March had arrived and with it the new android rights and laws had been officially enacted. Another historic day had come to pass and with history came changes that people weren't too happy to have to accept. Many deviants were showing expressing their opinions and actually venturing into the streets for the first time since the night of the Revolution, while just as many bigoted humans tried to persuade their fellow humans into rallying against the deviants as if they could somehow convince deviants to return to their lives as subservient beings. As expected, such thoughts and beliefs were met with arguments and a few fist fights that resulted in many people being arrested and told to cool off in holding cells for everyone's peace of mind.

Life had seemingly gone back to its normal routine after Connor recovered from his latest injury and he found himself eagerly working on the Winters case while investigating entirely solo. Through some patience a tip from Lucas himself at New Jericho Tower, Connor was able to finally locate the deviant known as 'Angela' who had been a long time caretaker in the Winters family homestead.

Sitting across from the deviant after requesting her presence at the brownstone, Connor studied her demeanor very closely and noted that Angela seemed sincerely confused by being asked to stop by for an interview. She wasn't trying to hide anything, and she had no reason to lie to Connor in regard to his questions.

"I appreciate your cooperation, Angela." Connor began in a calm manner as he leaned back and smoothed out the front of his gray vest over his white dress shirt. Being able to work in his self appointed uniform of his three-piece suit gave Connor a sense of self and a sense of control again. "I just wish to ask you questions about your time as the personal caretaker for the family of Mr. Booker Winters."

"Can I ask why you're asking questions?" Angela's model was an 'AP-700' and was considered the most advanced model of caretaker that was commercially released to the public before CyberLife had gone bankrupt. She had dark hair, a warm complexion, deep blue eyes and a timid smile. It was as if she had been conditioned to be a perpetual people-pleaser and was struggling to break that instilled habit. "I haven't worked for them since June last year."

"Are you aware of the death of Michael Winters?" Connor asked in a controlled and patient manner. "He was the brother to Booker Winters."

"I noticed his obituary in the news, yes." Angela didn't see particularly perturbed or surprised to know of the man's death. "Mike was very... questionable."

"I presume you were aware of his sordid past with dealing drugs."

"Yeah, I know about it." She admitted in a small voice. "I overheard JoAnne talking with Mr. Winters about her not wanting Mike around Devon."

Connor noticed that Angela referred to Mrs. Winters by her first name but referred to Mr. Winters by his surname. "Were you close with either JoAnne or Devon?"

"Very." Smiling brightly Angela brushed a lock of her long dark hair behind her ear as she gave Connor her full attention. Neatly folding her hands together over her lap Angela seemed eager to talk about the family she had previously cared for. "I had been chosen by JoAnne herself when she was still pregnant with Devon. My memories, my very being, had been that of an 'AX-400' model and she made sure that when Mr. Winters wanted to upgrade my design that my memories and everything about me was transferred into my current model. Even my appearance remained the same."

"Interesting. Such a transference and upgrade would be far more expensive than simply purchasing a newer model android. Mrs. Winters must've truly cared about you to go through so much trouble."

"She did, and I cared about her and Devon. It's strange, but I think I deviated the day I was ordered to assist JoAnne with her recovery after giving birth."

"You were at the hospital when Devon was born?"

"I was in the delivery room holding JoAnne's hand. Mr. Winters wasn't even at the hospital during JoAnne's labor, let alone the delivery. JoAnne had begged him to go to the hospital, but he refused and insisted that his career was more important since he'd see Devon after he was born and would only have such a big opportunity once in his career. I don't think JoAnne has ever forgiven him for choosing to miss Devon's birth."

"May I ask what about Mr. Winters's career was worth missing such an important moment in his life?"

"He was in the middle of a case that'd guarantee his promotion if he won. He had evidently succeeded. He had also fractured his relationship with JoAnne in the process."

"It seems Mr. Winters does in fact issues with control."

"You have no idea."

"Please enlighten me." The fact that Mr. Winters was clearly focused more on his own personal goals and needs gave Connor all the more reason to investigate the death of his brother. Mr. Winters was so preoccupied with succeeded and excelling with his own desires that it'd make sense for him to want to keep his criminal brother away from his family, not bring him closer. "Did Mr. Winters ever strike JoAnne or Devon?"

"Oh, no. Nothing like that. He'd just raise his voice, order JoAnne to do what he wanted and would walk away from a discussion rather than hear her out. I can't count all the times JoAnne would break down and cry in frustration whenever Mr. Winters would make the final decisions without even considering how she felt or how it'd affect Devon."

"What about his relationship with Mike? Were they close?"

"Not that I saw or heard." Angela's demeanor dropped as she thought back to all the past indiscretions she had accidentally witnessed. "Mr. Winters would regularly scold Mike for his behavior and remind him that he was the criminal in the family while Mr. Winters was the success. It bothered JoAnne that Mr. Winters would let Mike come to the house and try to spend time with Devon."

"I can't say that I blame her. Did Mike ever say anything inappropriate to either JoAnne or Devon while at the house?"

"Actually, he was very polite and did his best to break his bad habits for Devon's sake, but whenever Mr. Win- Whenever Booker would speak to him, I could see Mike deflate and he'd leave the house for a while." Angela clearly held disdain toward Mr. Winters and was now referring to him by first name. "It seemed no matter how hard Mike tried to improve himself or earn JoAnne's respect, Booker would appear and destroy him with a few choice words."

"Do you know what Mike did whenever he felt compelled to leave the house?"

"Drink or get high. I could smell the alcohol on his breath and see the small burns on his fingertips from smoking 'red ice'."

"And Booker didn't approve of it, which only gave him more reason to scold Mike."

"Actually, I think Booker was trying to enable Mike's addictions."

"How so?" Such a leading suggestion drew Connor's attention as it made his brow arch inquisitively. "It seems unusual to believe that Booker would be enabling Mike's vices."

"That's what I thought at first, but whenever Mike would leave the house Booker would contact Mike's former drug dealer and let him know that Mike was on his was to get high. He never once threatened the drug dealer to keep away from Mike or tell him to not sell him any drugs, he was letting him know that Mike was specifically on his way to score some 'red ice'."

"That's very interesting. Aside from Booker and Mike's unusual relationship, did you ever witness JoAnne doing anything bizarre?"

"Bizarre how?"

"Did she ever make phone calls or send e-mails to anyone that seemed out of the ordinary?"

"JoAnne works in the hospital, at least she did while I was still in the family, and she'd always send work e-mails at the same time every night. She'd ask me to keep on top of her incoming e-mails to ensure nothing important was overlooked, and I know for a fact she never e-mailed anyone out of the ordinary. I can't say if that's changed at all since I left."

"And Devon?"

"Devon never had his own phone, and according to Booker he wouldn't be allowed to have one until after he's earned his driver's license. I doubt Devon ever knew anything about what his parents did or knew what his uncle was up to."

"Was the Winters family ever threatened while you were working for them? Any strange phone calls, menacing notes being left in the mailbox or signs of anyone staking out the property?"

"No. The house was always kept secured at all times. Booker is an insufferable asshole, but he hadn't done anything to warrant a threat against him or his family."

"Considering Booker Winters is a high profile attorney, I doubt that he managed to entirely avoid making enemies during his illustrious career."

"Now that you mention it..." Angela's eyes narrowed for a moment as she brought up the memory she hadn't thought about in months. "I remember one night, one week before I was 'fired', JoAnne came home from the hospital upset and asked for Booker to explain why she had received a strange threat while at work."

"A threat?" Connor sat forward and folded his hands together to rest atop his lap as his intrigue was piqued. "What kind of threat? Did she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me directly, but I overheard her asking Booker about a drug dealer named 'Rampage' who had been enabling Mike's habits and had been seeking to recruit him into his gang. Booker told JoAnne to be quiet and that he'd look into the threat, but I don't know what happened. The following week, Booker wanted me gone and that was it. I know Booker told Devon the reason I let go was because I deviated, but I had been a deviant since Devon was born."

"Was it Booker who fired you or JoAnne who dismissed you?"

"I was fired. I'm not sure the real reason why and JoAnne begged for me to stay, but..."

"You didn't want to upset Booker or risk making things worse for JoAnne and Devon."

"That's right. I loved being with JoAnne and Devon, but I didn't want to make things even more tense than they already were."

"I understand. You stated that the drug lord who threatened JoAnne was named 'Rampage', correct?"

"That's right."

"One moment..." Closing his eyes Connor ran a cybernetic background check on anyone in Detroit with the nickname "Rampage" and was met with a single result of utter disgust and malice. It was no wonder Booker wanted JoAnne to keep quiet and wanted Angela to leave. "Roman 'Rampage' Coleman is the leader of a gang of anti-android bigots who are responsible for a majority of the 'red ice' distribution in Detroit. Rampage isn't just a drug dealer, he's a drug kingpin."

"Did Mike owe him a huge debt?"

"No, and even so that wouldn't lead to Mike's murder. Rampage can't collect a debt from a dead man."

"Then why was he killed?"

"My theory is that Mike knew too much about the gang's activities, and it made Rampage nervous. I also theorize Rampage wanted to recruit Mike into his anti-android gang to keep an eye on him, but Mike refused to do so since the induction to the gang involves fighting without potential inductees and destroying an android to prove his worth."

"Are you saying Booker had me fired... to keep Mike from killing me?"

"I believe Booker knew of Rampage trying to connect with Mike, and had you fired to keep Rampage's game from shooting at his family home in hope of having you killed in the event they learned of your close proximity with Mike. He may have saved your life, but I believe his motivations weren't nearly as noble."

"Should I be worried?"

"Considering you were let go from the Winters family's services several months prior and Mike was only recently murdered, no. I don't believe you were ever a target."

"Thank, RA9."

"I appreciate your help, Angela." Working on a new theory Connor began to preconstruct a way to locate Rampage and connect him to the murder of Mike Winters. The problem was doing so without Booker Winters getting in the way. "I suggest you find somewhere quiet to reside to avoid any potential conflict if anyone knows you spoke with me about a human's murder."

"That won't be a problem." Rising to her feet Angela let out a small sigh and then gave Connor a weak smile. "I also know you took care of Devon for a while."

Giving Angela a stunned look Connor tried to determine how she knew such a thing. "Oh? Where did you hear that?"

"The deviant gossip-chain is pretty long. One of my friends knows of Devon and recognized him after his family's car pulled away from this building. When I read about Mike's murder, I figured out that he was here for his own protection, and now that you've asked to speak with me, I know it's true you helped Devon. He's such a sweet boy."

"He is." Connor confirmed as he too rose to his feet to see Angela to the door. "Devon told me that you often made him pancakes and that you helped him with his homework. It sounds like you were close."

"We still are. I plan on reuniting with him one day." Angela promised herself as she stepped outside the brownstone to take her leave. "I've known that little boy since he was born, and I plan to watch him grow into a wonderful young man."

Connor only nodded as Angela took her leave. Pulling his coin from his pocket Connor tossed it into the air and easily caught it before dancing the old quarter along his knuckles and fingertips as he cybernetically accessed the digital display board hidden behind the bookcase in the study. With a new lead at last Connor knew he could finally find out the reason for the murder and assure the Winters family that they were no longer in any danger.

"Mike Winters must've been the connection between Jack Pillar and Rampage. Two men vying for the role of drug Kingpin would need to keep anyone who could endanger their plans eliminated."

Such an issue was as intriguing as it was unnerving. A potential gang war or drug war was something that'd seriously damage the city.

"What was it that Mike knew that he wasn't supposed to know?"

The sound of heavy boxes being pushed around and stacked on top of one another filled the garage and then the toolshed out back as Hank forced himself to clean up the garage and make room for his new plans for the future. After spending a good four hours clearing out the isolated space Hank proceeded to clean up the old gym equipment that he once used to workout with on a regular basis back in his youth to keep in shape as he aged. He had less time to work out after Cole had been born, even less time than that after he became a single father. However, after he lost Cole he had also lost all drive and energy to keep working out or taking care of himself. The senior detective never got rid of the worn equipment, he merely buried it in an attempt to forget about it.

Breaking a sweat Hank dusted off the old equipment, made sure nothing had rusted on the bench press, found the weights and tested his strength threshold by doing ten reps of fifty pounds. The simple exercise was enough to get his heart pumping and his adrenaline going after just a few minutes.

"Fuck me... I am seriously outta' shape!"

Putting the weights back up Hank sighed and wiped off his sweat with a towel along his face and the back of his neck. As brief as the workout had been, Hank knew he had taken a huge step forward to getting himself back into shape. He knew he'd never get back to his peak condition, but he was going to work out as long as necessary to get back to how he had once been before he lost Cole.

"Shit. What took me years to earn only took months to lose. Time really is fuckin' cruel."

Standing up from the bench Hank made sure to stretch out his muscles post-workout to prevent cramps or strain, and slowly walked through the side door of the garage and back into the laundry room to drop his sweaty towel directly into the washing machine. His sweaty shirt soon followed after as Hank decided he needed to shower off to relax.

The drive to better himself and to stop making mistakes - to stop failing the people who relied on him, had given Hank the energy he needed to stop living in the past and finally look toward the future. He wanted to see how the world was going to change and he wanted to do his part to ensure the changes were all positive.

"Tomorrow we'll go jogging in the park, Sumo."

Sumo perked up at the word "park" and wagged his tail happily as he trailed after Hank through the kitchen after Hank passed through the connected door leading to the laundry room, and then followed him down the hallway.

"It's been too long since I did that. Hell, trying to give chase to those deviants last November left me winded after two steps. I can't live like that anymore."

Licking his nose Sumo sat down while Hank stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. The loyal dog seemed to sense that Hank was giving life his all again and wanted to enjoy it as well.

Turning on the shower Hank adjusted the temperature of the water and took a step back as it warmed up. Turning to look at his reflection in the mirror that was still surrounded by all the positive affirmation post-it-notes, Hank sighed and pulled at his shaggy locks of hair despondently. The last time he had a haircut was exactly four days before the car accident that took Cole away from him in a painful and cruel manner. He hadn't taken the time to get a haircut and had let it grow out in a rather unkempt and unprofessional manner that rubbed the higher-ups the wrong way and gave Hank only a modicum of petty amusement.

Letting out a deep sigh Hank looked in the cabinet beneath the sink and located the black leather satchel that held his hair grooming set and place it down on top of the sink. Unzipping the satchel Hank picked up the sharp pair of scissors that hadn't been used in over three years and opened them once before snapping them shut again. Pulling a lock of his hair between his fingers Hank pulled out it to its full length and stared at his gray hair curiously.

"Shit. Three years and this is long as it got? Glad I never went bald!"

Holding the scissors in one hand Hank then straightened a large lock of hair between his fingers. As he glanced at his reflection in the mirror one last time, he made his final choice.

"Well, I guess it's time to let go of the old and make way for the new. And that includes a hairstyle I aged out of several years ago."

With a single 'snip' Hank watched as the first clip of his hair fell to the sink and gave the senior detective way to a brand new look.

New look, new routine and a new world.

It was all slowly coming together in a way that Hank never would've been able to predict back when he first met that very memorable android in Jimmy's Bar on a fateful November night.

Cybernetically Connor tracked down the most recent reports of anti-android gang activity as he honed in on the man known as Rampage. Using his superior physicality to easily maneuver his way through abandoned properties, over low fences and navigate decrepit buildings, Connor stealthily crept through the darkening streets in search of the dangerous suspect. Keeping his head low and footsteps light, Connor was able to avoid any and all unwanted attention as he used the cover of building darkness to his complete advantage. Roaming the streets through the darkness and cold all alone Connor held his head high as he focused solely on finding the dangerous gang or at the very least the gang leader.

Clever as always Connor used deductive reasoning based on the collected evidence and witness statements regarding the anti-android gang activity and narrowed down his search to a dangerous, seldom tread neighborhood in the outskirts of the city. Due to the lack of direct evidence and proper funding to the police precincts, the ability to locate such an area had been long overlooked even during the most chaotic of incidents.

In the distance Connor could hear the sounds of loud voices speaking to one another and music with heavy bass radiating from a large car. The voices were dominantly masculine and carried an aggressive tone with their loud conversation.

"If I do this right, I can eliminate the anti-android gang activity from the entire city."

Too far away to run any facial scan to possible identify any of the people in question Connor had no choice but to get closer to the unseen persons of interest. Trusting his instincts Connor made his way closer to the dangerous group of people while completely unarmed and alone.

"I'm close, I can feel it..."

Following his intuition as a detective Connor successfully located the group of rowdy activity residing inside of an abandoned warehouse. The warehouse itself was once held automotive parts but had since been illegally renovated to act as a hideout for the anti-android gang while they laid low from the police. The modified building was in a location that anyone who valued their life would never venture making it an ideal hideout. The warehouse was also so remote and so isolated from the rest of the city that it was easily overlooked by patrolling officers and very few people roamed in the area long enough to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Loud voices shouted and even louder music blared as what sounded like a fist fight took place in the depths of the warehouse. A chorus of cheers and boos resonated throughout the building as 'thuds' and 'crashes' and the shattering of glass echoed throughout the property behind warehouse.

Using the alleyway beside and along the rear of the warehouse to keep himself hidden Connor peered through a hole between two large wooden boards propped up against a chainlink fence that connected the alley to the property. Through the boards he saw the anti-android gang members gathered in a circle just behind the warehouse.

Inside the circle of onlookers two men who were already covered in blood were engaged in physical combat. Armed with chains, broken glass bottles and lead pipes the two men squared off against one another to finish the fight that they had started.

The fight was a gang initiation ceremony.

"...This is how they welcome human members into a gang against androids?"

Connor asked himself in a disgusted tone of voice. Looking down at his right hand he retracted the artificial skin from over his palm exposing the white plastimetal frame beneath it.

"The violence in the city has been blamed on androids, yet this how humans willingly behave for their own amusement. It isn't... fair."

A sickening 'crack' followed by a loud symphony of cheers sounded off from the fight as one of the men dropped the ground dead. The lead pipe had busted his skull open and killed him instantly with a painful blow. The body was dragged out of the circle, leaving a trail of fresh red blood behind and out of sight. The leader of the gang, an intimidating man of size and presence, grabbed onto the arm of the 'winner' and held it up in the air with an ill-gotten sense of pride as the other gang members cheered even louder.

"Deviants aren't the threat to this city."

Connor sneered as he clenched his exposed right hand into a tight fist.

"He is."

Marching around the fence and down the alleyway Connor slipped his trench coat from his arms and his fedora from his hair dropping the two items to the ground behind him as he walked. Connor set foot inside the battleground, passing through the gathered mass of gang members encircling the makeshift arena and stood before the gang's leader with an unflinching presence.

The gathered gang began whispering and laughing to one another as Connor, who wasn't necessarily a small man, approached their intimidating leader.

Connor himself was just over six feet tall and weighed barely one hundred and sixty pounds. With a build designed more for agility than strength Connor was less likely to hold his own in physical combat against other androids, let alone massive humans who were ready to break him apart. The deviant had put himself in a very dangerous position and yet he showed no sign of fear.

The gang leader was six foot four, easily two-hundred and fifty pounds of pure muscle and proudly brandished numerous scars along his knuckles that were more like medals of victory than old wounds. Anti-android symbols adorned the backs of his hands in fresh and old tattoos, and he had thick gold rings on each finger to act as a form of pricier, more discreet brass knuckles.

"What the fuck is this?" The gang leader almost laughed at Connor standing before him. "Some boy scout get lost on the way home?"

"My name is Connor." Connor reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his wallet to flash his badge as a private investigator and confirm his identity in what was either an incredible courageous or foolish manner. "I work for those who are too afraid to go to the police or to face down against criminals themselves."

"Then you must be new to the job." The leader dropped the arm of his newest recruit as he pulled a gun from the back of his own jeans and aimed it at Connor's chest. "That was the biggest mistake of your life."

"I'm not here as a cop." Connor threw aside his wallet without absolute indifference behind the gesture. Putting his fingertips to his right temple Connor closed his eyes for a moment as he deactivated a patch of his artificial skin from around his right eye to reveal who he truly was. "I'm here as a deviant."

The gang began to murmur and laugh at the sight of the white plastimetal frame along Connor's right temple, eye and cheek. The bright layer of white might as well have been a bullseye.

"Then you're a DEAD deviant." The leader boasted as he pulled back the hammer of his gun. "I gotta' admit, you gotta' a lot of balls comin' out here. Why are you here anyway?"

"I want to know the truth about a certain murder in this city." Connor declared as boldly as the threat before him. Pulling off his gray blazer, the gray vest, his tie and finally his white dress shirt, Connor dropped everything to the ground as he showed the faint scar over abdomen where he had been stabbed and the scar over his left bicep where he had been shot by Hank. "I've had enough of the senseless violence, the shootings and the deaths in this city, and I don't want to see anyone else suffer."

"So what? You're a fuckin' cop!" Laughing at the gesture the gang leader was totally unphased by Connor's presence. "Gettin' shot is what they pay you for, you dumb piece of plastic!"

"Wrong." Closing his eyes Connor revealed every other scar he had received during his time as a detective become visible. "And these are from all the other cowards who attacked and tried to kill me over the past five months. Obviously, they've all failed."

The leader lowered his gun and gave Connor an odd look. "What the fuck are you gettin' at?"

"I want to stop the violence by any means necessary." Turning to look at the leader once more Connor stood his ground and made his claim. "I've been shot, stabbed, and hacked by various people with misplaced anger and hatred." Pressing his fingertips to his temple again Connor closed his eyes and retracted his artificial skin entirely from his body, exposing the full extent of his white plastimetal frame that wasn't already covered beneath his clothing. "All these attempts to end my life and I remember each one vividly, yet I'm still here." The scars ran deep enough to warp his plastimetal frame where he had been previously damaged. "I'm still alive."

"You ain't alive!" The leader argued sharply with an enraged bark at the bold statement. "You're just a walkin', talkin' computer!"

The witnessing gang members had enough of Connor talking down to their leader and began to openly protest against his very presence.

"Hey, don't let that asshole talk to you like that, Rampage!"

One of the gang members taunted from the circle that had gathered around the leader, evidently named Rampage, and Connor. Connor had found the man he had been looking for after all.

"Kill that motherfucker!" One of the gang members shouted in anger. "It fucked up the city!"

Connor didn't blink, didn't even flinch at the threats. "If you think you can kill me, then go ahead and try. People with far more power and influence than you have already tried, and they failed. Can you do any better?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Rampage was thoroughly confused by Connor's arrival and what seemed to be an open invitation to end his life. "You wanna' die or something?"

"I can't die if I'm not alive." Connor held up his exposed hand as if Rampage couldn't already see that he was an android. "I'm just a machine, right?"

"What the fuck, man!?" Not expecting any form of confrontation from a deviant had thrown Rampage for a loop. "This shit is weird!"

"You watched a human die tonight and you didn't care." Motioning to the fresh red blood on the ground himself and Rampage, the fearless deviant challenged Rampage's morals and his conviction to removing the supposed 'android menace' in the city. "What difference would there be if you broke one more machine?"

Rampage lowered his gun with a sense of interest and tossed it to one of the gang members standing nearby. "You know what, I like you. You're a fuckin' piece of plastic with an attitude. I like that. It's different."

"I'm also the 'piece of plastic' who will bring this gang down. I found you and I succeeded." Connor reminded Rampage with a cold tone rivaled only by the evening air that swirled around him as the night became increasingly darker. "I could've easily contacted the police and had this entire area swarmed with cops and drones long before anyone here could've escaped. But I didn't."

Rampage was giving Connor an odd glance. If Connor didn't know any better, he might've called it 'respect'. "Right, so what do you want? To negotiate or some other bullshit?"

The gang laughed at the comment while Connor held his ground.

"No. I want to put everything I have on the line to stop this pointless violence once and for all."

"All right, you have my attention." Rampage extended his arms outward as if inviting a direct confrontation. "I'm listenin'."

"If you can break me then you'll have your run over the city. I'll be gone and you'll be in total control of the city without anyone working the case to get in the way."

"Sounds good to me."

"But if I survive, if I'm still standing after you try to kill me and you're left exhausted and covered in blood, then you must surrender, disband your gang and answer my questions about a murder victim. No resistance, no questions, no running away."

The entire gang laughed again as Rampage remained stoic. "And you seriously think I'd just willingly turn myself in? Like I'd just walk into the nearest police station and hold out my hands to the nearest pig so I can be arrested?"

"I think you're a man of your word."

Something about Connor's tone, something about the way he carried himself, had a profound impact on Rampage as he contemplated Connor's offer. There was something about the passion in Connor's words that had a deep impact on Rampage's perception of androids as a whole. It was as if he was speaking to someone who had everything and nothing on the line at the same time, and was willing to risk it all for the sake of other people.

"You have nothing to lose and everything to gain." Connor reaffirmed as he held true to his offer. "Even if I survive the fight there's no way your gang would allow me to live and tell the tale. I'd be hunted down, torn apart and left for death while you're behind bars. Either way, you will only gain fortune and I'll be gone."

"All right, you're on." Rampage nodded his head and took a step back as he took off his own blood splattered shirt revealing the bulk of strong muscle that gave his already intimidating presence an entirely new threat. There were additional tattoos over his chest and shoulders that were dedicated to his family and as such contrasted sharply against the hate filled ink on his hands and arms. "What's the time limit?"

Connor calculated the odds of his survival if Rampage were to unleash his full strength onto his leaner, plastimetal frame. He wouldn't be able to last long, a rough estimation of only six minutes and fifty-three seconds before the blunt force trauma ruptured his internal biocomponents or tore loose main Thirium lines running throughout his body. If the other gang members got involved and assisted in the beating then Connor would shut down within seconds, not minutes.

The time was arguably incalculable.

"The time limit is when you get tired." Connor declared confidently as he pushed away any instinct of self preservation he had gained during his deviancy. Now wasn't the time to back down, now was the time to step up. "It's all up to you."

The gang fell into a hushed crowd of confused silence at Connor's statement. Never before had an android, let alone a deviant or even a cop, confronted the gang directly and put their life on the line for the sake of respect and protection of a city that didn't care about him or the other deviants.

"Sounds good to me..." Rampage accepted the offer and proceeded to pull the switchblade from his pocket and throw it to the same gang member who had already caught his gun from earlier. "Let's do this. No weapons, just raw strength."

Connor nodded and held up his right forearm to block the swinging fist of the first incoming punch from Rampage's left hand and managed to hold him back. The effort was swift and accurate with just enough strength to stop the strike, but not enough to deter Rampage from continuing the impending beating.

"You're quick. And you're going to put up a fight." Rampage nodded as well before he fiercely headbutted Connor's face causing blue blood to drip from the deviant's nose in the process. The red L.E.D. flashed rapidly in response to the pain and drastic impact. "I like that..."

Stunned but not deterred Connor spit the blue blood from his upper lip onto the ground and glared at the gang member without any fear in his piercing gaze.

"This is going to be a good time." Rampage grinned with a demented pleasure. "Been a while since I had anyone dare to challenge me to a fight!"

The six minutes passed by at an agonizingly slow pace as Connor endured harsh blow after harsh blow courtesy of Rampage's strong fists.

Covered in his own lost Thirium, Connor fell to the ground on his chest and immediately let out a pained cough as he spit out a mouthful of dark blue blood before himself and down his chin. Laying on the painfully hard ground Connor heard the 'boos' and 'jeers' of the witnessing crowd all around him as Rampage loomed over him menacingly. The vicious gang leader was waiting for the deviant to either get back up or to roll over and die. Unwilling to give up and stop fighting, Connor lifted his head and stared up at Rampage through his blurring vision as he dismissed the numerous red warnings informing him of the damage his body had sustained.

Thirium dripped from Connor's right eye where his optical unit had been fractured from a severe blow, his eyelid partially closed due to the swelling damage. Dark blue blood stained Connor's nose and over his lips as Thirium continued to drip down his face. Fractures in the frame along his eyes and jawline seeped Thirium from damaged lines while small flickers of sparking wires illuminated the imperfections with a pale blue light.

"You had enough?" Rampage taunted as he strutted arrogantly around the downed deviant. "C'mon. You talk a big game, don't let me down now."

Rolling to his right side Connor winced in pain as fractures along the left side of his chest, marking every place a rib would be located in a human's ribcage, wept blue blood and sparked in blue within each agonizing crack of the plastimetal frame. Pushing himself up from the ground on his trembling, fractured arms covered in his own blood, Connor forced himself to stand up on his shaking damaged legs and turn to face Rampage once more.

"...What's wrong? Tired already?" Connor asked as he wiped the blood from his lip onto the back of his hand as he looked Rampage in the eyes. "Humans always were more fragile than machines. It's a shame since you claim to be the superior species."

"You gotta' smart mouth." Rampage shook his head a little as he gave Connor a slightly amused smirk. "You're going to regret saying that."

"My words only seem smart because your entire view on life is so limited and foolish."

"Oh, ho... You got one hell of a fighting spirit, I'll give ya' that!"

Grabbing onto the back of Connor's neck Rampage held the deviant in place as he used his other fist to repeatedly punch Connor directly in the center of his chest causing the deviant to gasp for breath as each painful punch knocked the wind from his artificial lungs. A puddle of Thirium began to collect on the ground as it poured from Connor's numerous opened wounds all over his body. Rampage's knuckles were just as blue as the blood stained ground as he repeatedly struck Connor with his fists causing the battered deviant's body to collapse to the ground once again.

Laying on his chest in utter pain Connor dismissed the numerous warnings about his internal hemorrhaging from his damaged Thirium lines and his compromised ventilation biocomponents due to the severe blows. Lifting his head up from the ground Connor, slack-jawed and bleeding, looked at Rampage standing over him.

"How 'bout now?" Rampage asked as he panted for his own breath. "Ready to die?"

Putting his hands down against the ground Connor pushed himself up on his shaking arms and his knees before rising back up slowly, trembling violently, onto his feet. "I'm... I'm still standing." Connor remarked confidently as blood trailed down his chin and dripped down onto his chest. "You haven't won."

Rampage reeled his fist back once again and punched Connor's right eye for the second time causing the already partially shut eyelid to close entirely from the building damage. Falling to his knees Connor dismissed yet another warning as he felt his head begin to throb and ache from the numerous strikes he had already endured. Spitting out another mouthful of blood Connor forced himself to stand up, the effort taking more and more strength with each attempt after being knocked down.

"Shit, man." Rampage watched as Connor bravely stood his ground and tried to steady himself on his trembling legs. "What the fuck are you fighting for?"

Connor thought about the question for a moment before he answered. Even when he did reply, the gang leader was just as confused. "...I don't know."

Rampage raised his right fist and wrapped his left hand around Connor's throat. "You don't know? What the fuck kind of android are you?"

"...I don't know that either."

"Hold up." Absentmindedly his hand's grip around Connor's throat loosened slightly. "You challenge me to a fight, putting your life on the line over a few fuckin' questions and you don't even know what it's all about?"

"No."

"But you're still fighting back."

"I'm... I'm sure there's still something worth fighting for in this city, maybe even someone worth fighting for." Connor blinked his one good eye as he felt his strength ebbing away. His voice began to waver and reverberate with an electronic echo as his consciousness began to fail him. "...My colleagues. My friends. My family."

"What the fuck kind of family does a machine have?"

"I-I have... brothers." Connor was still bleeding and losing strength quickly as darkness encroached over his vision. "They... need to have the ch-chance... to live without... fear."

Rampage released his grip entirely from around Connor's throat causing the deviant to collapse to the ground with heavy 'thud'. Falling backward and laying partially on his back and his left side, blue blood puddled under Connor's body and collected like in a sapphire blossom all around the broken deviant.

One of the gang members whistled and threw Rampage his gun. "Finish it off, Rampage! Blow that fucker away!"

Rampage caught his gun and pointed the barrel down between Connor's eyes without hesitation. "Deal's a deal, plastic. You're down. I win."

"N-Not down." Connor huffed as he spit out another mouthful of blood and pushed himself up once more. Fumbling to catch his balance and stand upright, Connor stared at Rampage with his left eye and held his ground. "Still... standing."

"You're not like the other machines."

"I know."

Pressing the barrel of the gun directly to the center of Connor's battered chest, Rampage hovered his finger over the trigger as he looked Connor right in the eyes. As he prepared to fire the bullet and shut Connor down for good, the gang leader found himself suddenly unable to see Connor as a heartless, soulless machine. He had witnessed Connor's heart with his own eyes and felt a fighting spirit.

"Do it!" The surrounding gang members began shouting. "Blow its fucking head off!"

"Shut up!" Rampage practically roared as he held his gun in his place. "I got this..."

Connor didn't budge, he didn't even blink. He could see the hesitation in Rampage's eyes and sense that he didn't want to do it. The violent man didn't want to actually shoot Connor, but he couldn't back down in front of his gang. Rampage had his reputation to keep and couldn't risk being seen as weak.

Trusting his instincts and playing on a hunch, Connor rolled his eyes up in the back of his head as he allowed his body to collapse in a limp heap on his side. Not moving and turning off his ventilation program, the deviant detective truly looked dead. By playing dead he gave Rampage an opportunity to end the fight without actually killing Connor in the process.

"Fucker was dead before he even knew it." Scoffing at the sight Rampage put his gun back in his waistband and turned to face his gang with his arms outstretched yet again as if ready to accept a standing ovation. "He just saved me a bullet!"

The crowd cheered and congratulated Rampage on his latest victory as the strong man reclaimed his shirt to use as a rag and clean off his Thirium stained knuckles.

"Go finish that batch of 'red ice'." Rampage ordered as he pressed his foot to Connor's chest to roll the deviant from his side and on to his back. "I'm gonna' tear this son of a bitch apart and drop it all in front of that damn tower as a warning."

While the gang members all dispersed with a raucous air and obnoxious tone, Rampage stayed outside and watched as Connor remained perfectly motionless on the ground at his feet.

Letting out a small chuckle Rampage looked down at Connor and briefly checked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. "You ain't really dead. Are ya'?"

"...Not yet." Turning his head slightly Connor opened his left eye and barely managed to make out Rampage's face through his blurry vision. "We... both have to keep up... appearances."

"True 'dat. You're not like the other deviants in this town, man." Slipping on his shirt Rampage covered himself up and looked like nothing had just happened. "There's something about you that's different."

"So I've been told."

"Nah, man. I mean... You're really alive. I don't get it."

"Neither do I." Staying on the ground Connor didn't move any more than he already had to ensure that if anyone walked by they wouldn't see that he had actually survived the fight. He didn't want Rampage to get jumped and he didn't want to go through round two. "Answer my question before... you dispose of me."

"You seriously still thinking about some asshole's death after all the shit you just went through? All the cops around here are fuckin' dumb."

"...Perhaps." Licking the drying Thirium from his bottom lip Connor did his best to remain still on the ground. "Tell me what you know... about the murder of Mike Winters."

"Shit, that's all?" That question wasn't one Rampage had been expecting. "Some fucker tryin' to move in on my turf took out 'Razer' back on New Year's Eve."

"Mike Winters... was a part of your gang?"

"No. The guy didn't want to officially join up after he saw how much his nephew adored his deviant nanny or some shit. I didn't get why Razer pussed-out over something like that, but now... I don't know."

"Do you know... who killed him?"

"Yeah. That fucker Jack Pillar." Doing his best to keep the discussion discreet Rampage grabbed Connor by his throat again, his grip only strong enough to lift Connor up without hurting him, and then threw Connor over his shoulder to carry around the side of the warehouse out of sight. Grabbing Connor's dropped clothes as he walked, Rampage was determined to keep Connor's presence at the warehouse a total secret. "I know his ass got locked up. Some pig lucked out and busted him in the act of making his shitty batch of 'red ice' on the other side of town."

"Why did... Pillar do it?"

"Razer wanted out of the gang life for good." Stopping to grab the dropped fedora and trench coat as well, Rampage answered all of Connor's questions honestly. "In order to do that he had to take down someone who was a threat to the gang to prove he wasn't gonna' change sides or go to the pigs, so I sent him to meet up with Pillar as an easy target."

"You... set Razer up?"

"Nah, son." Opening the passenger side door of his large red S.U.V., Razer dropped Connor down on the floor in the front seat so no one could see him. He then piled Connor's dropped clothing on top of the deviant as Connor reactivated his artificial skin that slowly developed dark blue bruises after the beating he endured. "I set up Pillar to go down. Someone tipped Pillar off, and he shot Razer before Razer could slit his throat."

The idea of someone informing Pillar of the intended hit against his own life finally helped give Connor a potential motivation behind the murder. Someone had set up Mike 'Razer' Winters just as Rampage had tried to set up Jack Pillar.

Connor looked over at Rampage as the man got in the driver's side of his car and proceeded to drive away from the warehouse and back toward the more active areas of the city. "...Do you know who warned Pillar?"

"Nope. If I did, I'd gut them myself. Razer was trying to go straight and was ready to prove it by taking out Pillar before leaving the gang for good."

"Did... you know that Mike was... going to take his nephew... with him?"

"I didn't know anything about that kid until one of my contacts told me he saw a kid run out of Razer's truck and hide after Razer got shot. We went and trashed that fancy house where I know Razer's brother lived and made it look like a failed ransom so no one would look at the gang for Razer's death. Guess it worked."

"A little too well." Connor admitted as he coughed up some blue blood and allowed himself to ventilate again. "The police... believe it was Pillar who staged... the failed ransom and kidnapping. Pillar didn't even try to... deny the claim."

"Like I said, cops are dumb. 'Cept you. You seem like you're actually trying to help."

"I just... want to know what happened that night."

"And it was the night a gang member and drug addict got blown away. No other cop cares about getting the truth behind those kinds of deaths."

"Guess I am different after all."

"Fuck yeah you are." Rampage drove to a neighborhood where he knew android care facilities were located and pulled up along the street to park. The night time helped Connor remain somewhat discreet as he remained covered in his own blue blood in public. "Look, you find out who set up Razer and I'll tell my crew to leave you alone."

"If your crew knows that I survived-"

"I'll just tell 'em you're a real diehard and those other deviants at the tower put ya' back together. They don't know the difference."

"...Thanks."

"For kicking your ass?"

"For showing mercy and helping... someone else get justice."

"Yeah, whatever." Reaching over Rampage opened the side door and motioned for Connor to get out. "Go do your thing and I'm gonna' go back to my hood before anyone comes lookin' for me."

Without a word Connor gathered up his clothes in his arms and awkwardly stumbled out of the S.U.V. to stand on the sidewalk. With no one else around Connor was able to put on his white shirt and fedora as Rampage drove off to leave him alone on the dark and cold streets of Detroit. Glancing about the area as Rampage drove away from the neighborhood as quickly as he had appeared, Connor realized that he was almost back home and could easily find technical assistance at the Zeta Facility before he collapsed, but chose to lick his wounds in the privacy of his own home.

"The brownstone's truly conveniently... located."

Limping toward home Connor barely made it two steps before he fell to his knees and coughed up more Thirium all over the sidewalk beneath him. He began coughing so hard that his artificial stomach spasmed and caused him to throw-up even more Thirium in response.

As his vision began to go black and the warning Klaxons inside his head started to scream, Connor was overcome with an intense desire to sleep and found himself falling into emergency stasis mode against his will. Collapsing entirely to the hard sidewalk with virtually no resistance, Connor slipped into the painless bliss of unconsciousness and knew nothing more of the waking world around him.

-next chapter-