Heartache and emotional distress had plagued Markus's heart and his mind the moment he realized who had been the assassin hiding within New Jericho Tower and learned of their motivations behind the failed assassination attempt against Connor's life. It was a horrendous truth that reminded Markus that anyone and everyone was capable of doing terrible things in the future despite how many good things they had already accomplished in the past. Those who once fought for freedom, equality and peace could easily shift priorities and become someone who fights to imprison others, keep others repressed and would even want to elicit chaos to get what they wanted.
The pain of having to banish his own lover and send her out into the dark, cold night with nowhere to go had scarred Markus along his heart. Holding in his pain for as long as he could, Markus waited until Connor, Lucas and Sydney had all been taken care of before seeking aid for his own problems by going back to the one place he always felt safe and speaking with the one person who always helped guide him in the right direction.
"I feel like such a fool." Kneeling next to Carl's wheelchair as they spoke in the middle of the sitting room, Markus held onto the hands of his father as tears fell freely from his eyes to disappear onto the blanket draped over Carl's knees. "I loved her. I thought she was a kindred spirit who wanted to fight for our people and change the world for the better. Now I see that she was someone who sought power and control to manipulate the people around her."
"You're not a fool, Markus." Moving one hand to Markus's shoulder Carl tried to comfort his heartbroken son while offering him some advice in moving on despite his pain. Being a man of the world helped give Carl invaluable insight into pain, change and betrayal. "You're a young man who's still learning about the world and what it means to be your own person."
"How do I make sense of something as confusing and life changing as this?"
"Try to remember that everyone has a reason for everything they do, even if it's a reason that you don't agree with." Offering the deviant a warm smile, Carl did his best to help Markus see the light within the darkness. "You know that North had struggled with her pain long before you met her and before the Revolution. She still needs time to adjust and see that the world isn't going to hurt her anymore."
"I knew that she had killed before." Bowing his head as he spoke Markus confessed that he knew of North's past and of how she had strangled the last client who had rented her for his personal pleasure at the 'Eden Club'. He knew North was capable of taking a life, and yet he was still willing to overlook that bleak truth simply because he wanted to do it. "I knew she had taken someone's life before we even met. Why didn't I question her when Connor had been poisoned?"
"Because you see the good in everyone before you see the bad."
"A flaw."
"No, it's a strength. I've told you before that humans are a negative-minded species who only focus on failures and differences. But deviants are capable of seeing everyone's positive traits before even acknowledging that someone isn't perfect. That's a strength that'll only become stronger the more you use it."
"I feel like I can never rely on that strength anymore. It's like I can't trust my own heart anymore."
"Oh, that's normal after heartbreak." Patting Markus's shoulder lightly Carl tried to help Markus heal as much as he could. "I know from experience that right now you feel like you'll never love again, or that the love you do feel won't feel as real and meaningful as it once had."
Nodding slightly in acknowledgment Markus pressed his forehead down against Carl's knee as he continued to admit how much he was hurting.
"I assure you, as one man who's felt heartbreak to another, you will love again." Gently Carl moved his talented, artistic hand from Markus's shoulder to the back of Markus's head to ease his son's pain. "You don't believe it, but it will happen. And the best part is, it'll happen without you even knowing it's happening until you feel that warm, fluttery feeling inside your chest whenever you look at the new certain someone you've fallen for."
"What if I don't want to love anyone else?"
"Then that'll be how you live your life. Alone, numb and lamenting the past. That too is something I have experience in." Lightly Carl moved his hand to cup Markus's chin and lift the deviant leader's head up so they could look one another in the eyes. "Don't do it. Don't barricade your heart. I did that to myself, and I ended up abusing pain pills, alcohol and then went on a drive that ended with me losing to use of my legs."
Markus could only give Carl a hurt look as the aged artist's thumb carefully wiped the tears away from his eyes on his behalf.
"Give me a hug and let it out." Encouraging his son to keep crying was Carl's way of making sure Markus didn't bottle-up any emotions. "I have all the time in the world to be your shoulder to cry on. So cry!"
Moving fairly quickly Markus straightened his posture to wrap his arms around Carl's shoulders and leaned in against him to continue to cry and let his father give him the support he needed. Being able to confide in his father rather than just his allies or friends was far more reassuring in Markus's shaken mind. He knew that deep down inside Carl was the one person he'd always be able to rely on, no matter what happened to him or what he had done.
"Thank you for being here, dad."
"Always, son." Rubbing Markus's back Carl held his weeping son close and didn't even hesitate to offer him words of comfort. "I'll always be here for you."
The first time Hank was finally able to sit down and get some rest happened less than an hour after he had carried Connor inside the house to recover in the privacy of the guestroom of the house. Within minutes of sitting down on the couch to get off his feet for a moment, Hank slumped back against the soft cushions and quickly fell asleep against his will. After sleeping through the night and early morning hours Hank jumped himself awake when two firm knocks on the front door disturbed his sleep as his hand instinctively drew his gun from the holster on his right hip. Blinking a few times Hank gained his bearings and remembered that he had a recovering deviant to tend to and couldn't let his guard down just yet.
Hank returned his gun to the holster and approached the front door warily as he refused to take any risks. Peering out the front window beside the door Hank saw a large blue van with the logo of one of the precinct's undercover vehicles parked in the driveway beside the house.
"That's right..." Opening the door Hank greeted the 'electrician' standing on his front step and welcomed him inside the house before closing the door behind him with a soft 'click'. "Nice disguise, Joel."
"Wasn't my idea." Removing the blue cap over his head Joel ran his fingers through his thick hair to 'poof' it back up after it was smothered under the hat. He had his technician's satchel slung over his shoulder to help make his disguise as an electrician all the more convincing. "Detective Collins said it was the best way to check in on Connor without any nosy neighbors getting suspicious about someone stopping by your house."
"Yeah, yeah." Yawning as he walked toward the hallway, Hank showed Joel to where Connor was still resting with Sumo curled up at his side on the bed. "I have some Thirium stocked up in the kitchen. Connor can't talk yet and he can't do anything beyond blinking and breathing right now." Stepping aside Hank let Joel enter the bedroom to look at Connor for himself. "He can understand what we're saying but he won't be able to respond or move around on his own just yet."
"Okay. I'll give him a quick examination and determine when he'll need a Thirium replenishment."
Standing back in the doorway of the bedroom Hank watched as Joel entered the space and was given a friendly tail wag from Sumo. The way Sumo accepted Joel into the room was a good sign that Joel was indeed a good person and wanted to help Connor recover.
"Good morning, Connor."
Connor was awake but not moving around save for his chest slowly rising and falling with his breaths. The deviant blinked twice when Joel sat down on the side of the bed opposite of Sumo, and then watched as Joel opened up his satchel to look for his necessary instruments.
"I'm going to start a rudimentary exam by taking his vitals." Joel explained his procedure every step of the way so Hank knew what was going on and so Connor could understand what was happening to him. "Connor, my name is Joel. I'm a technician and I'm going to help you recover. I know you can't speak to me, so I'll explain everything as I work so you understand what's happening to you."
As expected, Connor didn't say anything and only watched as Joel wrapped a Thirium pressure cuff around his left bicep. The groggy didn't even react as the cuff tightened around his arm automatically and registered his Thirium pressure on the small digital display attached to the side of the cuff.
"Okay... Pressure is nominal." Joel confirmed as he looked at the display then used his audioscope to listen to Connor's chest. Focusing primarily on Connor's Thirium pump rate, Joel made sure the beat was normal and not erratic in any way. "Strong heartbeat and clear ventilation rate."
Connor's eyes were still glassy as his system rebooted slowly, but he was able to comprehend what was happening to him even if he couldn't communicate or move around very much on his own. He wasn't in any pain and wasn't afraid of what was happening to him, only confused as to why he couldn't remember how he became damaged or how he ended up inside Hank's house.
"I'm going to check your core temperature next." Speaking as he worked helped Joel connect with Connor even though the deviant never once responded. "I'm going to secure a thermal wrap around your wrist and use that gauge your temperature."
Curious as to whether or not Connor was running a high temperature kept Hank's eyes glued to the deviant's face. The white gauze bandages around Connor's head were still in place and were still being used to support cold compresses when necessary, but by all account Connor wasn't overheating or in need of such treatments.
"I, uh, I forgot to get him a compress after I got him home last evening." Hank admitted as if expecting a harsh reprimand. The entire thing had slipped Hank's mind since he didn't seem to think Connor needed one after he did a basic fever check the night before. "Is he all right?"
"Yeah, his temperature is nominal, too." Joel confirmed as carefully unwrapped the gauze from Connor's head to check on the physical damage to his cranium. The artificial skin had finally regenerated around Connor's temples and the bandages were no longer necessary to keep the healing damaged or exposed plastimetal frames covered. "I'm going to check your optical units and auditory processors next, Connor. I'm going to need you to sit up for this."
Sluggishly Connor managed to sit upright on the bed and his brow knit together as if suddenly uncomfortable. Even though he was regaining his strength and could follow basic instructions, the simplest of tasks were still taxing on Connor's body.
"That's good." Joel was impressed that Connor was able to sit upright on his own and made sure to double-check his vitals to ensure Connor didn't strain himself in the process of moving. Pulling a small penlight from his satchel Joel clicked the light on and used it to check Connor's pupils by flicking the light in his eyes one at a time. "Okay... Normal reactions to changes in light. There appears to be no damage to your vision whatsoever."
Connor blinked again as the sudden shift in light caused rapid responses in his advanced software. The way his eyes were able to instantly adjust to the level of light inside of an enclosed space only had mild drawbacks, such as momentary confusion and visual overload on an already exerted processor.
"Now to check your hearing..." Moving his hand to Connor's right ear Joel snapped his fingers and watched as Connor's eyes shifted to his right to see what caused the noise. The deviant repeated the action when Joel snapped his fingers beside his left ear as well. "Normal reactions again. You're doing great, Connor."
Hank felt a sense of relief as he watched Connor slowly moving around and showing positive vital signs. He had been worried that Connor would never fully recover and would be left as a shell of his former self after being shot and temporarily killed at the park.
"One more thing." Joel watched the way Connor was struggling to comprehend everything as his core temperature began to slowly rise. The process of full system recalibration was slow, yet it was taking its toll on Connor's body with every little change that happened to him. "I want you to raise your right hand for me."
The corner of Connor's mouth ticked in response as his right hand twitched slightly but didn't lift into the air. The deviant's eyes darkened as he lost his strength and began to fall back against the bed as if he were suddenly struck with a narcoleptic spell.
"Easy! Easy..." Joel caught Connor's shoulders with both hands and slowly lowered the deviant down in a gentle manner before checking the thermal wrap around Connor's left wrist for a moment. He knew that the odds of Connor being overwhelmed were high and had been prepared to respond accordingly. "It's okay. That told me what I needed to know, so just get some rest now. You did great."
From the doorway Hank whispered to the technician as a means of keeping Connor from enduring any further stress. "Joel?"
"The strain on his body is still abundant." The skilled technician knew what Hank wanted to ask without ever needed to utter the question. "His temperature has elevated in response to the physical exertion on his body."
"I'll get some ice."
Putting his hands to his hips Hank made his way into the kitchen and pulled open the freezer door to retrieve his promised item. After grabbing a small ice pack from the icy storage compartment Hank wrapped the pack in a clean hand towel so he could give Connor the cold compress without giving the deviant's artificial skin a strong or painful chill. As he returned to the bedroom Hank noticed that Joel had set up his laptop on the nearby nightstand and had connected a black cable from the laptop to Connor's now blank right temple where Connor's L.E.D. had once been.
"Something else happening?"
"I'm just checking on his recalibration process." Typing a few keywords on his keyboard gave Joel the data he was seeking. It wasn't exactly what he was hoping to find, but the details were informative all the same. "Wow. He's only at six point eight percent in his recalibration process."
"Jeez, that's still super low." Handing over the ice pack for Joel to use, Hank gave Connor a sympathetic glance while Sumo rested his chin over the deviant's chest again. It was so strange to see someone as headstrong and stubborn as Connor laying so prone and weak on the bed. "Can we do anything to speed the process up?"
"Maybe. He'll need to keep his Thirium volume above eighty percent to make any real progress, and that means frequent replenishments." Reaching into his satchel again Joel revealed a pouch of Thirium and a small hollow tube that was about a foot long that had a plastic clip on each end. Using the Thirium pressure cuff to keep a tight pressure on Connor's left bicep, Joel typed a new command on his laptop and manually deactivated the artificial skin along Connor's left elbow and the entirety of his connected forearm. "I'll set up what is essentially an I.V. port in his left arm so you can give him Thirium more directly."
"Is it more effective than drinking it?" Wanting to do everything right by Connor meant asking a lot of questions he never really wanted to know the answer to. "Not that I mind him not drinking his own blood..."
"It'll have the same effectiveness as drinking Thirium, but it'll cycle through his system faster by direct line transfusion as opposed to ingestion." Without even thinking twice Joel was able to open up the plastimetal panel over the bend in Connor's left elbow and connected the external tubing to the internal Thirial line running through the deviant's limb. After the tubing was connected Joel secured an I.V. bag of Thirium to the tube and squeezed twice to get the Thirium to flow. "Okay. We'll hang this on the nearby lamp so gravity can do its work."
"Then what?" Hank had to look away for a moment as his hand anxiously rubbed at his bearded chin. The crude I.V. reminded him too much of a hospital and made him feel suddenly uneasy. "Replace the bag as soon as it runs out?"
"More like replace the bag every six hours IF it runs out." Joel taped the excess of the line in place on Connor's arm and then laid the ice pack over the deviant's forehead to ensure he didn't overheat. The kind technician was focusing on keep Connor's intracranial processor from overheating above anything else since that was the part of Connor's body that had recently been damaged and then repaired. "It'll give his system adequate time to recalibrate without overloading his system with too much Thirium at once."
"Right, sure." Glancing down at Connor's face again created a pit of dread in Hank's stomach. The deviant had closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep again as his system struggled to keep recalibrating, and now he looked like a sick college student trying to rest through a persistent flu. "I'll be sure to keep on top of that."
"I'll bring you some more Thirium tomorrow evening." Packing up his satchel Joel decided it was time to go back to the precinct and give Captain Fowler a quick update on what was happening. It was safer to talk in person than try to communicate via phone calls or texts since their means of communication could've been tapped or hacked by a deceptive deviant. "Is there anything you want me to tell Captain Fowler?"
"Just let him know that Connor's holding his own and that I'll be back at the precinct once Connor's made more progress in his recovery. I'm going to lead the investigation into the shooting myself."
"Okay. And just so you know, there are about a dozen reporters hovering around the precinct who want to talk to you about arresting Jack Pillar."
"When you get back to the precinct tell everyone with a microphone to kiss my pale ass!" Crossing his arms over his chest Hank made it clear he hated reporters with a passion. He saw them as opportunistic vultures who just wanted to pick at a carcass to get ratings, not the truth. "If they were really trying to do something productive for the city then they would've helped us look for Pillar years ago, not just want to talk to someone who got lucky enough to arrest his sorry ass."
"Uh... I don't think it'll have the same impact coming from me as it would from you, but I'll consider passing along the message."
"Chicken."
"More like I'm trying to pay off my student loan debts and don't want to have to look for another job." With his satchel slung over his shoulder again Joel rose from the edge of the bed and made his way toward the bedroom door. Despite disliking hats Joel returned the cap to his hair before he walked down the hallway to ensure no one who might be watching the house saw his face. "I'll be at the precinct if you need anything else."
"Right. And thanks for stopping by like this."
"Hey, it's on me. I let it slip I always wanted to go an undercover mission and got roped into this when word got around." The fake electrician's uniform was not to the technician's liking and Joel tugged at the fake name badge pinned to his chest with mild irritation. He much preferred working in a jumpsuit or with a white lab coat over his more casual clothing. "Let Connor rest, make sure he doesn't overheat, and from time to time just talk to him and see if he can understand and follow basic suggestions."
"You mean like lifting his hands?"
"Lifting his hands, moving his legs, following your own hand as you move it in front of his face, and even simple verbal responses." Pulling the hat down over his head Joel opened the front door and stepped outside into the early afternoon sunlight. "If he suffers from anything that's unusual-"
"I'm not a technician and I know jack-shit about androids." Hank cut off Joel mid sentence and reminded him to whom he was talking with. "What would be 'unusual' beyond what's already happened to him?"
"Excessive and prolonged overheating, inability to keep his Thirium reserves up or even sporadic seizures all qualify as unusual."
Such direct and blunt responses were very easy for Hank to understand. "Oh."
"But I know you can handle it."
"Well, that makes one of us."
"It'll be fine, but I'm just a call away if you need anything." With his job done Joel prepared to head back out into the city to go about his business as usual via undercover van as he had been directed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant."
"Yeah, see ya'."
Closing the door and locking it tight did very little to ease Hank's worries. While he had experience in taking care of sick people and helping his fellow detectives recover from being wounded in the line of duty, Hank still had doubts about his own abilities to do right by Connor. He had already made so many mistakes and he knew Connor couldn't afford any setbacks with his recovery.
Walking silently Hank wandered back down the hallway and checked in on Connor as the deviant continued to sleep on the bed with Sumo protectively at his side. The large dog licked his nose as he slowly rose from the bed and plodded down to the floor to stretch out his large body and then wander over to visit with Hank for a moment.
"If you're not worried about him then I shouldn't worry either."
Rubbing Sumo's ears lightly Hank led the Saint Bernard into the kitchen to give him some fresh kibble before Sumo even had the chance to beg. The loyal dog had spent the entire night keeping Connor company and was overdue his breakfast and morning trot through the backyard.
"With any luck Connor won't remember how much of a prick I had been to him, but then again, he deserves to remember every little detail of his life no matter how much of a jackass I had been. It's his life and his right to live it as he sees fit."
Running his hand over the back of his shaggy hair only reminded Hank of how much time he had spent at New Jericho Tower and compelled him to go take a nice, hot shower. The grease on his palm and faint whiff of body odor was all the evidence the senior detective needed to confirm it was time to spend a little time taking care of his own needs before he focused entirely on Connor.
"After you finish roaming the backyard you're back on guard duty." Speaking to Sumo helped Hank to focus his thoughts and feel more confident in his abilities to take care of Connor. "I don't want him to wake up and be completely alone."
Creeping into the guestroom as silent as a mouse Hank peered at Connor's expressionless face and lightly pressed the back of his hand to the side of the deviant's neck. He was already cooling off and didn't need the ice pack to protect his intracranial processor any longer.
"Man, even when you're healing slowly you're still recovering faster than anyone I've ever met."
Chuckling at the concept Hank plucked the ice pack from Connor's forehead to return it to the freezer for use later on. Without the ice pack or the bandages wrapped around his head a rogue lock of hair hung down over Connor's left eye as if the deviant was developing a small case of bedhead.
"When you're awake we'll start with some basic stuff to help ya' get back on your feet." Hank used his palm to sweep the hair out of Connor's face only to have the lock bounce right back where it had been. "I know you're going to go stir-crazy and will want to find the fucker who tried to kill you before they do anything else to anyone else."
The promise felt so natural as Hank's paternal instincts kicked in full force. Being inside Cole's old bedroom and taking care of a helpless person brought back some of the best memories Hank had as a father, although the new experiences would pale in comparison to the old ones.
"We'll find 'em and make them pay for what they did to you. For now, you just rest and get better first, then we'll go on the hunt."
The first night in the brownstone went off without a hitch. While Lucas had spent a majority of the evening, night and morning monitoring activity outside the brownstone, Sydney continued to rest and let his system recalibrate after enduring his own significant damage and recovery process. Lucas's patrol wasn't entirely solo as Bruno would get up every hour on the hour to do a silent sweep of the property and check the doors for any sign of intrusion as well. What would appear as paranoid or neurotic behavior was in fact perfectly normal for deviant androids who were trying to remain isolated from anyone who would potentially do them harm just for existing within Detroit city limits.
As noon crept about with no sign of disturbances or updates on what was happening either at New Jericho Tower or with Connor, Lucas began to worry that something was happening and being kept a secret. Closing his green eyes for a minute the empathetic deviant cybernetically called out to Simon at the tower to ask him directly for any potential news that contained any critical details.
'Simon, it is Lucas.' Even inside his own mind Lucas sounded worried despite his best efforts to keep his concerns masked behind a tone of confidence. 'May I ask if you've heard anything regarding Connor or anyone who may be a suspect in the shooting?'
'Not yet.' The blond technician responded quickly as he understood Lucas's concerns and empathized with the kind deviant. He had seen the way Lucas quickly fell into the role of a brother and Simon knew that he wanted to keep both Connor and Sydney safe at all times. 'There hasn't been any gossip spreading in the tower about Connor, so I imagine we actually succeeded in keeping the shooting a secret.'
'That's reassuring. What of Markus?' Concerned for all of his allies Lucas knew Markus would be in emotional distress after what had happened with North. The truth had been truly upsetting on so many levels for everyone involved. 'I imagine he's feeling rather morose and potentially lost at this time.'
'You got that right. He went to speak with Carl early this morning and to spend time away from the tower in general.' As Simon spoke his own voice took on an emotional lilt as he truly felt terrible for what had happened to Markus and how he had his heart shattered by North's atrocious behavior. 'It might be best for him to keep some distance for a while until he has a chance to really process what happened and heal.'
'Is there anything I can do to help?'
'Just keep your head down and your eyes open.' The suggestion was all Simon could think to give as he tried to juggle handling his new responsibilities alongside Josh now that two of the four leaders were no longer inside the tower. Being the lead technician and second in charge was fairly time consuming. 'How are you and Sydney holding up?'
'We're fine. No one disturbed the brownstone, and I didn't detect anyone lurking about the area while I was performing my perimeter checks throughout the night.'
'Sydney's not in any pain or suffering from an ill effects post repair procedure, right?'
'That is correct. He isn't suffering from anything physical, but I fear he's been scarred emotionally and may have developed an inferiority complex due to his original design being meant strictly to act as a replacement in the event the Connor that we know had been destroyed while obeying CyberLife's command.'
'Damn.' The response was sincere as Simon felt terrible for Sydney's current state of mind. 'Josh was worried something like that might happen to him.'
'Please refrain from informing anyone else of this current situation. I suspect Sydney will want to overcome this personal insecurity in his own way at his own pace.'
'Understood.'
'Thank you.'
'I'll keep you posted about things happening out here at the tower and I'll let you know if I hear anything about Connor.'
'And I'll do the same regarding activity here in the brownstone and if I learn anything about Connor's condition.'
'Take care, Lucas. Hopefully we'll have this mess sorted out soon.'
'That would be nice. I'll communicate with you later.'
Ceasing the cybernetic contact freed up Lucas's mind and allowed him to fully focus on other matters. The kindhearted deviant made his across the study and up the staircase to check on Sydney as his older brother continued to rest in the seclusion of the second floor guestroom. Unaware of how his protective demeanor was reflecting the behavior of a certain senior detective a few blocks away, Lucas took on the role of a guardian without a second thought.
A scan from the distance allowed Lucas to read over Sydney's system's current functionality and noted that his older brother had a significant drop in his Thirium volume after spending the night recalibrating, and he knew that Sydney would need a replenishment. Wanting to help Sydney even if Sydney denied needing help, Lucas crept back down the staircase to check through the kitchen where he had noted Connor's Thirium supply during his perimeter check of the brownstone.
"I'll be sure to replace the Thirium that gets consumed during Connor's absence." Lucas told himself as he reached into the cupboard beside the refrigerator and carried a fresh bottle of the precious blue blood back upstairs. "I'm sure he won't mind since this is going to be used to aid Sydney's health."
Walking into the second floor guestroom with the silence of a snowflake falling from the winter sky, Lucas stood beside the bed and called out to Sydney in a low voice to awaken his older brother without startling him by accident.
"Sydney? I have Thirium for you."
The second deviant slowly rolled from his side to lay on his back, then pushed himself upright to sit on the bed. Focusing his left eye on Lucas and still favoring his left ear as his right ear remained partially deaf, Sydney noticed the Thirium in Lucas's hand and questioned its origins. "Where did you find that?"
"It came from the supply in the kitchen."
"So, it belongs to Connor." Looking away from the offered blue blood Sydney shook his head and declined the offer. "Put it back."
"You need this. I can detect that your Thirium reserve-"
"Is down to seventy-four percent." Sydney interrupted with a snap. "I'm more aware of my system than you are."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insinuate-"
"Has there been any updates on our situation?" Deflecting attention away from himself Sydney tried to focus on something else as his system continued to slowly recalibrate. "I didn't detect any disturbances during the night."
"No." Holding tightly onto the bottle of Thirium, Lucas crossed his arms and indulged Sydney's question despite wanting to focus on the deviant's health first and foremost. "I've spoken with Simon, and he confirms that there were no further incidents at New Jericho Tower after our departure."
"Have you spoken to the Lieutenant?" Sydney's functional blue eye narrowed slightly as even the idea of talking to Hank felt like it was somehow an inexcusable burden. "I don't trust his ability to tend to Connor as he recovers."
"I have not spoken to him yet. Would you-"
"No." Quickly rising from the bed, Sydney staggered for a moment as the abrupt movement made him dizzy while his Thirium volume was low. Pressing his hand over his blind eye did little to ease his sudden dizziness, but it gave Sydney a faint sense of grounding. "Please excuse me."
"Where are you going?"
"I wish to preoccupy myself by beginning a cybernetic search for the person or persons who shot Connor." Sydney passed by Lucas to walk downstairs and didn't even acknowledge the fact that Bruno was laying on the foot of Connor's bed looking upset. "It'd be a far more efficient use of my time than merely laying around and waiting for updates to come to us."
Unsure if he should've been insulted by the remark or impressed with Sydney's work ethic, Lucas kept his silence and turned around to watch Sydney walk down the staircase to presumably work in the study. A small whimper from Bruno drew Lucas's attention toward the K-9 unit in Connor's bedroom as he sensed that Bruno was worried about Connor as well.
"Come here." Crouching down Lucas opened his hands out toward Bruno to invite the dog over for some ear rubs. "I know you're concerned about Connor's condition. We all are, we just show it in different ways."
Plodding off the bed Bruno slowly walked over to Lucas with his tail drooped low and his ears back. Letting out a heated sigh through his nose Bruno sat at attention in front of Lucas and allowed the kindhearted deviant to rub his ears and then his chin.
"I'll check in with Lieutenant Anderson this evening to ask how well Connor is fairing. It might be best to give him a day to adjust to tending to Connor's needs and allow him to rest for a while since he didn't sleep while he was at the tower. We're all suffering from fatigue as well."
Bruno put his paw on Lucas's arm and wagged his tail a little as he understood what Lucas had told him.
"And don't worry. Once we have a trail to follow, we'll let you lead the chase so we can track down Connor's shooter ourselves. Connor will get justice."
It seemed the deviants weren't the only ones struggling with personal tragedy or a sense of loss in Detroit that day. The amount of chaos flooding the streets as the last of the 'red ice' overdose victims were identified, taken to the hospital or even declared dead, had exhausted the first responders in a way that a majority of the rookies were left feeling distraught or useless, while the more experienced first responders quickly fell into their own routines of doing anything and everything to numb the pain while distracting themselves from what they had seen, heard and experienced while on the clock. The emotional strain of being a detective could wear down even the strongest of resolves and could even crack a heart of stone over time.
Waking up with a thundering headache and a foul taste lingering on his tongue were two things Gavin did not need as he opened his heavy eyelids. It was noon and even with the curtains drawn over the windows the intense sunlight still managed to pierce his bloodshot hazel-gray eyes as the pained detective struggled with his fresh hangover.
"Fuckin'... My head!"
Sitting upright in the bed Gavin pushed aside the dark purple comforter resting over his chest and paused for a moment as he realized something was up. The color of the comforter on the guestroom bed in Tina's apartment was navy blue, not purple. Forcing himself to open his eyes more fully Gavin glanced about the bedroom and realized it wasn't his hangover making him temporarily colorblind, he was in fact in the wrong bedroom!
"What... did I do last night?"
Spotting his clothes in a pile on the floor beside the bed and some clothes of another person right beside it helped confirm Gavin's suspicions. Wanting to be sure that he wasn't imagining things, he lifted up the comforter from over his lap and confirmed that he was indeed naked and had clearly had too much to drink last night to remember what led to him losing his pants and falling asleep in a bed he couldn't remember climbing into.
"Fuck... I hope I'm not in some psycho's bedroom again. Or worse, some married person's bedroom... AGAIN."
A small sigh at his left side made Gavin jump as he was suddenly aware that he wasn't alone. There was another person sleeping beside him under the comforter and didn't seem to notice Gavin was now awake. Without a doubt that was the person who owned said bed.
"Oh... Uh... Shit."
Lightly Gavin pulled back the comforter from the person laying beside him and almost panicked at the sight. He knew the person and felt ashamed of himself for losing control over his better judgment after having a few drinks the prior night.
"F-Fuck... Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
Moving slowly and quietly Gavin crept out of the bed and grabbed his clothing from the floor and used the wadded up mess of garments to cover himself as he backed toward the bedroom door slowly. Fumbling for the doorknob as he watched the other person in the bed warily, Gavin pushed the door open behind himself and then fought the urge to slam the door shut as he didn't want to accidentally wake up the sleeping person.
Unsure of what to do or what to think, Gavin closed his eyes as he leaned against the closed bedroom door and rubbed his hand over his face in utter self shame.
"...What did I do? How could we let this happen?"
Gavin looked about the familiar apartment and spotted the empty pizza take-out boxes on the kitchen countertops, the two empty drinking glasses that were tipped over on the coffee table in the livingroom, and the small trail of female clothing leading from the livingroom toward the bedroom at his feet.
"Shit, I really fucked up this time."
Needing a moment to think and comprehend everything that happened the previous night, Gavin stumbled through the livingroom and retreated to the bathroom to hide and clean up after his late night tryst. Dropping his clothes at his feet Gavin turned on the shower to let it steam up the bathroom as he leaned his palms atop the sink to breathe deeply and regain his senses. He wasn't dreaming and he wasn't lost in a hungover stupor.
"She's my best friend... How in the hell did I end up sleeping with Tina?!"
The quiet of the house was disturbed only when Sumo let out a small grumble from the guestroom that alerted Hank to the fact that Connor had awoken from his sleep after falling into emergency rest mode. The senior detective walked out of the kitchen with a fresh bottle of Thirium in his hand as he entered the second bedroom to check on his unexpected but welcomed guest. It was a mild relief to see Connor awake again as the deviant slowly pushed himself upright in the bed to test his strength and regain his bearings. There was still a glassy glaze over Connor's brown eyes, but there was finally something behind the deviant android's gaze again. Life and recognition were in fact slowly returning as Connor's system slowly recalibrated.
Entering the bedroom Hank turned on the overhead light and patted Sumo's rump to encourage the large dog to get down for a moment. The massive fuzzball took up too much room sometimes, but Sumo always meant well.
"Hey, Connor." Greeting the deviant in a polite manner Hank noticed that the I.V. of Thirium was empty and wondered if he could attach the bottle to the end of the I.V. line to replace the pouch. "Glad you're awake."
Connor blinked a few times as he managed to tilt his head to the side to convey mild confusion. After a few seconds he was able to recall where he was, who he was talking to, and why Hank had some Thirium. Connor straightened his posture again and waited to see what Hank was going to do next.
"Joel left after you fell asleep." Explaining things to the deviant helped Hank to remember everything he needed to do as he aided Connor's recovery. "He started that Thirium I.V. to help ya' keep your volume up. He also said you can try moving around a little more to help your system recalibrate if you're up for the challenge."
Remaining mute Connor watched Hank's body language closely. Despite his inability to communicate Connor was able to understand that Hank was stressed, tired and worried. All negative traits for one person to convey.
"I'll see if I-" The sound of his phone ringing in his jean pocket made Hank sigh as he fumbled for the phone after putting the Thirium bottle on the nightstand beside the bed. The last thing he wanted was any intrusion while taking care of a wounded friend. "Yeah, this is Lieutenant Hank Anderson." Hank rudely replied as he pressed his phone to his ear. "Yeah, I remember your name, Jeffrey. I'm tired and the response was auto-pilot, so what the hell do you want?"
Too weak to cybernetically tap into the phone call had left Connor feeling strangely out of the loop. He couldn't remember why or how he knew Hank, but he instinctively knew that the man was a police Lieutenant and that the phone call was important.
Closing his eyes Connor ran a quick self diagnostic and was greeted with less than ideal numbers regarding his own condition.
...SELF DIAGNOTIC: [Engaged]
...LOADING INFORMATION:
REGISTERED NAME: "Connor"
MODEL: RK-800
SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 51
ACTIVATION DATE: *January 4th, 2039 [*additional data required to confirm date]
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs
COMPLEXION: Caucasian
AESTHETIC GENDER: Male
HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown
ASSIGNMENT: *ERROR
ASSOCIATION(S): *ERROR
BOOTING PROCESSORS...
LOADING OS...
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]
-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... ERROR]
[...Critical data corruption detected]
-INITIATING DATA RECOVERY MODE
READY...
-MEMORY REBOOT: Engaged - ^9.7%
[...Thirium Volume - 76.3%]
[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]
[...Thirium Pump Rate - 62 B.P.M.]
[...Ventilation Rate - 12 V.P.M.]
[...Core Temperature - 98.6 Degrees Fahrenheit]
ERROR: Memorybank compromised - ^9.7% Functionality
-STRESS LEVELS: 04%
-SYSTEM READY... OK]
The data offered Connor only mildly useful information since Connor couldn't remember what had happened that resulted in his memory loss or the damage he had sustained that resulted in said memory loss. With his very limited information and stunted processing ability, Connor could only silently deduce that his memory loss, previous physical damage and having a police Lieutenant hovering over him were all connected.
"No fuckin' way!" Shouting at his commanding officer over the phone Hank made it clear he wasn't going to leave Connor by himself. "I don't give a shit what the higher-ups want, I won't leave Connor alone for one damn minute! He needs my help, and the higher-ups can get off their overpaid asses to talk to the media without me being involved!"
Connor saw Hank's blue eyes narrow with frustration. The stress of the situation was beginning to gnaw away at Hank's own resolve and Connor wasn't sure how he could help, or if that was even possible.
Sumo whimpered as he put his front paws up on the bed and burrowed his nose under Connor's hand to get the deviant to pet him. The massive dog was acutely aware of the tense atmosphere and didn't want to be a part of it. In return Connor's hand slowly flexed as his fingers curled and then relaxed as he began to instinctively pet the dog's ears.
"Yeah, well, I don't..." Trailing off for a moment Hank saw Connor having a positive reaction to Sumo's presence and couldn't help but watch. Only vaguely aware of Captain Fowler still speaking to him over the phone Hank forced himself to pay attention to the conversation again. "Y-Yeah, I'm still here. Look, I'm not going to talk to reporters about Pillar, I'm not going to be the higher-ups little lapdog and I'm sure as Hell not leaving someone who's suffered what equates to brain damage by themself! Got it?"
Focused more on Sumo than the phone call, Connor didn't even notice Hank hang up the phone and slip the item back into his pocket out of sight. There was something strangely familiar and comforting about petting the dog's ears that made Connor feel like he was starting to recover a little faster. It was as if he had experience with dogs but simply couldn't remember.
"Even on my days off I get harassed by out-of-touch assholes." Hank lamented as he opened up the bottle of Thirium and checked the bottle's design to see if he could connect it to the I.V. line or not. "There are some days where I wish Sumo would eat my phone and spare me a headache."
Turning his attention toward Hank standing beside the bed, Connor noticed the bottle of Thirium in Hank's hand and knew he needed to have the Thirium in order to continue his recovery. Connor began moving his free hand in a slow and uncoordinated manner toward the bottle in an attempt to take it for himself without saying a single word the entire time.
"Connor?" Hank saw the motion and encouraged Connor to try drinking the Thirium to improve his hand-eye coordination. "Think you can drink this?" Holding the bottle closer to Connor's hand, Hank watched as the deviant's fingers failed to properly wrap around the bottle or grip the bottle in any capacity. The deviant simply didn't have the strength to hold the bottle for himself yet. "Well, maybe you can try again tomorrow. For now, here."
Connor watched as Hank held the bottle toward his lips on his behalf and tried to drink the Thirium as instructed. The effort was almost in vain as Connor accidentally spilled some of the blue blood down his chin and neck before he finally managed to get the Thirium into his mouth to drink properly.
"Not bad." Capping the bottle for a moment Hank looked at the blue stains on Connor's face and decided to get him a warm washcloth to clean himself up. Feeling clean and comfortable was a little thing that could make a big difference during someone's recovery. "I'll be right back, Connor."
Feeling strangely stronger yet weaker at the same time, Connor let himself fall back against his pillow as he tried to conserve his strength as much as he could. Once his head was resting against the pillow again Connor felt Sumo jump back up onto the bed to curl up against his side again. Keeping his hand on Sumo's back seemed to be the only thing Connor could consistently do as his processor recalibrated and he regained his coordination.
"Glad Thirium isn't sticky and doesn't have a bad smell." Lightly Hank used the washcloth to clean off Connor's chin and neck. Some of the Thirium had stained the gray scrub top, but it'd evaporate and disappear over time. "You'll be able to drink the rest of the Thirium later. You seem to be healing pretty quickly."
Looking up at Hank curiously Connor tried to access the memories that would tell him why and how he knew who Hank was, and perhaps find out why Hank was helping him. It didn't make any sense for a police Lieutenant to be taking care of a deviant unless it was important that Connor was kept safe under police observation.
"You're getting better at using your hands." Reaching into his jean pocket for a second time Hank fished out a small item and held it between his index fingertip and thumb for Connor to see. "Remember this?"
Honing in on the tiny object with his eyes, Connor felt another strange sense of familiarity wash over him.
"This is yours." Picking up Connor's free hand Hank gently placed the item down into the deviant's palm. "It's your quarter. You gave it to Lucas to help him with his hand or something, and he wanted you to have it back since it can help you, too."
Looking down at the coin in his palm filled Connor with a sense of warmth. Why the coin was important to him and why it gave him a feeling of self would remain a mystery a while longer as his processor continued its slow reboot.
"Can you raise your right hand for me?" Hank wanted to follow Joel's instructions properly and waited to see how Connor responded. "Just for a second."
Processing the simple request for only a moment, Connor managed to slowly lift his right hand up from Sumo's back then lowered it down to resume petting the dog.
"That's great!" The way Connor understood the request, remembered his right from his left and could actually move around again were all positive signs. "I bet by tomorrow you'll be able to remain awake and move your arms without any problems."
Connor tightened his grip on his coin as Hank's hand lowered down against his forehead for a few seconds. The calloused hand was surprisingly gentle as the senior detective performed a basic fever check on the deviant's behalf.
"You're a little warm but not too bad. Hopefully you can avoid overheating all together now that you're really starting to recover." Retracting his hand Hank looked at the quilt Connor had been sleeping on top of and decided to risk draping the layer over Connor to keep the deviant comfortable. Pulling on the quilt Hank managed to slip it out from beneath Connor's body then place the cover over Connor's legs. "And this will keep you comfortable while you rest. It's still wintertime and I don't want you to catch a chill. That is, if androids can catch colds like humans can."
Looking down at his legs Connor noted the shift in temperature and approved of the warm layer. The deviant knew he preferred warmth over colder temperatures, but he didn't know why that was. The feelings with a lack of associated memories left Connor with an internal conflict he couldn't explain.
"I know you can't talk just yet, but if you need anything at all I'll be down the hallway in the livingroom. I'm going to answer e-mails on my laptop to keep Fowler off my back for a while. I'll also let Joel know you're making good progress on your recovery. He'll be by the house tomorrow and will want to see your progress himself."
Hank gave Connor a small smile as turned around to exit the bedroom and leave the deviant alone with Sumo to keep resting. Just as he set foot inside the hallway an unexpected sound made Hank freeze and turn around so fast he thought he gave himself whiplash.
"Connor?"
"...H-Hank."
Looking at Connor with wide eyes Hank watched as the deviant struggled to not only speak, but struggled to finally call Hank by his name and not his title. "Did... you say something?"
"H..." Trying again Connor addressed Hank in a hoarse whisper as he fought to regain his ability to speak. It was a surprisingly taxing process that drained away what little strength Connor had regained within a matter of seconds. "...H-H... Hank?"
An amused chuckle escaped Hank's lips as he returned to the bedroom and nodded in the affirmative. "Yeah, I'm Hank. Good work, son."
After managing one last success with his recovery Connor's eyes slowly closed just as he finally regained his voice, and he drifted off to rest mode once more. His arm remained draped around Sumo's neck and soon Connor knew nothing more of the waking world around him.
"Okay. Get some sleep and we can try talking again in the morning."
Hank left Connor alone to rest while he set about taking care of his own problems on a more professional manner. E-mails, paperwork and a few reports were all he had to look forward to while he waited for Connor to wake up again and continue his slow yet steady recovery.
"Go figure it'd take a bullet to the head to finally hear him say my first name."
The senior detective noted the odd moment in a rather glum manner.
"But as long as he stays stable and keeps recovering, he can call me anything he wants."
-next chapter-