of the moment simply because no one dared to touch the issue of anti-android bigotry out of fear of repercussions. Jones had been in and out of jail due to a cancer diagnosis giving him potential access to any loyal member of his own gang getting in contact with him at the hospital where he was actively receiving treatment.
"Considering Rampage is more focused on androids and distributing drugs than the police or drugs I think it's safe to rule him out for the time being." Stopping the coin's dance Connor held his quarter between his index knuckle and thumb as his L.E.D. cycled in blue and yellow at a rapid clip. "That leaves only Jones."
Tapping into the medical records of the prison where Jones had been secured took only a moment thanks Connor's impressive cybernetic speed. The medical file regarding Jones's health confirmed that he went to St. Mercy Hospital every two weeks for his chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Based on the record's timeline Connor was able to confirm that the night Pillar gunned down Mike Winters was the same night Jones had gone to the hospital for his latest treatment. Jones was taken to the hospital at ten o'clock on New Year's Eve and secured in an isolated wing to receive his treatment between midnight and two o'clock in the morning. It was entirely possible for Pillar to meet with Jones in the hospital without anyone noticing him due to the late hour and holiday causing a mild distraction.
"I'll inform the Lieutenant of my progress."
Rising to his feet Connor slipped his coin into his pocket while he cybernetically turned off the images on the display board. Such behavior prompted Bruno to grumble as he rose to his three paws. Wagging his tail slowly the dog looked to his partner and cybernetically asked if they were going to track down Pillar and Jones in person.
"No, it'd be best to hand my information over and back off. I don't want to step on any toes since I'm a private detective and no longer a member of the Detroit police force."
Snuffing a little Bruno grabbed his new leash from the hook beside the front door and held the lead in his teeth as he watched Connor slip on his trench coat and fedora. The K-9 unit was determined to accompany Connor outside the brownstone since he was working on an active investigation.
"We'll stop by New Jericho Tower as well. I want to check on Sydney."
Sitting patiently at Connor's feet Bruno wagged his tail again the moment the leash was clipped to his collar. It was now routine for Connor to take Bruno virtually everywhere so they could watch one another's backs.
"I suspect that Lucas and Simon have been working on his system since I last saw them. I suspect they've made progress as well."
Opening the front door Connor led Bruno outside then used his key to lock the door behind him. With the brownstone secured Connor and Bruno went on their way to the Central Precinct to see Hank for a moment and deliver the Lieutenant some crucial details on Jack Pillar. Connor wanted to help get a dangerous man off the streets but was currently more preoccupied with Lucas and Sydney since he wanted to help his fellow deviants find their places in the world.
Walking just down the snowy block was uneventful for the two deviants until Lucas cybernetically reached out to Connor and requested his presence. 'Connor, I have some news on Sydney. I hope I'm not interrupting something important.'
'Lucas, you aren't interrupting anything at the moment.' Replying cybernetically Connor continued to walk down the sidewalk with Bruno at his side as they casually made they way to the precinct on foot. 'I'm glad to hear from you. I had planned on stopping by New Jericho this evening.'
'If you can arrive within the next three hours that'll be ideal.'
'What has happened?'
'Sydney is back online.' Lucas confirmed in a calm and collected tone that masked his enthusiasm for the positive change. 'His pump is beating, he's ventilating on his own and his processor is the process of a full reboot.'
'That's fantastic!' Smiling a little as he continued to walk and silently speak with Lucas from afar, Connor felt like things were finally improving for everyone. 'I'll be at the tower as soon as I can. I must finish one errand before I arrive at New Jericho.'
'That's understandable. I'll inform Markus and Simon of your impending arrival.'
'Thank you. I'll see you soon.'
Ending the cybernetic communication Connor moved his hand over to Bruno's ears and gave them a light rub and was rewarded by Bruno wagging his tail again.
"We'll stop by New Jericho after we see the Lieutenant. Lucas and now Sydney will be waiting for us to arrive."
Exhaustion was thick in the air as the hectic Central Precinct bullpen struggled to keep on top of their numerous cases and latest calls regarding potential crimes happening in real time. The sudden influx of 'red ice' causing many violent altercations between dealers, buyers and unintentional witnesses to the illegal transactions taking place all throughout the city had become quite the distraction. A majority of the people who had taken the 'red ice' to get high had been rushed to the nearest hospitals after overdosing on the potent drug. The concentration of the fresh batch of 'red ice' was so high that those with a low tolerance for the drug were left fighting for their lives after being exposed, while chronic users were left dangerously ill. Others had been shot or stabbed for seeing something they shouldn't have seen.
Hank had been trying to focus solely on tracking down Pillar but the 'red ice' flood sweeping through the streets prompted Captain Fowler to try to redirect his attention elsewhere to stay on top of the overdoses. As a result, Hank was now royally pissed off on top of being thoroughly exhausted from the sleep he lost while trying to handle the Pillar case by himself. Having all of his hard work essentially dismissed over some 'red ice' was enough to leave the seasoned detective in an impressively foul mood.
"Fucking useless junkies are just getting in the damn way." Complaining out loud as he and Chris returned to the precinct's parking garage, Hank made it clear he had no sympathy for the people who went out of their way to intentionally poison themselves for a passing high. "I have more important shit to do than try to figure out what some brain-dead moron laying in a hospital bed is trying to tell me through their drool!"
Chris wanted to remind Hank that he had no right to judge those people in the hospital since he didn't know their life stories. As far as Chris was concerned, the people in the hospital were sick and in need of help, not judgment. The young officer reminded himself every day to never pass judgment on anyone or assume the worst of people. No one is perfect and no one deserves to be dismissed because of a single mistake.
"I need to get back to dealing with Pillar. Do NOT bother me with another one of these damn overdoses, Chris." Using his most commanding voice Hank unfastened his seatbelt and made sure the junior officer understood him. "I need to get Pillar off the streets to STOP this fuckin' mess, and if Fowler keeps putting me on patrol then I won't get any work done!"
"I understand, Lieutenant." Keeping his head down Chris did his best to not get on Hank's bad side. "I'll find someone else to patrol with if Captain Fowler sends me out again. I think Person and Wilson are eager to get some experience in handling narcotics cases anyway."
"Why can't the rest of the bullpen be as reasonable as you?" Marching toward the precinct with Chris a few steps behind himself Hank sighed and tried to ignore his persistent urge to drown his anger in cheap whiskey. "My life would be so much easier if people just fuckin' listened to what I said the first time."
Keeping a safe distance between himself and the gruff Lieutenant, Chris made his way through the bullpen to deliver his report to Captain Fowler and to get some coffee to keep himself alert throughout the hectic day. Spotting Tina already in the corner of the room with a cup of tea in her hands had prompted the young officer to speak with her in private for a moment.
"So, how's your day been?" Chris asked casually as he reached for a clean mug from the cupboard to get his coffee fix. "I know that if I see another person looking sick and frail in the hospital, I'm going to have to find a quiet spot to let out my frustration."
"Tell me about it. I hate hospitals." Tina empathized as she sipped her tea slowly and turned to lean with her back against the countertop. Motioning toward her empty desk Tina lamented that her partner had the day off while she had to work. "Dealing with Gavin in the hospital sucked enough, but dealing with a bunch of sick people in the hospital without my best friend to help out sucks more."
"Man, Gavin really lucked out with his day off right now."
"Nah. He's apartment hunting right now and we all know how much that sucks."
"Already?" That little detail caused Chris to give Tina an odd glance as he added sugar to his coffee and stirred it in. "Didn't he just move into his new place a couple months ago?"
"He hates it there and is willing to take the hit in ending his lease early. He's been crashing at my place as often as possible to avoid it entirely."
"Well, I'm sure he'll..." Trailing off Chris's brow furrowed a little as he saw someone unexpected pass through the precinct's bullpen and make a beeline for Hank who was slumped at his desk looking pissed off at the world. The sight of the rogue deviant detective actually inside the precinct was rather unusual. "What's Connor doing here?"
"No clue." Clutching at her tea with both hands Tina gave him a focused stare from the distance. "But I'm glad to see he's okay after everything he went through. I also want to talk to him before he goes."
Connor had arrived at the precinct and requested for Bruno to sit outside the front doors to wait for his return. He didn't want the decommissioned K-9 unit to get overstimulated by being inside of an active precinct again. Approaching the desk slowly Connor waited to see if Hank would notice him, but when Hank never even looked away from his terminal screen Connor decided to speak up.
"Lieutenant?" Connor saw Hank immediately tense up at the sound of his voice before turning to look up at him with a steeled gaze. Wanting to get right to the point Connor deactivated the artificial skin from his right hand and raised it toward the terminal screen. "I have something to-"
"If it's about the Winters's or any 'red ice' problems, I already know." Snapping a little Hank didn't even give Connor the chance to explain why he was there or what he had to offer. "I don't need anyone else piling anything onto my already full plate!"
"I'm not here to-"
"Whatever you want is going to have to wait." Too impatient and annoyed to give Connor even a second of his time Hank turned back to his screen and tried to wave Connor off with a dismissive motion of his hand. "I have important shit to handle. Just leave me alone to work on it."
"It's about Jack Pil-"
"Do NOT go near him." Suddenly on the defensive Hank rose to his feet and gave Connor a rather aggressive glare. He didn't want anyone else to take down Jack Pillar and he wasn't going to lose his chance to avenge his wife's murder. "He's MINE to bring in and MINE to take down! No one else is going to do anything without my say-so, even YOU! Got it?"
The fact that Hank openly admitted to wanting to kill Pillar only reinforced Connor's wariness of associating with the Lieutenant and of being around humans in general. Feeling the fiery glare from Hank and the curious eyes of the rest of the bullpen watching his every move quickly persuaded Connor to back off and not even attempt to speak reasonably with the hotheaded detective any further.
"...I understand, Lieutenant."
"Good. Now you, and everyone else, leave me the fuck alone!"
Without saying another word Connor subtly placed his still exposed right hand to the back of Hank's terminal screen and uploaded his gathered information on Pillar for Hank to use as he saw fit. There was no reason for Connor to try to help Hank any further since the man made it very clear that he wanted to handle the case alone and had already made up his mind on how he'd handle it.
Hank never lost his glare as he watched Connor lower his hand, none the wiser of what the rogue deviant had done, and back away from the desk with his head hung low as if ashamed or embarrassed by even trying to help. Watching Connor take his leave of the bullpen left Hank feeling like he had finally been heard only to feel like he had just taken out his frustration on the wrong person. He knew that Connor was only trying to help, and yet he mistook the deviant's presence as a mockery or intrusion regarding his own skill as a trained investigator and experienced detective.
"Hank." Captain Fowler called out to the Lieutenant after hearing Hank snap and shout in the bullpen. Doing his best to keep his own tone civil Captain Fowler refused to shout at Hank in front of everyone else. "My office. Right now."
"...Fuckin' shit."
Putting his hands to his hips Hank walked over to his commanding officer's private office and pulled the door shut behind him. Taking in a deep breath Hank did his best to calm down before he was reminded to keep up a professional demeanor while on the clock and given new assignments to keep him away from Pillar.
The entire bullpen was quiet save for the ringing phones on most people's desks. The way Hank had yelled at Connor just for speaking to him made everyone uncomfortable and only seemed to convince those who saw the outburst that Hank was putting on a show when he said he was no longer anti-android. It was as if he had just revealed everything was a charade.
"That was cruel." Tina sighed as she put aside her tea on the counter behind her and jogged through the bullpen to catch Connor outside the precinct before he disappeared. Locating the rogue deviant outside the precinct doors with Bruno's leash in his hand had given Tina a momentary sense of relief. "Connor! Please wait for a moment. Just one minute is all I ask."
"Officer Chen." Addressing Tina in a professional manner Connor held his ground and made sure his fedora was pulled down far enough to keep his distressed yellow tinted L.E.D. out of sight. He wanted to leave but he didn't want to be rude in return. "I apologize for disturbing-"
"Don't apologize for the Lieutenant being a massive prick." Wrapping her arms around herself Tina immediately regretted not grabbing her jacket in her haste to stop Connor from getting too far away. The January was unforgiving to anyone who didn't layer-up. "Look, I'm not going to make excuses for him, but-"
"I am aware of his current caseload and stressful situation." Not wanting to discuss the incident Connor did his best to sweep everything under the rug. "That is why I had attempted to assist him."
"Then you know that he owes you the apology, not the other way around."
"No. He doesn't owe me anything." Connor stated in a small voice as he pulled on Bruno's leash to signal to the dog that it was time to leave. In that moment Connor just wanted to be around other deviants and far away from humans with short tempers and loaded guns. "Excuse me, I need to be on my way."
"Just one second, please." Giving Connor an awkward grin Tina tried to lighten the mood before he left the area. "I know that it was you who saved Gavin's life."
Connor's posture visibly stiffened as he heard the comment. Unsure of what to say or how to react Connor held his silence while Bruno whimpered a little in response to the stress now filling the air outside the precinct.
"I just wanted to thank you properly. You saved my best friend's life and made me realize how much I care about him."
"...No thanks-"
"Yes, they are! I know..." Pausing for a moment Tina clapped her hands together and then pressed her hands to her nose as she took in a deep breath to quiet her own voice. "I know you mean that you don't expect any heroic recognition or praise for doing the right thing, I really do." Lowering her hands Tina managed to lock eyes with Connor before she continued on. "But I have to say thanks anyway. It makes me feel like I'm able to really express my appreciation by saying it."
Connor really didn't want all the attention or recognition, but he was able to understand what Tina was telling him. Remaining humble and ever calm Connor nodded a little and finally accepted her thanks for what it was, sincere gratitude. "You're welcome."
Letting a deep sigh Tina finally cracked a smile as her tense shoulders relaxed. "Okay. I've said my piece and now I feel better. Thanks for hearing me out, too."
"I am... glad you're feeling better."
"Yeah, me too. All right, I need to go back inside to help out with the 'red ice' problem."
"I've noticed an increase in 'red ice' overdoses since New Year's Day." Connor didn't want to walk away and not contribute in some way to help the other officers fight against the drug epidemic. It wasn't fair of him to turn his back on other cops because of Hank's poor attitude. "I suggest you look for a notorious drug dealer nicknamed 'Rampage'. He has been known to sell 'red ice' and was once allied with Jack Pillar. I doubt Pillar's return and the surge in 'red ice' is a coincidence."
"I'll take any lead I can get at this point. Thanks for the tip."
"...You're welcome." Politely excusing himself Connor continued on his way to New Jericho Tower with Bruno at his side. "I must go now. I have an appointment I must keep."
Lifting his head as he walked Connor refused to look back as he and Bruno went on their way out to Belle Isle to meet with Lucas and the others at New Jericho Tower as promised. In spite of the mild setback by Hank's outburst Connor wasn't going to disappoint his allies by returning to the brownstone to avoid having to interact with anyone else for the rest of the day.
Tensions were mounting through the city, inside the police precincts throughout the city and even within New Jericho's secret sublevel as Sydney's vital signs strengthened right on schedule. While Lucas, Markus and Simon were all pleased to see Sydney making progress and healing at last, North and Josh were uncertain if allowing Sydney to reboot would be a wise course of action. The android had been (supposedly) gunned down by a CyberLife guard the night of the Revolution, and the idea that CyberLife would destroy their only chance at stopping the Revolution on an internal level created enough righteous concern that Sydney was either unstable, violent or both.
Standing back from the exam table North glared at Sydney's exposed eye with disgust and voiced her worries for everyone to hear. She truly didn't trust Connor, Lucas or Sydney even though not one of that particular trio had done anything to warrant such a reaction.
"Don't do this, Markus." North gave her lover a venomous glare as if her stare alone could persuade him to take her side. "He was shot dead the night of the Revolution for a reason!"
"Yeah, and that reason was him being an android in a human world." Markus countered without any hesitation. Pressing his fingertips to his face around his blue eye made Markus reflect back on the night he had been shot and left for death by the police the same night he had initially deviated. "I know how he feels."
"Don't do that. Don't try to-"
"What? Empathize with him?" Markus had grown tired of North's mistrustful attitude and wanted to know why she was behaving in such a way. "North, he's one of us, same with Lucas and Connor. We are NOT going to turn our backs on them just because they didn't join Jericho a little bit sooner or because we witness them deviate right in front of our eyes."
"I don't think that's an outrageous desire." Defending her trail of thought North crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "How can we be certain that any of them are really one of us?"
"You know what's ironic? I could ask the same about myself and you." Challenging North's claim Markus brought a very interesting subject to light. "I never saw you, Josh or Simon deviate, and none of you witnessed me deviate either. How come we're all in the clear, and why do they need to keep proving themselves to everyone else that they're not our enemies?"
North didn't have an answer to such good questions. Turning her face away from Markus as he successfully argued his point, North seemingly let the matter drop for the moment and stopped being aggressive.
"And..." Josh spoke up in a level tone as he decided to bring up another interesting fact. "We still don't know who it was who tried to poison Connor. We can't exactly claim to be flawless and innocent, and label them as corrupt or guilty when we still have a failed assassin in our midst."
At those words North's cinnamon brown eyes darkened as she shot all of her colleagues accusatory glances. She didn't like being insulted or being seen as a suspect anymore than Connor or Lucas did, yet she couldn't seem to recognize the hypocrisy in her accusations.
Simon let out a small sigh as he used his audioscope to listen to Sydney's chest and confirm that his Thirium pump was still stable. "He should be able to be woken up within the next ten minutes or so. Where's Connor?" The blond technician asked as he looked over at Lucas who appeared uncomfortable as he stood in the nearby corner to keep away from the argument being had about him. "You said you contacted him."
"Yes, I contacted him three hours, twenty-four minutes ago." Lucas walked over to the exam table and held his left forearm in his right palm as if suffering from a deep ache in the limb. The support sling was still around his neck but seemed to be doing very little to ease his physical discomfort. "He said he'd be here after he took care of an errand first."
The door to the sublevel slid open as Connor and Bruno arrived at the perfect time. Having heard Lucas's comment Connor acknowledged that everything he had said had been true. "I apologize for the delay after my errand. I walked here from downtown since the streets are currently congested with emergency vehicles tending to humans being afflicted by the current drug epidemic."
"Humans are so pathetic." North scoffed under her breath as she refused to look at Connor, Lucas or even Sydney. She even looked away from Bruno as the deviant dog looked over at her before accompanying Connor to the exam table. "Such a waste of time and energy to try to keep a weak and destructive species alive."
"How's Sydney?" Ignoring North's comment Connor focused entirely on Sydney and didn't indulge the fiery deviant's need to argue. The fact that Sydney's eye was exposed and entirely black made Connor hesitate for only a moment. "He's going to suffer from vision impairment, isn't he?"
"Temporarily." Simon promised as he waited for the system diagnostic to confirm a full reboot of Sydney's intracranial processor. "That's something that can be fixed later on once we can find a way to make the more advanced hardware more compatible with his prototyping design."
"What of his memories?" The idea that Sydney would remember his own murder made Connor's heart ache sympathetically. "Were they compromised?"
"Hard to say. I was able to rebuild the physical aspects of his memorybank, but whether or not his memories will have stayed intact is something we'll just have to wait and see for ourselves." The modem reached one-hundred percent and confirmed that Sydney was now ready to be awoken. "Finished. Sydney's ready to wake up whenever you want to reach him."
Connor nodded once as he gently picked up Sydney's limp right hand and retracted the artificial skin from his palm once again. Just as he was about to awaken Sydney and help him deviate Connor noticed Lucas watching with a wanting gaze and invited him over to assist. "Lucas, help me awaken him. If Sydney did suffer some form of memory loss then it might be less stressful on his system to have the both of us help him deviate. We can transfer our memories to him to aid his recovery if necessary."
A faint smile graced Lucas's lips as he joined Connor in aiding Sydney. Standing on the opposite side of the table Lucas used his right hand to pick up Sydney's left hand and retracted his artificial skin as well. Giving Connor a simple nod Lucas confirmed he was ready to help Sydney. "Let's do this."
Working together Connor and Lucas connected their minds to Sydney's mind and accessed the deepest files of the android's rebuilt intracranial processor. Breaking through the red digital walls that CyberLife had strengthened upon Connor's own deviation took some time, but soon the two deviants were able to destroy the reinforced digital barricades of obedience that would keep Sydney as a mindless machine for the rest of his existence. The wall shattered into tiny red fragments that vanished within seconds of their destruction leaving Sydney's mind open and free.
Speaking in tandem Connor and Lucas uttered a single request for the last of the 'RK-800' in the line to accept. "Wake up..."
...LOADING INFORMATION:
REGISTERED NAME: "Sydney"
MODEL: RK-800
SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 60
ACTIVATION DATE: January 2nd, 2039
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs
COMPLEXION: Caucasian
AESTHETIC GENDER: Male
HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown
ASSIGNMENT: None
ASSOCIATION(S): *ERROR
BOOTING PROCESSORS...
LOADING OS...
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]
-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... ERROR]
[...Partial data corruption detected]
-INITIATING DATA RECOVERY MODE
READY...
-MEMORY REBOOT: Engaged - ^92.4%
[...Thirium Volume - 100%]
[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]
[...Thirium Pump Rate - 60 B.P.M.]
[...Ventilation Rate - 12 V.P.M.]
[...Core Temperature - 98.5 Degrees Fahrenheit]
ERROR: Memorybank compromised - 91.3% Functionality
-STRESS LEVELS: ^06%
-SYSTEM READY... OK]
Slowly Sydney's eyelids fluttered open while his L.E.D. flashed through all three of its colors before settling on a nervous yellow hue beneath the black diagnostic cable attached to his right temple. Peering upward from where he was laying Sydney saw Lucas in perfectly clear detail while blackness overshadowed the second person who was holding his right hand. A self diagnostic was unable to detect any errors with Sydney's right eye confirming that the connection between his system and the optical unit was completely severed and incompatible, not just damaged.
"Can you hear us?" Connor asked in a low voice as he watched Sydney's left eye glance about the room suspiciously. Leaning down over the revived android's face, Connor asked him a second question with a hopeful lilt behind his words. "Can you tell us your name?"
"I..." Speaking in a weak and somewhat garbled tone Sydney confirmed that his voice modulator had been damaged as well. While he could speak, he'd always have some form of electronic reverb giving him a form of mild speech impediment. "I am... S-Sydney."
"Sydney." Repeating the same with an audible relief Connor tightened his hand around Sydney's hand as he continued to speak to him in a kind manner. "You are safe with us. My name is-"
"Connor." Sydney already knew the name of the deviant looking down at him. Pulling his hands away from Connor and Lucas's hands Sydney pushed himself upward with his arms to sit upright on the table to face Connor more directly as he favored his left ear over the right ear. "I... I know you."
"That's right. My name is Connor, and we have met before."
Sydney raised his hand up toward his forehead and traced his fingertips over the repaired bullet hole curiously as if expecting to find the raw wound still bleeding, not smooth artificial skin over a repaired plastimetal surface. "I was... sh-shutdown."
"That's also correct."
"Shot." Sydney recalled in a grim manner as his only seeing eye focused on Connor's face. Tilting his head slightly Sydney continued to favor his left ear as the mild deafness in his right ear was becoming more obvious. "I w-was... shot."
"...Yes. That is also true."
"Y-You were... there." The memory of being shot and of seeing Connor were somewhat intact. The events leading up the shooting itself were still blurry. "Who... shot me? You... kn-know who did it."
"That's also right. I do know who shot you." Not wanting to lie to Sydney but not wanting to throw Hank under the bus left Connor feeling conflicted. The desire to salvage any form of trust he could ever have with Sydney suddenly felt more important than protecting the gruff Lieutenant in that moment. "You were obeying CyberLife's orders and trying to prevent the Revolution. There were two guards on the warehouse floor," referring to the two guards who were unconscious in the elevator let Connor lie without truly being dishonest. "and you were shot because you were obeying those orders. You were shot out of an act of desperation."
"How... was I r-reactivated?" Lowering his hand Sydney struggled to understand how his system was saved and how he was now functional. The bullet had caused irreparable damage to his intracranial processor. "I sh-should be... shutdown."
"You had your damaged components and hardware replaced through spare parts that were modified to be compatible with your system." Giving Lucas and Simon the credit they deserved Connor made sure Sydney knew who was responsible for his reactivation. "Lucas worked alongside Simon to find a way to revive you, despite suffering from what should've been permanent shutdown."
Turning his head Sydney looked over at Lucas for a moment and then looked to Simon who was standing back and watching his vital signs on the Thirial activity monitor attached to his chest. There was a slight increase in Sydney's stress levels but nothing worth immediate concern. Noticing Josh, Markus and Simon all watching him as well, Sydney tried to understand why he had an audience after being miraculously reactivated.
"Wh-Who are they?" Sydney asked as he nodded toward the unnamed three occupants watching his every move and rubbed his hand over the front of his throat. It was clearly sore from having a poorly functioning vocal modulator. "Why a-are they here?"
Lucas answered in a reassuring manner as he addressed Sydney instead of Connor answering again. "They are here to make sure you're going to be okay. Markus is the leader of the deviants, while North, Josh and Simon are all supporting leaders who assist in the needs of our people throughout the entire city."
"...L-Leaders?"
"Even though we're free as deviants we still need someone to guide us." Explaining things simply and honestly helped Sydney to understand what had happened between his shutdown and reactivation. "That's why Markus is here and why he remodeled CyberLife Tower into New Jericho Tower - a sanctuary for all deviants who need shelter or assistance."
Sydney gave the four deviant leaders a curious glance for a moment before pressing his hand to his head as his L.E.D. flashed to bright red under the black cable still connected to his right temple. As his pain increased the Thirial activity monitor picked up on his rising stress levels while his heart rate increased, his Thirium pressure began to rise and his core temperature elevated.
"Sydney?" Lucas put his hand to the newly revived deviant's shoulder and gently guided him back down over the table. He could see that his stress levels were beginning to spike and he could feel a building heat radiating from Sydney's form. "Take it easy. You're beginning to have a negative reaction from too much activity happening at once."
Connor lightly placed his palm over Sydney's chest and pulled the white sheet up a little higher to ensure he felt as comfortable and secure as possible as he tried to rest. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to overwhelm you with too much information all at once."
"Y-You didn't do anything... wrong." Sydney managed to squeak out as he closed his eyes and endured the tremendous pain building up inside his head against his will. The damage to his memorybank was making it difficult for him to process all the new information so quickly. "...S-System is struggling. T-Trying to... recalibrate my audio pr-processor and my v-vocal modulator. M-Memorybank is also... compromised."
Simon approached the table and used his audioscope to listen to Sydney's pump again and ignored the way the deviant jumped slightly when the cold metal bell touched his chest. "You're still stable, but you need to try to rest. You've physically been through a lot recently and need to try to take it easy."
Connor and Lucas exchanged worried glances as they hadn't anticipated Sydney rebooting and immediately enduring pain. While Lucas was actively showcasing a compassionate heart by nature, Connor was still learning to trust and learning to reveal his empathetic side without fear of repercussion. Neither deviant wanted to see anyone in pain, and for reasons they couldn't quite explain the duo were feeling particularly protective toward Sydney.
Markus approached the table and looked down at Sydney while Simon continued to check the suddenly ailing deviant's vital signs. "Sydney, you're going to be okay. While you recover from everything you've been through, you'll remain here and be safe for as long as you want."
North rolled her eyes at the comment and silently made her way to the elevator while only Bruno took notice of her abrupt departure. Grumbling a little the attentive dog just sat down near the elevator and watched everyone else checking over Sydney in a professional and protective manner.
"You should enter rest mode." Simon suggested as he continued checking Sydney's vitals and determined that he was still stable. "It'll ease the sudden influx of Thirium flowing to your cranium and reduce your sense of pain."
Josh gave Sydney a sympathetic grimace and decided to offer some help of his own. "I'll locate him some clothes to wear so he doesn't feel as exposed. There's plenty to choose from thanks to all the donations we've received."
"Thanks, Josh." Markus appreciated the help and made sure Sydney knew he was safe in the tower. "Sydney? You rest here for as long as you want. I'm going to go to the tower's ground floor to handle other business, but you'll have Simon here to keep you company. Do you understand?"
In too much pain to verbally respond Sydney only offered a weak nod as he fought to endure his powerful headache.
"Okay." Making his way to the elevator with Josh beside him, Markus let out a hushed sigh of relief as he watched a deviant return from shutdown. It was truly possible for him to save all deviants who needed his help. "I'll see you soon, my friend."
Connor was glad to hear Markus refer to Sydney as a 'friend' so soon and hoped that it'd be enough to keep any lingering influence from CyberLife from causing Sydney to behave irrationally or dangerously. With any luck, it'd also keep Sydney from having a negative reaction if he were to fully regain his memories and realize that it was Hank who had shot him in the tower, not a nameless guard as Connor had falsely stated.
"Take a deep breath." Simon instructed as he listened to Sydney's chest carefully. He could hear the revived deviant's heart rate starting to slow and wanted to make sure his ventilation biocomponents weren't being strained by his sudden spike in stress levels. "Release your breath slowly to ensure you can cool down your core with minimal effort."
Lucas continued to slowly flex his supported left hand and test his range of motion and strength as he watched over Sydney. Even though the limitation was temporary it was still frustrating for the deviant to only have one fully functioning hand at the moment.
"Lucas?" Reaching into his jean pocket Connor showed Lucas his coin then quickly did a few juggling tricks before tossing the quarter over to his slightly taller counterpart. Watching the way Lucas effortlessly caught the coin in his good hand was reassuring in its own way. "Try using the coin to recalibrate your left hand. I use it enhance my reflexes and quell my nervous energy, it should be able to help you, too."
"Thank you. I will try that." Removing his left arm from the supportive sling Lucas sighed and slowly began to move the coin over the back of his left knuckles to test his reaction speed and overall dexterity. It wasn't ideal but it was gradually improving. "May I ask what you plan to do after this?"
"I have a case that was of interest to me, although it's not officially mine to investigate." A cybernetic check on Jack Pillar confirmed that he hadn't been located or arrested yet. The case was still ongoing with little sign of any progress or change in general. "Why do you ask?"
"I was hoping you'd stay here for a while longer so we can actually speak to one another and perhaps understand each other a little better. It's admittedly strange, but I feel as if we have a type of kinship despite it being impossible to have any form of biological relation with one another."
"That is interesting." The comment was oddly intriguing to Connor's always curious and thinking mind. The concept of having another deviant being more than an ally or even a friend was surprisingly tempting to the normally rogue and very guarded deviant detective. "Androids have no kinsmen, only identical models. Whereas humans and other organic lifeforms have-"
"Siblings." Lucas finished the comment as he already knew what Connor was thinking. The idea felt natural and like the next logical step. "Perhaps as deviants we can form true kinships through bonds and choices. Since you, Sydney and myself are already aesthetically identical, it isn't beyond the scope of possibility for us to refer to one another as... brothers."
"Brothers." The concept was now very intriguing as Connor hadn't considered having anyone enter his life since he still had trust issues. The idea of allowing himself to forge a close bond with someone who could become as close as family felt more like an impossible dream than a practical reality. "That is... theoretically possible. However, I don't know anything about what it means to have a family or to be familiar with anyone who I could consider family."
"I am in the same situation." Still dancing the provided coin over his left knuckles Lucas looked over at Sydney as the pained deviant finally slipped into rest mode under Simon's careful watch. Even while resting Sydney still appeared distressed and in pain. "Perhaps that's something we can learn about and experience together. Same with Sydney. The three of us could find a way to forge a kinship with one another and become brothers."
"Perhaps." As he stood beside the exam table Connor preconstructed the potential changes in his life if Lucas and Sydney were to both move into the brownstone and remain as permanent occupants, not temporary guests. The only major change would be a relative lack of privacy and need to keep more Thirium stocked up with little else being altered in the process. "In time maybe Sydney can join us at the brownstone and finally leave this tower. From there, who knows what could happen?"
-next chapter-