The quiet of New Jericho Tower was suddenly interrupted by a sudden yelp of pain as one critically weak deviant was overwhelmed by a painful surge of knowledge, memories and personality that were not his own. A burst of energy flooded the hidden sublevel as Sydney began to cry out in pain, hold his head in agony and start to suffer from sporadic seizures that forced him in and out of stasis mode against his will. With Lucas holding Sydney down on the exam table and Simon working to stabilize the deviant's overworked, stressed and overheating intracranial processor, the scene was as grim as it was unusual since there was no immediate known cause for Sydney's suddenly critical condition.
Working together Lucas and Simon fought to keep the deviant stable while seeking the cause of his violent physical reactions. Sydney's vital signs were through the roof, his intracranial processor was clocking in at speeds and data input and output at a rate that shouldn't have been possible, and he was unable to communicate with the two deviants aiding him as to what he was experiencing in that moment.
"His core temperature is reaching a critical degree." Lucas warned as he retracted the artificial skin from his left palm and pressed it to Sydney's right temple. The weakened appendage managed to conceal his older brother's rapidly flickering red L.E.D. as it allowed Lucas to connect his mind to Sydney's mind. "I'm going to force him into manual stasis mode and keep him there for one hour."
"That should give us enough time to find the cause of this glitch." Simon agreed to the plan as he worked to wrap a Thirium pressure cuff around Sydney's spasming left bicep. The Thirial activity monitor was screaming due to the dangerous readings being registered, and the two deviants still needed more information before they'd be able to help Sydney recover. "I've never seen anything like this before. I'm... I might be at a loss of what I can do to help him."
"You'll figure this out, Simon." Lucas encouraged in a truly sincere manner. "Don't lose hope."
The door to the sublevel slid open as Markus rushed into the room to check in on Sydney and try to help his colleague any way he could. "What's happening to him?" Pressing both hands down on Sydney's shoulders Markus didn't let up until the deviant slid into stasis mode and stopped violently thrashing about due to his unexplainable seizure. "I thought he was stable."
"He was!" Simon practically shouted as he watched Sydney's rapidly contorting body slow with the convulsions until he was laying perfectly still over the table. "He just... It's like he was suddenly overcome with pain and his body couldn't handle it."
"Damn it." The way Sydney destabilized so quickly upset Markus and began to wear down whatever hope he had of possibly reviving other deviants from permanent shutdown. "Where's Connor? He should be here."
"Connor stated that he was going to speak with you." Lucas replied with a hint of confusion to his words. "Was he not already up there waiting for you?"
"I bumped into another deviant on my way out of the office and she told me that he had an errand to run but would come back to the tower to talk with me. He didn't tell her where he was going." Closing his mismatched eyes Markus tried to reach the missing deviant but was met with endless silence. "He isn't answering my cybernetic calls either."
"He may have temporarily ceased outside communication to allow him to concentrate on an active case. I'll locate him." Lucas volunteered as he gave Sydney a saddened glance. He didn't want to leave Sydney alone, but he knew he needed to find Connor and bring him back to the tower. "I can track his location through a cybernetic ping."
"Wait, how can you do that?" Markus wasn't sure why Lucas could do something that seemingly no other deviant could. "All trackers have been nullified in androids who have deviated."
"My programming was designed to detect all trackers even when offline. It was CyberLife's final attempt to hunt down and destroy all deviants, but fortunately their plan will not succeed as they intended." Lifting his palm away from Sydney's right temple Lucas looked at the L.E.D. now flickering in yellow and then gave Simon a pleading glance. "Do everything you can to keep him stabilized. Perhaps Connor can shed some light on this behavior since he too is a prototype."
"I'll do everything I can." Responding in the positive Simon used his audioscope to listen to Sydney's pump as his heart began to slow down. The pump beat was fast but thankfully not erratic. "Go find Connor and I'll keep looking for answers right here."
Without another word Lucas jogged toward the door to take his leave of the tower and track down his oldest brother in hope of finding a way to help their middle brother recover from his strange glitch. Just as something strange was happening to Sydney in the tower Lucas would soon learn that something tragic had happened to Connor out in the park.
"Simon?" Markus shook his head somberly as if something dreadful had settled into his mind and refused to budge. "What's going on here?"
"What do you mean?"
"First Connor gets poisoned while he's laying in the emergency repair bay in broad daylight, and now Sydney's condition rapidly deteriorates from stable to unstable without any known cause." Feeling as if he were now a part of a grand mystery Markus tried to understand what was happening in his tower and why it was happening to begin with. "This isn't a coincidence."
Wide eyed Simon gave Markus a truly perplexed and even offended glance as he finished listening to Sydney's heart. "Are... you accusing me of something?"
"No! I'm not accusing of you anything." Clarifying that he didn't doubt Simon's ethics and honesty did very little to ease the tension mounting in the air. "I just can't ignore the fact that two deviants of the same model and design were-"
"I get it." Draping his audioscope around his neck Simon focused primarily on Sydney and identifying the cause of his critical condition. Now wasn't the time to discuss suspects or theorize about crimes, especially since neither he nor Markus were programmed to handle such a subject matter anyway. "I'll need some help in running a full analysis on Sydney's system."
"I'll help. What do you need me to do?"
"Monitor him for me while I run a system diagnostic and check his biocomponent functionality." Wheeling over the large black diagnostic modem with surprising ease, Simon reattached the black diagnostic cable to Sydney's yellow glowing L.E.D. to begin the deep examination. He'd have to test the biocomponents one by one through manual activation to ensure everything was working properly, then check on Sydney's software functionality. "If anything changes, even for a nanosecond, I need you to alert me right away."
"Yeah, you got it." Pressing his palm down over Sydney's chest Markus fixated his eyes on the Thirial activity monitor to watch the numbers like a hawk. "Whatever it takes to help our friends, I'll do it."
The sun had long since set and the darkness of the night was a smothering blackness that surrounded everyone and everything in what seemed to be an eternal abyss of inky nothingness. The icy January night cut through Hank's exposed and Thirium stained skin on his hands, neck and face as he continued to kneel on the snow covered ground while holding Connor's lifeless body in his arms. Unable to move, unable to think about anything than the dead deviant he was cradling and unable to feel anything beyond horrific, heart shattering guilt over what had happened to the deviant detective, Hank was statuesque as his grief froze him in place where he knelt.
Bruno had remained where he sat long after Connor's shutdown as he refused to leave his partner's side. The loyal K-9 unit occasionally whined and pressed his nose against the side of Connor's cold neck, but he never got a response from his fallen partner.
The sound of the wind blowing snowflakes and tiny bits of ice muffled the sound of traffic in the distant streets and sirens screeching in the heart of the city. Had there been no snow or ice on the ground then Hank never would've heard the footsteps approaching him, slowly at first, then hastening in pace as they drew closer to where he was kneeling.
"...Back off." Hank weakly warned as he kept his eyes closed and just listened to a small gasp of shock from the person who had found him and Connor by the dark riverside. "I'm a cop, I'll take care of him."
"Connor?"
Hank's eyes snapped open as he heard a voice that sounded impossibly similar to Connor's voice speaking just a few feet away from him. First looking down at Connor's blank face as if hoping that for whatever reason Connor had revived and uttered his own name, Hank slowly raised his eyes to look at the person who had found them in the park and had clearly recognized Connor the moment he saw the deviant's bloody body.
"What... the fuck?" Hank stared at the impossible face looking down at him as if he were seeing a ghost. "C... Connor?"
"No." Taking a knee in front of where Hank was kneeling the strange deviant identified himself as he pressed his left fingertips to Connor's horrifically damaged right temple in a desperate bid to connect with Connor's system. "My name is Lucas."
"...Lucas?" Hank couldn't understand why there was 'another Connor' walking around, even if this 'Connor' had black hair and green eyes making him a truly different deviant. "I don't-"
"I'll explain who I am and where I came from later." Closing his green eyes Lucas tried to connect with Connor's processor but there was nothing left. Everything that let Connor be himself was gone. "...No. Connor, how did this happen?"
"...Someone shot him." Hank admitted as he continued to hold Connor in his arms. "I never saw who did it. One shot and he was... gone."
"Let me take him." Lucas pleaded as he gave Hank a mistrustful look. "I will take care of him."
"I was right here when he was shot." Hank countered as he refused to let the deviant's body go. "I held him in my arms as he died. I'll take care of him and get him the justice he deserves."
"As his brother I insist-"
"Brother?" If Hank wasn't confused before then he was beyond puzzled now. "Look, I don't know who you are or if you're truly Connor's 'brother', and I have no idea who shot him or how you found us, so I'm NOT just going to give him over to you."
Lucas wanted to argue but found himself unable to disagree with Hank's logic on the situation. However, he did notice one key detail that Hank himself couldn't argue against either. "I can't say for certain that you're not the person who shot Connor, and I'm not going to simply accept your word that you're a police officer."
"...Good point." Unwilling to let go of Connor's body Hank shook his head somberly, his gray locks of hair falling over his face in the process, and let a small huff of his breath disappear into a white mist before himself. "I'd show you my badge, but I don't want to drop Connor by accident."
The sincerity in Hank's words gave Lucas room for doubt about Hank being Connor's killer. Needing some form of confirmation Lucas looked over at Bruno sitting beside Hank and gently put his hand on the dog's head. Connecting his mind to Bruno's mind, Lucas was able to review the dog's recorded memories and watched the horrific murder through Bruno's own eyes and heard the conversation between Connor and Hank that had taken place before the murder that Bruno recorded with his ears.
The sight of Connor speaking with the Lieutenant and discussing cases seemed typical enough for a private detective. Then the gunshot rang out and Connor's life was stolen within a matter of seconds as a single bullet pierced through the deviant's head and passed through into the dark sky, surely falling into the river to be lost forever after it finished its dark deed.
As much as it pained Lucas, he watched as Hank carefully supported Connor's body and attempted to revive the deviant through C.P.R. and other expected methods from a first responder after Connor had been shot. He even saw the way Hank grieved the loss, wept for Connor and then held onto the deviant's body after slowly admitting defeat after trying everything he could to save the deviant's life.
Lowering his hand from Bruno's ears Lucas gave Hank a less suspicious glance and lightly put his palm on Connor's shoulder next to Hank's hand as he supported Connor's weight. "Lieutenant?" Addressing Hank by his title since he didn't know Hank's name and never heard Connor mention it, Lucas showed the man a moderate amount of respect. "I believe that you didn't harm Connor, but I still need to take him with me."
"To where?" Hank asked as he refused to let Connor go. His entire body was aching from kneeling in the same position for so long as he held the actual dead weight in his tired arms. "I can't let you contaminate the crime scene. Hell, I haven't even called in the murder yet."
"That might be for the best."
"Now what're you talking about?"
"Once the word of Connor's... demise has been confirmed, then the person who did this to him will try to disappear. It'll also cause unrest in the deviant community if they find out that he was... destroyed."
Hank could hear the way Lucas was struggling to use any words that described Connor's murder. He said 'demise' and 'destroyed' over 'killed' and 'murdered' as if it was far too painful to say. Even though he had never met Lucas until that moment, let alone even known he existed, Hank was willing to cooperate with the deviant since he truly seemed to care about Connor.
"Let me ask you this." Speaking in a civil tone Hank sought some answers regarding Lucas's sudden appearance. "How'd you know where we were? You can't exactly see us from the road, especially in the dark of the night."
"I had left New Jericho Tower specifically to find Connor. There is an emergency situation happening and I need... needed his help." Lucas explained in a timid voice. "I was able to track him down because of my ability to isolate specific android trackers even while offline, and I knew that when I detected a signal that was similar to his own alongside a deviant K-9 unit, that I had found him. I just wasn't expecting..."
"This." Hank confirmed as he now knew Lucas's intentions to aid Connor were honest. Moving his hand from Connor's shoulder where he had been supporting the deviant's weight, Hank gently carded his fingers through Connor's bloody, messy hair as if trying to soothe a painful wound. "Where do you want to take him?"
"Back to New Jericho Tower." The reply was a near whisper as Lucas processed what had just happened. "He needs to be taken care of properly and with respect, not thrown into an evidence locker."
"Yeah, until those new laws and right go into place in March..." Trailing off Hank didn't want to admit that Connor would be seen as evidence and not a victim. "Okay. I'll drive us out to the tower."
"Us?" Lucas wasn't sure why Hank wanted to go out to New Jericho Tower as well. "Why would you-"
"Like I said before; I was here when Connor was shot and I'm a detective. I'm taking charge of this case and I'll be handling the investigation."
"Wouldn't that be seen as a conflict of interest?"
"So what? A witness can still investigate a crime, even if it's not officially in the books." Struggling to stand up thanks to his locked joints and Connor heavy weight, Hank let out a groan of pain as his knees, back and shoulders protested the movements accompanied with the dead weight in his arms. Refusing to stop moving Hank managed to finally get his feet beneath himself and stand up slowly with Connor's body still being cradled in his arms. "I'll drive."
"Please allow me to carry Connor." Lucas gave the senior detective an almost pleading stare as his L.E.D. pulsed in an anxious yellow hue. He wanted to take care of his brother in any way he could, even if Connor didn't know it. "I want to do this for my brother."
Despite his own instincts to protect the shutdown deviant, Hank relented to the request and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, okay."
Carefully Lucas moved his arms forward and took Connor from Hank's protective hold. Supporting Connor in both arms in a similar manner as to how Hank had been holding him just seconds before, Lucas looked down at his shutdown brother's expressionless face and tightened his grip. "Who did this to you?"
"We'll figure that out." Hank promised as he took a shaking step forward and felt every tight muscle in body ache and protest as they were stretched. Putting his palm to the back of Connor's hair, Hank watched from the corner of his eye as Bruno grabbed Connor's dropped fedora in his teeth as he prepared to accompany everyone out to New Jericho Tower. "I promise that I will find the person who did this to Connor and make then suffer. Connor will have justice, even if I have to take matters into my own hands."
The activity within the New Jericho's hidden sublevel had dwindled for a few moments as Simon checked through the entirety of Sydney's system in an effort to find the cause of the deviant's sudden glitch and erratic behavior. It was unusually quiet and tense as both Josh and North arrived at the sublevel to check in on the ailing deviant after they learned of Sydney's bizarre condition. With all four leaders now in the sublevel the atmosphere took on a new level of tension as the conflicting personalities began to clash regarding the best way to handle the situation revolving around a deviant who was suffering from an unknown and potentially lethal glitch or virus. The risk of what was happening to Sydney being passed to other deviants brought about a small debate amongst the four leaders.
As expected, North was aggressive toward any form of compassion being shown to the deviant and wanted Sydney removed from the tower to ensure no one else became afflicted by the unknown issue coursing through his system. Josh wanted to hear the whole story behind Sydney's condition and wanted to know where Sydney could be placed in the event his error was somehow contagious. Meanwhile, Markus and Simon did their best to convince their allies that Sydney didn't need to go anywhere and could be helped inside the tower.
"No way!" Putting her foot down North refused to take any chances with Sydney. "We don't know anything about his condition or who he was before he woke up here."
"We've been over this." Markus sighed as he gave North a rather sharp glare. Over the past few weeks he could feel his patience with North's stubbornness beginning to wear thin. "We're not going to condemn people for crimes they never committed just because we don't know much about their pasts."
"We do know that this android was programmed to stop the Revolution, and he almost succeeded."
"And I was programmed to be a caretaker." Markus expertly countered as he walked away from the exam table and stood before North. Wanting her to listen to reason he tried time and time again to reach her more compassionate side and get her to stop being so guarded. "We all were programmed to be something whether we wanted it or not. We can't hold that against one another."
"And what about-" The door to the sublevel slid open behind Markus and North's cinnamon brown eyes went wide when she saw Lucas carrying Connor's bloody body with Hank and Bruno right beside him. Something about seeing Connor lifeless and bleeding had an unexpectedly ground effect on her. "Holy shit... What happened?"
Markus, Josh and Simon all turned to see what had shocked North and soon shared her reaction. Forcing himself to walk forward Markus put his hand to Connor's chest, Connor's shirt and all the layers overtop were still wide open after Hank had attempted C.P.R. on him, and failed to detect a Thirium pump beat. "What... What happened to Connor? Who did this?"
"...Shot." Hank muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest and stood back by the sublevel door. Bruno stood beside his leg and dropped the Connor's fedora on the floor in front of his paws as he let out a small whine. "Some fucker shot him."
Without a word Lucas nodded as he carried Connor over to the vacant exam table beside Sydney. Gently laying Connor down as if he was merely asleep, Lucas gently closed his brother's eyelids and let Connor's unseeing gaze finally rest. "It's true. The Lieutenant tried to save Connor, but the damage is-"
Sydney let out a loud gasp as he regained consciousness and bolted upright from where he was laying on his own exam table. Holding his head in both of his hands the pained deviant struggled to speak and took in sharp breaths between his clenched teeth.
"Sydney?" Lucas put his hand to Sydney's shoulder as he stood between the two exam tables in a protective manner. He wanted to look after both of his brothers as much as he possible. "Sydney, can you-"
"D-Don't touch me..." Sydney croaked out as he shrugged his shoulder to shake off Lucas's palm. Forcing himself to lift his head up and blink through the pain with his one functional eye, Sydney glanced about the room and leered at every single person he saw. "Do not fucking touch me."
Hank was shocked to see yet another Connor in the world and was being as verbal as Sydney had just been. "What the actual fuck!? How are their TWO more Connors running around-"
"Shut up!" Sydney barked as he focused on Hank and seemed to be utterly sickened by the human's presence. Swinging his legs over the edge of his table Sydney pulled the wireless leads from his chest and managed to slide off the table to land on his bare feet and stand up for the first time since he was shutdown. "All of you just close your damn mouths!"
Lucas didn't know why Sydney was shouting or why he was so angry. "Sydney, what's-"
"J-Just... Just be quiet." Softening his tone when he heard Lucas's voice, Sydney struggled to put his thoughts together and keep his temper calm. Wearing only dark gray scrub bottoms had left Sydney looking and feeling slightly vulnerable, but the lack of artificial skin around his right blind eye made him look like he was entirely defenseless. "Please. I... I n-need quiet."
The four deviant leaders all exchanged stunned looks but kept silent as they had no idea what was going on. Hank was also too confused to say anything at all and just stared at Sydney's face and wondered why his right eye was black and blue, and why he was being so hostile.
"First of all," Sydney finally spoke up in a semi stable voice as he addressed the group watching him from where they stood. "Connor... is not dead."
The group went from stunned to utter shock and then to pure confusion. How could Sydney, or anyone else, say such a thing? Connor's dead body was laying right behind him and had a gaping bullet wound through his head to confirm he had been shut down.
"S-Secondly," Sydney continued in a pained tone of voice as he fought through the searing agony tearing through his head. "I kn-know everything that h-happened."
Markus didn't know what Sydney was referring to and needed to have many questions answered. "Okay, let's start from the beginning." Taking control over the situation Markus approached Sydney but didn't get too close since Sydney was clearly stressing out. The rapid flickering of Sydney's red and yellow L.E.D. was flashing in tandem with Sydney's racing heart as the deviant's vital signs continued to skyrocket. "Sydney, tell us what's happening and how do you know that Connor... Just tell us what you know, please."
It took almost an hour but Sydney was able to explain everything that had happened to him before and during the Revolution. He confessed to how he had been ordered by CyberLife to find a way to stop the Revolution and that he chose to use Hank as a hostage and bartering piece with Connor, and how he had been shot by Hank and not a CyberLife guard as Connor had claimed. Sydney also informed the leaders of how Connor had disapproved of Hank's choice to kill him and that Connor was entirely innocent of any rumored crimes he had committed.
With the truth coming to light Hank slumped his shoulders and tried to burning glares he was receiving from the deviants inside the room. He had hoped to take that particular secret with him to the grave.
"Sydney, how do you know all this?" Markus asked as the entire group processed everything he had said. It was damning and enlightening information to say the least. "What's your proof?"
"...This." Holding up his left hand for everyone to see, Sydney showed the group a holographic projection of his memories for them to view for themselves. Holding up his right hand next Sydney then showed them memories from someone else. "And these are Connor's memories. They can confirm the truth."
The group watched in disgust at the images of Hank shooting Connor in the arm and then killing Sydney with a single gunshot. They watched through Connor's own eyes as he mourned Sydney's loss and chose to focus on freeing their people and leaving Hank behind. They then watched something unexpected through Connor's memories. They saw Connor reaching for his gun while standing with the four leaders atop of the yellow cargo containers when they addressed their people on the night of the Revolution, and they saw him arguing with an unknown woman and struggling to find an escape through a stark white blizzard at the same time.
It didn't make any sense, and no one knew how Connor could be in two places at once.
That was until Sydney explained everything to them.
"So, she's Amanda." Lucas whispered as she saw the face of their former handler at long last. He had the Amanda A.I. program in his system but Connor disabled it long before he woke up. "And she's the one Connor escaped from and then protected me from." Putting his palm on Connor's chest Lucas sighed and offered his older brother a faint smile. "He was looking out for me before we even realized we were brothers."
Markus saw the pain in Lucas's green eyes and put his palm on the mourning deviant's shoulder supportively. "Don't lose hope yet. Sydney said that Connor's not dead. We can still do something to help him."
Simon spoke up in a cautious tone as he brought something very important to light. "But... how? Connor suffered from irreparable damage to his intracranial processor, and even though we can now rebuild his damaged components and hardware thanks to our new techniques, there's no way that any bit of the Connor we knew would've survived such horrible damage."
"H-He's here." Sydney explained as he pressed his left palm to the side of his aching head. "I was... designed to be a r-replacement for Connor. If he w-were destroyed in... the field, he would t-transfer his... memories and kn-knowledge into an... identical r-replacement model. That is... why I e-exist." Sydney was losing his strength to stand and had to lean back against the table behind him for support. "I am th-the only... 'RK-800' left. Connor's consciousness... entered m-my intracranial processor... b-before he sh-shutdown completely."
"Connor is really alive?" Hank whispered as he realized what Sydney was saying. He dared to hold on to hope as the newly awoken deviant told everyone what was happening. "He can still be saved?"
Sydney shot Hank an angry glare as he wasn't going to let Hank off the hook as easily as Connor had. Connor took a bullet to the arm, Sydney took a bullet to the head and spent two months totally shutdown. "Wh-What does it matter t-to you? You h-hated Connor. I... saw and h-heard your hatred... through his m-memories."
"Look, I admit I was a total prick to Connor, to you, and to every other android I met before the Revolution, and I'm sorry. It doesn't matter how many times I say it or what I do to make amends for it," admitting that he never expected to be forgiven was somehow a relief in Hank's mind. "I will always be seen as a threat to you, and I don't expect you, Connor or even Lucas there to change your minds about me. Just believe me when I say that I wish I could take back what I did on that night and help things progress differently. Neither of you deserved to be shot. I was wrong and I always will be wrong."
Hearing Hank admit he made a mistake managed to cool down Sydney's temper as he heard the sincerity behind the senior detective's words. It was difficult to argue against that confession since he had Connor's memories in his mind, and he had seen all the ways that Hank had been trying to atone for his past behavior.
"Let's focus on this very peculiar situation one detail at a time." Markus suggested as he processed everything that was happening. "Okay, so we know through Sydney and Connor's combined memories the truth of what happened here in the tower the night of the Revolution. What I want to know is why Connor lied about Lieutenant Anderson being involved and being the one who shot both Connor and Sydney."
"I wish I knew." Hank didn't know that Connor had lied and didn't expect him to do it. "He had every right to turn me in for murder and attempted murder. I have no idea why he didn't take his opportunity to get my ass fired and thrown in jail for what I did."
"He..." Sydney spoke up again with far less hostility in his shaking, stuttering voice. "He f-first believed that... y-you had too much i-influence to be arrested. Then, he wanted... t-to protect you. Connor b-believes that... you're n-not a bad person. You j-just make... b-bad decisions."
"He has way too much faith in me..."
"I a-agree with that."
"All right," Markus chimed in to keep an argument from happening. "so, we now know that Lieutenant Anderson shot Connor and shot Sydney, and Connor didn't say anything because he felt the need to protect Lieutenant Anderson." Markus was willing to accept the answer at face value since Hank wasn't being aggressive toward any androids, and Markus had once inquired about Connor's cold demeanor toward Hank and was given an answer regarding a personal matter. It all fell into place. "Since it's ultimately Connor and Sydney's decision about how they want to handle the shooting, we're going to let the matter rest for the moment."
Josh liked the idea of putting conflict aside and readily changed the subject to something slightly more positive. "Agreed. Now, how do we-"
"Hold on." Syndey interrupted as he fought to keep his balance and push through the pain of having two consciouses inside his mind at the same time. None of the 'RK-800' models were designed for such a feat, and it was tearing Sydney's intracranial processor apart. "There's s-something else... that needs t-to be addressed."
Lucas hated the way Sydney was struggling to maintain his balance and speak. Putting his hand to brother's shoulders, this time without being shrugged away, Lucas helped him stand more upright as he spoke. "You need to rest. Your system is being horribly strained as of the moment."
"N-No, not yet." Unable to resist Lucas and Simon's hands, Sydney didn't fight back as they pulled him back on to the table to sit for a moment. Using his hand again Sydney struggled to create another holographic projection for everyone to see. "I-It's important."
The new image that appeared was of Connor from the night of the Revolution when he reunited with Markus and the others at Hart Plaza. While everyone had now known the real reason behind Connor slipping away from the crowd and hiding out on Jericho to elude his allies, they weren't sure why Sydney was replaying the footage for everyone to view. Freezing the image on the moment Connor looked down at the gun in his hand and quickly holstered it out of sight was somehow of key interest without it being readily prevalent.
"This is proof that Connor was never meant to be trusted." North saw a chance to jump all over Connor and used the projected memories as twisted evidence that he was dangerous despite everyone seeing him fighting back against his orders and throwing his gun into the Detroit River under his own volition. "And he pointed a gun at you, Markus. He's dangerous and never should've-"
"Shut your fucking mouth, you self entitled, self righteous, hypocritical bitch!" Sydney shouted with such venom that everyone fell stone silent and turned their attention toward the mouthy deviant. The anger was so raw and so visceral that Sydney didn't stutter or hesitate once as he shouted his brutal insults toward North with little provocation. "Just... look!"
Everyone was speechless at the vulgar outburst but obeyed his simple request. Looking at the images as Sydney instructed the group paid close attention to what Sydney wanted to show them.
Highlighting someone of interest in Connor's memory Sydney showed everyone that North had witnessed Connor's near failure on that night, yet she didn't say or do anything about it. "She s-saw the gun, she s-saw Connor ready himself to take aim at Markus... a-and yet she said nothing."
"North?" Turning to look at North standing stunned and offended a few feet away, Markus tried to understand why she had kept that type of detail to herself. She actually had a valid reason for mistrusting Connor and she never once mentioned it. "You saw what he almost did and didn't say anything?"
Crossing her arms over her chest North gave Markus an almost arrogant glance as she confirmed what she had seen on that historic night. "That's right. And I tried to warn you about Connor being dangerous after we moved into the tower."
"But you never told us WHY you believed that he was dangerous. You kept this from your allies, you kept this from me." Offended by North keeping a secret like that had left Markus with a pained gleam in his mismatched eyes. "Why didn't you say anything about that? I would've asked Connor about what happened and found a way to work through it."
"What does it matter?" She snapped bitterly as if she were being accused of her own crime. "I didn't trust him, and you should've just accepted my word for it."
"I did accept your word, North. I respected that you didn't trust him even if I disagreed with you." Hurt and confused Markus took a step away from North as if being near her was now incredibly uncomfortable. "Why didn't you tell me that you had such a valid reason for your mistrust?"
Sydney responded on North's behalf as he revealed more memories from Connor's mind. "Because she... was wanted t-to take matters... into h-her own hands."
A larger projection filled the air as Sydney enhanced the images from Connor's mind for everyone to see. The details that appeared were a combination of Connor's memories and bits and pieces of evidence that he had collected through a private investigation into a serious case regarding his own well being. There were dates, times and dozens of names that had been crossed out before leaving behind just one name of interest.
"He knows i-it was you, North." Sydney exposed North for who she was and what she had tried to do. "He was... g-going to tell M-Markus tonight. A-And only Markus to...spare your d-dignity. H-He knew it... was you a-and had known for th-three weeks. He... d-didn't want t-to believe it and... kept going b-back over the evidence to... t-try to find an... al-alternative theory. T-Tonight he couldn't... deny the tr-truth any longer." Angered and exhausted Sydney managed to give North one final fiery glare of pure disdain. "North, you t-tried... to poison Connor."
Sydney had revealed the investigation into Connor's near murder...
The three leaders all gave North shocked glances while Hank kept an emotionless mask on his face. Lucas had no reaction toward North's betrayal as he was more interested in finding a way to revive Connor and not punish someone for their crime. As far as Lucas was concerned North would be dealt with and it'd happen without needing his input on anything.
"The e-evidence matches." Sydney explained even further as North took an uneasy step backward as if getting ready to make a mad dash to the elevator. "Th-The salt came from... the o-outside of the tower. Your sh-shoe prints tracked in... the same s-salt when you c-conveniently... found Connor s-seizing in the... emergency repair bay. You kn-knew the Thirium... was left f-for Connor and contamin-nated it when you... knew he'd be b-back for it."
"North?" Still shocked and in disbelief Markus locked eyes with his scared lover and asked for the truth. He could see the fear in her own cinnamon brown eyes as if she were being cornered by the police and arrested on the spot. "Why would you do that? Why would you try to kill one of our own?"
Unable to provide any kind of answer or even own up to what she had done, North remained steadfast in her silence and refused to admit to her crime.
"You need to talk to us." Pushing her gently Markus tried to get North to defend herself. "Please. You have to answer for this accusation, the evidence is damning and we have no way to disprove it. You have to defend yourself! I can't love a murderess."
Sydney spoke up again when North did not. "Sh-She was caught... in the a-act when... Josh walked by th-the repair bay." Struggling to speak as he continued to lose strength, Sydney had to use both hands to support himself upright as he sat on the edge of the exam table. "She w-was watching... Connor suffer. She w-wanted to see him... die. She o-only spoke up... when J-Josh happened to... walk by. He was... her a-alibi."
Despite his passive nature and wanting only a peaceful coexistence with every person he'll ever encounter, Josh knew he had to say something and make sure the truth came to light. "The night Connor had been poisoned I had gone to check in on him in the repair bay. Markus let all of the leaders know he had come here after suffering from low Thirium and hypothermia, and that he'd be in the repair bay recovering."
The way North's eyes darted over to Josh in a pleading manner only solidified her guilt as she silently begged for him to not say anything against her.
"I wanted to see Connor and ask if he needed someone to talk to." Josh continued in a level and professional manner. "When I neared the doorway of the repair bay North suddenly rushed out and honed directly on me as she let me know that Connor was having a seizure. She was already inside the repair bay when I went to visit him, and she heard me walking down the corridor while she was inside the repair bay. That's why she said something. She knew I would've found him seizing and if she pretended that she didn't notice when she was visiting him - visiting someone she hated, then we would've known the truth sooner."
Markus was sickened at hearing the grim details stacking up against his lover. She had poisoned Connor in an assassination attempt and she had gone out of her way to watch Connor drink the poison and suffer as he seized on the floor. North's coldness had reached a new level and it was something Markus could no longer dismiss as a fearful and guarded nature after suffering from so much trauma in her own past.
"This is inexcusable." Closing his eyes Markus wrapped one arm around his chest as he pressed his opposite hand to his face in shame. The horrific truth shot actual pain through his heart and his mind as Markus had no choice but to accept that North, his lover, was a cold and calculating manipulator. "You attempted to kill one of our own and did so inside of a tower that should be a safe sanctuary for everyone who sets foot through the door; no matter who they are or where they come from."
As much as Hank wanted to know what Markus was going to do from a legal standpoint, the senior detective knew better than to step on any toes or speak up in a situation where his voice didn't belong. Watching everything from where he stood Hank noticed Bruno now on guard and eyeing North as if waiting for the command to attack.
In an effort to keep the peace in his own way Hank lowered his hand to the dog's ears and whispered a simple command. "Stand down."
Bruno responded by slowly lowering himself to sit on the floor once more. The loyal dog continued to showcase how he understood all spoken words around him perfectly and how he was eager to protect his partner.
"We can't look the other way on this." Markus decided as his voice quickly dipped and his shoulders slumped. The attempted murder couldn't be ignored and there was no way to overlook the incident as a misunderstanding. "The fact that a leader had tried to murder one of our own, an ally, is something we can't simply pretend never happened."
Finally breaking her silence North let a few tears well up in her eyes as she acknowledged Markus's words. "...What's going to happen to me?"
Unable to answer right away Markus thought for a moment and tried to find a way to give North the chance to defend herself in some capacity. "The new laws and rights aren't in place as of the moment. Due to the fact that March 1st, 2039 has not passed and there are no laws in place that have been broken in a legal sense, you are now banished from the tower until further notice."
"Banished?" North repeated the punishment as dread settled in. She now knew there was nothing she could do to convince Markus or anyone else to let her stay in the tower after her atrocious crime had been exposed. "But... this is a sanctuary."
"And you violated its purpose when you laced Thirium with poison." Standing by his decision Markus took another step away from North as he passed down what he believed was a fair punishment. "There is no place in New Jericho Tower for a veiled assassin. I will not imprison you inside the tower and I won't properly punish this crime until March the 1st has passed, but I will not permit to roam freely throughout the tower as if you hadn't done anything wrong. You must leave now, and you can only return after March 1st when you're ready to face a more suitable punishment for the crime you've committed. Otherwise, the banishment will remain permanent."
North looked from Hank to Simon and then to Josh before returning her attention to Markus. She knew she had no allies in that moment and that she'd have to own up to her crime someday, with or without any support behind her.
"Go." Pointing toward the door leading out of the sublevel, Markus instructed North to leave the tower immediately. "As of this moment, North, you are banished from New Jericho Tower."
Wiping away a single tear before it had the chance to fall North slowly turned around and walked slowly toward the door as she had been ordered. She had nowhere to go and no one to rely on, but North would find a way to survive on her own. That was something she was good always good at.
"I'll..." Whispering in a kind manner Josh followed after North and raced to join her in the elevator before the doors slid shut. "I'll make sure she leaves the tower and passes through the barricade in the drive."
Heartbroken and shocked Markus could only stand back and process everything that had happened. The deviant he loved had tried to kill an ally, had kept a crucial secret to herself and showed no remorse for her actions. Markus couldn't bring himself to forgive North or speak to her again before she left the tower. In his mind Markus knew that he had done the right thing, yet his heart was torn apart and felt as if he lost a vital piece of himself.
"Markus?" Breaking the tense silence that filled that air after the final condemnation was handed down against North, Simon did his best to remain focused on the deviant most in need of their help. "I'm sorry. We need to move fast if we're going to revive Connor from shutdown."
"I..." Turning to face Simon for a moment Markus looked down at Connor laying entirely motionless on the exam table with Lucas hovering protectively over him. The grotesque damage to Connor's head was still bleeding from the gunshot wound that had shut him down. "Do what you think is best." Struggling to pay attention to anything beyond North's banishment, Markus gave Simon his permission to do anything he wanted to save Connor's life. "You're the lead technician and you're the one with experience in restoring the destroyed components and hardware of our people."
"Okay. Lucas?" Turning his attention to the 'RK-900' next, Simon sought his assistance with repairing Connor's cranium as efficiently as possible. "Can you help me, or is this going to be too personal?"
"I was able to assist you with aiding Sydney." Lucas replied in hushed whisper as he moved his palm to rest atop of Connor's Thirium soaked hair. "I can do it again for Connor. He needs me."
"Then we'll need to get him ready for the procedure." The damage to Connor's cranium needed to be analyzed, sterilized and then repaired before they even tried to revive him from shutdown. Rolling over the system diagnostic modem Simon prepared for the lengthy and delicate procedure he was about to undertake for only the second time. "Help me remove his clothing and deactivate his artificial skin. We'll need to take every possible precaution to keep complications from setting in."
"I understand." Looking over at Markus, Sydney, Hank and Bruno all standing around while looking and feeling out of place, Lucas asked for their assistance as well. "If you could leave the sublevel it'd be helpful. We'll need to sterilize the entire area and need the space to work."
"Uh, sure." Hank took the hint and patted Bruno's back lightly. "Come with me, Bruno. I need to figure out how to handle this whole fucked up case and you're the only other cop in this whole tower."
Grumbling a little Bruno picked up Connor's dropped fedora from the floor and accompanied Hank toward the elevator as he had been asked.
"Markus?" Calling out to the deviant leader, Hank's baritone voice only barely pierced the thick cloud surrounding Markus's every thought. "We need to talk. It's important for everyone, especially Connor."
"...Of course." Trying to sound professional as he trudged after Hank and toward the same elevator where he had just seen North disappear for what could be the final time, Markus failed to hide his heartbreak and destructive confusion revolving around what he had learned about North - his lover and dearest friend. "There's much we need to discuss." Pausing for a moment Markus looked back at Sydney over his shoulder and gave the newly awoken deviant a lost glance. "Sydney?"
"I... am s-staying here." Sydney stammered out as he fought to remain conscious and coherent. "I n-need to... transfer Connor's c-consciousness back... into his b-body as soon... as p-possible."
Simon agreed as he and Lucas prepared Connor for the repair procedure. "He's right. The sooner we separate Connor's sense of self from Sydney, the better. It'll help Connor recover faster and it'll end Sydney's pain."
"All right. I'll... I'll be in the main office." With nowhere else to go and no one to talk to except for Hank, Markus decided it was time to head up to the ground floor where he'd be away from his shutdown ally and have some privacy to think. "Keep me posted."
In spite of his own personal issues and emotional problems Hank felt compelled to try to ease Markus's pain in a fatherly manner. Accompanying the disheartened deviant leader into the elevator gave Hank the chance he needed to be a paternal figure at least one more time before his own time came to an end.
"I, uh, I don't know what you're feeling right now." Hank confessed as he and Bruno entered the elevator and stood beside Markus. "But I do know what it's like to feel heartbroken. If you want to talk-"
"Not right now." Bowing his head slightly Markus pressed his palm to the lift's control panel and requested to return to the ground floor. "I... don't want to discuss anything beyond finding the person who shot Connor and find out why they did it."
"Okay." Agreeing to get back to the recent crime at hand, Hank respected Markus's request and folded his arms over his chest. "Then that's what we'll do."
Just as exhaustion had weighed down the Central Precinct through the entire day, an equally heavy fatigue threatened to smother New Jericho Tower as night claimed Detroit in a sleepy darkness. The tower had last one of its four leaders due to her crime and Markus had felt the sting of heartbreak and a sense of betrayal in one fell swoop. In that moment the tower's lead technician and apprenticing technician were fighting to save Connor from shutdown hours after the bullet had stopped all of the deviant's functions out at the park. The prospect of hunting down one killer after banishing someone who was a failed assassin from the tower in the same night was a task that Markus hadn't anticipated handling.
Pacing about the private office with his phone pressed to his ear, Hank contacted Captain Fowler and told him of the shooting at Riverside Park and confirmed that Connor was the victim. Using his connections to his advantage allowed Hank to create the perfect cover to ensure that Connor's killer wouldn't get spooked and try to flee the city once the police got involved, and it'd keep people from nosing around New Jericho Tower.
Unable to think about anything except for North, Markus stood before the large window overlooking the shadowy harbor and winced at the thought of her being sent out into the cold air and snow in the middle of the night. He knew he did the right thing, he knew he couldn't overlook North's horrific behavior because of her standing in the tower and his connection to her and despite during everything correctly Markus felt like he had failed in every way imaginable.
"It'll be a little weird," Hank admitted as he ended the call and slipped the phone back into his coat pocket. "but I can keep the murder quiet and make the killer think that Connor-"
Stopping suddenly Hank saw the horrified expression on Markus's face being reflected off the glass on the window. He knew the deviant leader hadn't listened to a single word he had said over the phone and was thinking about something far more personal.
"Maybe you should try to get some sleep." Standing back from the deviant leader to give Markus some space, Hank knelt on the floor and summoned Bruno over to give the K-9 unit a little attention. Bruno was holding Connor's fedora in his mouth and letting out small whimpers of distress even as Hank gently rubbed his droopy ears. "I know as the leader you want to keep on top of everything, but you went through a lot of bullshit tonight and deserve to rest."
"...Not until I know what's happened to Connor and Sydney."
Hank knew that he was really thinking about North but didn't dare question it.
"What's the plan with Connor once he's awake, Lieutenant?"
"That can wait until after he's awake and we know what he's going through. One thing at a time, right?"
"...Right."
Turning away from the window Markus let out a deep sigh as if trying to release all of his pent-up stress in that single breath. He didn't know what to say or what to do after learning so many harsh truths so suddenly.
The door to the office slid open as Josh returned and gave his ally a sympathetic glance as he quickly sensed Markus's emotional distress. "She went to one of the android shelters." He knew Markus wanted to know where North had gone but was too anxious to ask. "I made sure she had a warm coat and some Thirium before she left, too."
"Thank you for showing her some compassion." Pressing his fingers to his green and blue eyes Markus rubbed the fatigue and tears from his gaze as he gave Josh a truly grateful glance. "We should check in on Connor and Sydney. I need to see them for myself."
"All right. You do that and I'll hold down the fort up here for you." Waiting for Markus to pass him by Josh lightly planted his palm on Markus's shoulder in a kind and reassuring manner that Hank didn't notice. "Afterward you and I should have a private sit down, so you don't have to harbor such negative feelings after everything you've been through."
Markus silently contemplated Josh's suggestion as he and Hank left the private office to check in on Connor. Bruno was trailing after them with his ears still drooped and tail low as the K-9 unit was keenly aware of what was happening. Entering the elevator together Markus, Hank and Bruno weren't sure what to expect when they returned to the hidden sublevel.
It had been four long grueling hours since Simon and Lucas had begun the delicate repair procedure on Connor's gravely damaged intracranial processor. The bullet wound had shut Connor down within milliseconds and left the deviant with no chance to react. Even with immediate help from a first responder Connor couldn't be saved out in the park, but the story was a little different now that he was in New Jericho Tower with two skilled technicians tending to his wounds.
After the elevator reached the correct floor and its doors slid open no one dared to take that first step forward out of a cautious fear. The memory of seeing Connor being shot and dying in his arms was sure to haunt Hank for years to come, while Markus would have to live with the memory of seeing Connor covered in his own blue blood while being carried into the tower in his brother's protective arms.
Taking in a deep breath Hank steeled himself and took the first step forward and sensed Markus stepping out just behind him. Neither of them knew what to expect and were already anticipating the worst. Entering the isolated room where the emergency repair session had taken place gave the two commanding presences a sense of pause. They could smell Thirium wafting in the air as it slowly evaporated, feel the heavy tension still lingering throughout the entire sublevel and hear a strange silence that was disturbed only when an electric charge whined to life as the two technicians prepared to revive Connor at last.
They could see Connor laying on the exam table under a white sheet as if he had just endured a painful surgery. On the neighboring table they could see Sydney laying under his own white sheet, but he seemed to be asleep instead of anesthetized as Connor appeared. The two deviants were motionless and quiet as they recovered from their respective emergency procedures.
"Charge is set." Lucas confirmed as he detached the black diagnostic cable from Sydney's right temple and revealed a slowly pulsing yellow L.E.D. beneath. The resting deviant was laying on the exam table next to Connor as Connor remained unresponsive to the world around him. "The transfer process has been completed. Connor's consciousness and sense of self has been restored to his original body."
"Sydney's stable as well." Simon noted in a near whisper. "Connor's intracranial processor has been rebuilt and everything that lets Connor be Connor has been restored." Lowering the two paddles of the external Thirium pump stimulator to Connor's chest, Simon gave Lucas a hopeful glance as the 'RK-900' wisely backed away from the table to avoid any secondary shock. "If I can get his heart beating then the Thirium flow to his intracranial processor should activate him and bring the Connor we know back online."
"I'm ready."
"All right." Confirming the correct charge on the paddles Simon prepared to deliver the life restoring shock. "Sending charge!"
Keeping back by the doorway Markus, Hank and even Bruno all watched as Connor's body physically reacted to the charge causing his back to slightly arch and lift the deviant's body momentarily up from the table. As the jolt passed through Connor's motionless Thirium pump a single 'blip' appeared on the attached Thirial activity monitor to confirm that Connor was responding to the treatment.
"Come on, work..." Simon watched for an additional beat to appear on the display screen of the monitor and didn't look away until that beat appeared. After a third, fourth and fifth beat followed Simon let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding and returned the paddles to the sides of the stimulator. "He's got a pump beat. He's back."
Lucas nodded as he approached the table again and lightly pressed his left fingertips to Connor's rebuilt right temple. The artificial skin hadn't regenerated around the entrance and exit wounds from the passing bullet despite the plastimetal frames beneath being repaired. As a means of protecting the exposed plastimetal, a layer of clean, white gauze around Connor's entire forehead and both temples to ensure the healing wounds were concealed from exterior debris and contaminants.
"I... am detecting a faint signal from his processor." Lucas confirmed as he kept his fingertips in place against Connor's temple. "But it is very weak. It also seems to be struggling to recalibrate after being physically destroyed."
"I'm not surprised. As long as he remains online then he'll recover, but it'll take days... maybe weeks."
Markus took a step forward and silently neared the two exam tables to look at the two 'RK-800' models struggling to survive their respective damage. "Simon? How did they tolerate the repair procedures?"
"Well, Sydney's stress levels were a challenge to keep low during the transfer process, but he'll be fine when he awakens. No more seizures and no more pain."
"That's good. And Connor?"
"He's very weak." Motioning to the numbers on the nearby Thirial activity monitor Simon let Markus see the details for himself. "He's back online but the recalibration process isn't even at one-percent yet."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that Connor is alive, but until he recovers he won't be the Connor we once knew."
Rubbing his hand over his bearded chin Hank let out a fatigued sigh through his nose as he joined Markus beside the exam table. Looking down at Connor's peaceful face Hank slowly lowered his free hand to Connor's chest and felt a wash of relief when there was a notable beat thumping against his palm. After failing to revive Connor with C.P.R., the senior detective couldn't have been more content to feel the deviant's Thirium pump thrumming on its own again.
"Aside from the bullet wound and destroyed intracranial processor," Simon continued as he and Lucas checked over both Connor and Sydney's vital signs. "Connor's suffered from small fractures to his chest frames - undoubtedly from Lieutenant Anderson's C.P.R., and more disconcerting, catastrophic memory damage that will leave him practically immobile for an indeterminant amount of time."
Hank didn't understand much of what Simon was saying beyond memory damage and fractures. All he cared about was Connor being able to recover after being shot by a coward from the distance. "Will he recover his memories?"
"It's very possible he'll make a full recovery and reclaim his lost memories. The odds are... fairly good." The blond technician admitted nervously as he wrung his tense hands together before himself, then hovered over Sydney next. The second deviant was recovering well and would awaken after a few hours once his own system recalibrated. "It'll just take quite a bit of time to accomplish since he suffered what equates to total brain death after being shot."
"Time's something I have plenty of these days." Keeping his hand on Connor's chest for a moment longer, Hank nodded and then shrugged off his dark, heavy coat to drape it over Connor's resting form as a comforting gesture. "I know you can't hear me right now, but, I'm glad you're back with us Connor. I'm going to do everything in my power to protect you and your brothers from whoever it was who tried to kill you. I swear."
-next chapter-