The two malicious murders had been kept under wraps to ensure the city didn't panic and begin making wild assumptions or start spreading rumors about who had been responsible for the vicious attacks, mutilations and deaths. In order to maintain some sense of control over the two murders and to keep tabs on what was potential turning into an investigation of a serial killer quiet, both Hank and Connor agreed to work together and keep things as discreet as possible. While Hank worked on the case within the precinct only with the necessary people being involved, Connor worked from his brownstone alongside Lucas. It was important that the infamously dubbed "Binary Killer" was found and stopped before anyone else was killed.

The only three people who were actively searching for the killer were Hank, Connor and Lucas. Even after just one day the trio were working around the clock. Being one of the three leaders in charge of New Jericho had left Lucas feeling exhausted as he aided in the investigation during his time away from the tower. He had spent his time at the brownstone and was sleeping in his own room again but was rarely ever getting any actual rest.

"It's been a full day since the first victim was found in the morning." Connor noted as he and Lucas discussed their case together in the study. He had been looking for a pattern of behavior while Lucas was looking for a motive, and Hank was looking for a witness. "And the second victim was found in the evening. To be so willing to kill someone in such a vicious and horrendous manner without fear of being discovered, and doing so twice in the same day, is absolutely alarming."

"And it seems that their method of crudely mutilating the body after torturing the victim speaks of a particularly deranged mentality."

"Both victims died from blood loss after having their eyes cut from their faces and their lower extremities hacked off."

"The way that the human victim had his legs removed and dismembered at the joints is typically the behavior of someone attempting to hide the body by disposing of it in smaller, easier to conceal pieces."

"And yet all of the pieces were left behind and the lack of evidence at the scene means the killer either changed their mind or simply wanted to make the victims suffer." Lucas observed in an exhausted tone. "There was no need to hack off the deviant's limbs since the killer could remove the legs, knees and feet by unfastening the joint locks."

"This is very bizarre."

"I don't know how to handle such an extreme scenario." Lucas admitted as he rubbed his hand over his green eyes. The fatigue of working nonstop to help keep the tower functional and to aid in the search for the potential serial killer. "I don't have any experience with something like this."

"Neither do I. I don't think Lieutenant Anderson does either."

"We do know one person who managed to track down a serial killer."

Connor arched his brow as he interlaced his fingers together and thoughtfully pressed his knuckles to his chin. "You're referring to Norman Jayden."

"I am."

"Perhaps he could give us some advice in handling such a scenario."

"...Could you contact Sydney and ask for him to patch us through to Director Jayden?"

"I can try, but considering you've spent more time with Sydney than I have, I believe he'd be more receptive toward you."

Lucas closed his eyes for a moment as he let out a pained sigh through his nose. "No. After I learned of how Sydney had played a key role in the mistaken identity of your failed assassin at New Jericho Tower, I had contacted him and asked him why he failed to give the full context behind the evidence he presented against North."

"How did he respond to such a confrontation?"

"Apparently it wasn't his fault that everyone took his word at face value and didn't question him. He ignored his faults and blamed everyone else."

"That is... dangerously indifferent."

"I agree. And when I challenged his callous apathy, he tried to dismiss it as a simple error since North's reputation was redeemed and the true culprit was outcast. In return I scolded him, and he decided that since we'll never see eye to eye on any the issues regarding deviancy and our emotional responsibilities that he wasn't going to communicate with me any longer."

"You had a fight." Understanding why Lucas was so upset Connor decided to act as a mediator and try a new approach. "It'll be okay. Give him more time to find himself and he'll be more receptive to what we have to say and why we say it."

"I certainly hope so. I don't want him to think I hate him."

"We both know that's not true." Sympathetic toward his little brother Connor knew it was his role as the oldest brother to keep the peace in his small family. It was a role he was going to take as seriously as any other open case. "I'll attempt to contact him and gauge his reactions. I'm sure he'll be willing to assist us with such a dangerous case and won't mention your previous disagreement."

"That'd be very beneficial for all of us."

Closing his eyes Connor sent out the cybernetic link to Sydney and had to wait almost a minute before the link was acknowledged. Even with the distance between Detroit and Washington D.C. there would've been virtually no delay in the link since the 'RK' brothers were all designed with the most advanced hardware and software CyberLife ever created.

'...Connor.' Sydney sounded as cold and distant as ever. 'Why are you contacting me?'

"I require the insight of Director Jayden." Speaking cybernetically and verbally Connor kept Lucas somewhat in the loop regarding the conversation. "There is a potential serial killer loose in Detroit, and I've never handled such a scenario before."

Sydney was quiet again before answering again. 'One moment.'

There was another pause before a new voice with a notable New Jersey-esque accent appeared over the line. 'Hello, Detective Wolf. Sydney tells me that Detroit has a new problem on its hands.'

"Correct. At the moment the situation is being kept quiet from the public, but we're not sure how long that'll last."

'I appreciate your caution. Serial killers thrive under the limelight, and most are seeking some form of celebrity status. How can I be of help?'

"Where do we begin looking in regard to confirming that we are in fact dealing with a serial killer and not just a deranged maniac?"

'Patterns of behavior are important, as is the motivation and consistency with the type of attacks you're dealing with. But what you really want to look for in regard to a true serial killer is a calling card.'

"A calling card?" As he repeated the term Connor watched Lucas's posture stiffen with intrigue. "Such as what?"

'With the "Origami Killer" he used to leave little origami animals in the palms of his victims. His victims were always little boys between the ages of eight to ten from broken families with questionable father figures.' Jayden seemed to be deep in thought as he spoke to Connor over the shared cybernetic line. 'How many victims has your killer claimed?'

"Thus far, only two."

'And you're certain both deaths were from the same killer?'

"The identical and grotesquely specific manner in which the two victims were found, tortured and killed with the same weapon are too similar to be a coincidence. The killer also left a binary message behind at both crimes scenes written in the victims' blood, and the message was the same - 'This is only the beginning'."

'Anything else about the crime that sticks out to you?'

"Yes. The victims were familiar with one another - the first victim was a human, and the second victim was the deviant who used to work as his assistant. The killer also removed one of their eyeballs from the two victims, and we haven't found the eyes anywhere."

'Definitely sounds like you have the makings of a serial killer. I think the message is the calling card and the mutilation is their way of trying to gain attention for their crimes. Now, I can't be one-hundred percent certain of this since profiling serial killers is still a very difficult science, but I trust your assessment of the situation and believe you're on the right track.'

"How should we proceed?"

'As of the moment all you can do is study the crime scenes and try to find the motivation behind the killer's targets. If the two victims were acquainted with one another then you'll want to follow that connection and make sure any other mutual acquaintance isn't next on the killer's list.'

"Noted."

'Keep me up to date on your investigation. I won't interfere unless you expressly ask for me to return, but I will be very interested in your investigation.'

"Understood. I appreciate your insight, Director Jayden."

'No problem. I'll give ya' back to Sydney and talk to you later, Detective Wolf.'

"Sydney?" Speaking to his wayward younger brother Connor tried to get him to open up a little and speak to him in a more civilized manner. "How are you fairing out in D.C.?"

'I'm surviving, clearly.' The response was needlessly cold and impatient. 'I have steady Thirium shipments coming in through Director Jayden's connections and I have my own apartment. That's far more than I could've hoped for if I had stayed in Detroit.'

"That's good. We're glad that-"

'I'm quite busy. Goodbye, Connor.'

"...Of course. Goodbye, Sydney." As the call ended Connor sighed just as Lucas had done and leaned back against the sofa. It didn't take long for Bruno to whimper as he rested his chin over Connor's knee. "Director Jayden believes we are in fact looking for a serial killer."

"I suppose that's somewhat reassuring."

"We need to find a fresh lead to follow."

"What do you recommend? We shouldn't directly go look for a potential serial killer without any means of defending ourselves."

"I agree."

"I believe I'll return to the tower and gently ask if the witness to the location of the second body would be willing to give me a statement." The unfortunate deviant witness was still hiding in the tower out of fear for her life. "I doubt she knows anything beyond the location of the body, but it can't harm anything to ask for a confirmation."

"You're going to return to the tower?" Connor was worried that Lucas was needlessly stressing himself out by overworking himself. He understood that Lucas had far more responsibility now that he was a leader on top of being the tower's lead technician, yet he was worried that Lucas was starting to neglect his own needs. "You've recently been spending more time at the tower than anywhere else."

"It's necessary."

"Have there been any talks of a fourth leader being elected?"

"...Markus has attempted to reach out to North and has asked her to return to her role, but she refuses." Mentioning North was still a sore subject even with her innocence being proven. Proof that was found seemingly too late. "She cites a gratuitous lack of trust as her reason."

"That is a very valid and understandable reason for her refusal to return."

"Until then, I'll have to remain a prominent figure and assist everyone as much as they need it. Three leaders aren't enough, but it's all our people have."

"Please do not exhaust yourself by mistake. I don't want to see you become affected due to low power."

"I will take care of myself." Cybernetically Lucas hailed an autonomous cab and reached over to pet Bruno's ears before heading outside. "As of the moment, the safety of the city is more important than me maintaining a consistent rest cycle."

With a simple nod Connor acknowledged Lucas's comments as he exited the brownstone through the front door. Worried for his brother's emotional health as well as the city had given Connor enough motivation to head out with Bruno to find a new lead of his own. The last thing he wanted to do was watch the people he cared about have a breakdown or suffer from any needless pain or haunting fears.

"Come on, Bruno."

Bruno jumped down from the sofa and accompanied Connor to the front door already knowing what was going on. The moment Connor made a move for his leash hanging on its hook Bruno sat down and waited for the lead to be clipped to his collar.

"We're going to go out into the streets and try to find a trail to follow. With any luck we'll find one before anyone else gets hurt or killed."

The Central Precinct was as busy as the brownstone that morning. While Hank had taken it upon himself to lead the investigation to track down the "Binary Killer" thanks to his years of experience working homicide, Captain Fowler worked to create a small team to assist Hank while also informing them to keep the details of the case absolutely quiet. Any of the rookies could see the opportunity to make a big name for themselves by trying to bite off more than they could chew by diving head first into a high profile case, and the last thing that any of the experienced officers, detectives and investigators at the precinct needed to do was babysit a headstrong greenhorn who got themself into trouble.

Downing his fourth cup of coffee that morning Hank rubbed the fatigue from his bloodshot eyes and stared at the bloodied photos on his terminal screen despite his stomach telling him to turn away. He had stared at the images for so long Hank knew he'd be suffering nightmares that would surely star that horrid display.

"On me." Tina stated softly as she slid Hank a large breakfast bagel and some fresh coffee she had purchased from the local bakery across his desk. Despite looking like she was feeling better the young officer was still recovering from her previous day's illness. "I appreciate you being so cool yesterday."

"You don't owe me anything, Tina." Gratefully Hank pulled the bagel over by the corner of the napkin and saw that the bagel was cinnamon toast with fresh icing melting throughout the center in a wonderful gooey manner. "But if you did owe me anything, this would've been perfect compensation."

"I know my desserts. And, uh, Captain Fowler asked for me to be on your team to help with the you-know-what, I just..."

"It's fine." Hank never lost his empathy toward other people feeling miserable. "You don't have to take this on if you're still adjusting to the more macabre cases."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time when it comes to having to handle cases like this. But if it does happen you can count on me."

"Only in a perfect world..."

"I'm going to let Gavin know I'm tapping out. He's been eager to work on the case anyway."

"Right. Just keep your eyes peeled on patrol and let us know if you see anything unusual."

"Will do, Lieutenant."

Taking a bite of the warm bagel Hank instantly felt better since he had actual food in system rather than just liquid caffeine. Turning off his terminal screen for a moment Hank ate his complimentary breakfast casually as he watched Tina speaking with Gavin over at their conjoined desks. Tina was sipping at some tea and kept eyeing her stomach medicine on the corner of her desk, while Gavin typed away on his keyboard.

"Man, I am so glad that I missed your little party the other night, Ti'." Gavin teased as he watched his best friend trying to pretend like she wasn't found puking her guts out in the women's locker room the previous day. "How much did you and Ricky drink?"

"I swear I only had one shot and called it a night."

"Since when was one shot of tequila enough to knock you down? I'm the one who got sloshed on wine, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I do. You also went into panic mode because you thought you crossed the friendship line into 'more than just friends' territory."

Scratching his hair Gavin couldn't hide his blush as he admitted his big mistake. "Not my best moment."

"Neither was me puking while at work. But in a way it was fitting to get so sick after that night."

"Did you ditch Ricky already?"

"Yup."

"Great. Now what was the problem?"

"He wanted me to stop being a cop, become the 'happy housewife', and he expected me to put all of my personal savings into his bank account. Here's the kicker, we've never discussed marriage, kids or finances. He just expected me to do this because I said 'yes' to a second date, and we were on said date."

"What the fuck? What a scumbag."

"Now I know why he could have such a great ass and still be single. He's all ass and no heart or brains."

"You going to be okay?"

"Now that I got that tequila out of my system, yeah." Popping one of her anti acids into her mouth Tina confirmed that she was on the mend. "They must've changed the recipe or something, because it didn't taste right going down or coming back up."

"Maybe Ricky's demands just left a bad taste in your mouth."

"Oh, ha, ha... Don't get cute."

"What? I'm just offering my opinion." Leaning back from his keyboard Gavin checked his phone on his desk and a giant smile appeared on his face. "Guess we've finally switched places with dating drama."

"You and Abby are still going strong?"

"Yeah. Turns out she was willing to overlook me being an asshole and give me a second chance, and I managed to not fuck up. We're going out again this Saturday and she even wants me to stay the night with her at her new house."

"It's about time you found someone good."

"Gee, thanks for the support." An e-mail appeared over his terminal screen just as one appeared over Hank's screen. Clicking on the message Gavin sighed and then looked over at Hank just as the Lieutenant rose to his feet and spun his car keys around by the keyring on his fingertip. "Ah, come on! Let's take an actual patrol car and not your huge piece of shit."

"I'm the ranking officer, AND by using my car we'll keep people from nosing around in police business." Hank responded sharply as he motioned for Gavin to stand up and head out for the day. "You read the e-mail, we got another body to examined. Meaning, we're up and have to get everything contained."

"I know, I know... Fuck!"

"I thought you wanted to work this case."

"I do." Walking alongside Hank as the taller man marched toward the doors, Gavin rubbed his hand over his upper lip in disgust. "But I want to figure out who this sick fucker is, not go stand and admire their work."

"Well, the sooner you check out their mess the sooner you can track the fucker down. So, let's move."

Unsettled by what he had discovered Connor stood inside the abandoned medical clinic with a look of disgust plastered on his face. Bruno had caught a curious scent in the air and had directed Connor to the clinic where the body had been hidden. The lead that Connor was hoping to find wasn't in the shape of another mutilated deviant body, but he couldn't do anything to change it. After reporting the body directly to Hank through a cybernetic relay Connor instructed Bruno to keep guard near the broken in front door and give the alert when the police arrived. Meanwhile Connor took it upon himself to investigate the body and attempt to determine the cause of shutdown and determine if the horrendous mutilation matched the behavior of the dubbed "Binary Killer".

Through visual assessment Connor was able to confirm the deviant's identity as a masculine 'GB-200' with the registered name 'Dustin'. The deviant had been attacked on the street and then dragged inside the clinic by whoever had attacked him. Dustin's throat had been torn open allowing him to bleed to death, his arms were both mangled as if he had been putting up a fight or defending himself, and several biocomponents had been torn from his torso.

"I'm sorry you met such a ruthless fate, Dustin."

Apologizing to the deviant as he crouched down before the body and removed his fedora, Connor tried to show respect to the shutdown in his own way.

"I'll do everything I can to find the person responsible for this."

Bruno barked once and then trotted into the treatment room where the body had been found. Leading Hank and Gavin over to where Connor was waiting had been the K-9 unit's primary objective.

"Holy fuck." Hank eyed the body with the same disgust as Connor. He knew that a body had been found but Connor's information didn't come close to properly expressing the horror awaiting him. "What have you uncovered, Detective?"

"The deviant was named 'Dustin' and had been working as a security guard at the construction site two blocks South of our immediate location." Standing up slowly Connor backed away from the body and turned to face Hank as he spoke with the senior detective. The sight of the torn security uniform attached to Dustin's Thirium covered and pale body was almost too much to witness. "Based on the amount of Thirium lost and evaporated along the floor, corridor and through the front doorway, I can confirm shutdown at approximately five o'clock this morning."

Noting the time of morning and the deviant's uniform gave Hank a vague theory to follow. "He must've clocked-out after working the night shift and got jumped on his way home."

"I agree."

Gavin took in a deep breath as he neared the body and knelt down beside it to take a look for himself. "Son of a bitch. Is this what the 'Binary Killer' does? Kill and mutilate just for shits and giggles?"

"We can't be certain of their pattern of behavior just yet," Connor chimed in with an attempt to help figure out what had happened to Dustin. "but I actually suspect that this victim was killed by someone else."

"There's TWO killers running around?"

"There's approximately two-thousand active serial killers at any given time in North America, so the odds are-"

"Forget I asked!" Backing off with both of hands raised before himself Gavin stepped away from the body and took in a deep breath as he then put his hands to his hips. "What tells you that this poor bastard was killed by someone else?"

"The wounds on the body are inconsistent with what we've seen with the 'Binary Killer', and there was no message left behind in blood. I doubt that the killer would avoid leaving behind a message after doing so with their previous two victims."

Hank agreed with the assessment at the moment and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. "What kinds of wounds did this guy suffer?"

"It looks as if he had been torn apart with claws." Crouching down again Connor picked up the victim's arm and peeled back the tattered remains of his sleeve to expose the limb entirely. Holding the forearm between his fingertips Connor examined the unusual wounds that had caught his interest. "...And teeth."

"Teeth?!" Stepping closer Hank peered over Connor's shoulder and saw the damage for himself. There was no denying that it looked like something with very big and very sharp teeth had been chewing on the deviant's arm. "What the fuck? Did a dog do this?"

Bruno grumbled as he sat beside Hank's legs and looked up at him. Panting a little Bruno was able to show Hank his teeth and confirm that any android dog teeth were far too small to deal such catastrophic damage.

"This was not the work of a dog or any other common animal that would be found in the city." Cybernetically Connor scanned the bite marks and preconstructed a diagram of the teeth to get an approximate size and idea of the species of the animal they were looking for. The result wasn't one Connor had been expecting. "These seem to be the teeth marks of... a polar bear."

Gavin laughed out loud at that reply and gave Connor a wave of his arm as if trying to dismiss the deviant. "Polar bears have been extinct since 2027. Where in Detroit is an extinct creature hiding out?"

"I didn't state that the polar bear is a true, organic polar bear." Holding up his right palm Connor showed Gavin the designs for the 'URS-12' models of android polar bears that were designed to live in the Detroit Zoo that very spring. "The fact that this deviant had been mauled by an animal and had several vital biocomponents removed from his torso, I believe it's safe to say that there's a rogue android polar bear attacking other androids and acting based on the hunting and killing instincts that were programmed into its software for accuracy's sake."

"A fucking... robot polar bear?" Gavin wanted to say something more but had to fight to find the right words about something so extreme. "Uh... Really?"

"Yes, really."

Hank didn't have any interest in a runaway polar bear and openly sighed at the suggestion. "Who do we contact to find this bear? Animal control or tech support?"

"The fact that there was no report of anyone seeing something as obvious as a polar bear roaming the streets also tells me that we're looking for a deviant who has had grotesque modifications to their own person." Connor clarified with mild worry to his voice as he directed Hank and Gavin's attention to Dustin's mauled and emptied torso. "The removed biocomponents could be a sign of an android polar bear obeying its basic instincts to hunt and kill, or it could be a sign of a deviant assaulting other deviants to steal the biocomponents to be illegally sold in underground black markets."

"While I don't doubt that you're on the right track, I do have to point out one little flaw with that theory." Pinching the bridge of his nose as if suffering from a huge headache, Hank looked at the mangled body on the ground just behind Connor. "If another deviant is walking around with the fuckin' teeth and claws of a polar bear, I'm pretty sure someone would've noticed them by now and said something."

"That is also correct." There was no doubt that the suspect in this particular murder was going to be far more difficult to identify than usual. Deviants being mauled to death was not something commonly noted before or after the Revolution. "I'll need to track the behavior of any deviant who is displaying erratic or unusual tendencies. Any and all modifications to deviants have been made legal through properly licensed technicians, which means such a modified deviant must've done so to themself or had been changed by their previous owner against their will prior to the Revolution."

"Shit." Such a notion was something that Hank hadn't considered when deviants were freed. All of the abused deviants went into hiding, while the modified and altered deviants were left to fend for themselves without anyone knowing what's been done to them or why it happened. "What should we do, Detective?"

Noticing the respect in Hank's question Connor gave the Lieutenant a respectful acknowledgement in return. "It'd be best to allow the deviant community to be on alert for anyone appearing to be suffering from an error or any aesthetic damage. If humans were to get involved with this search it might cause unrest within the deviant community and cause strike between the two communities."

"All right. We'll have this guy taken back to the precinct so Joel can perform the autopsy-"

"Apportionment."

"...Yeah, that." Hank wasn't too familiar with that term and was glad Connor knew what he meant. "And I'll let you know what he says about the victim's condition. After that, you can make sure he's given his proper final respects."

"That is acceptable."

Gavin looked suddenly annoyed as he pointed an accusing finger at Connor. "If you were able to figure out so quickly that this guy wasn't a victim of the 'Binary Killer', why ask us to come out here and look at this poor bastard in the first place?"

"Because it's crucial that every death is taken seriously and given a proper investigation. It would've been unwise to make such a bold assumption about the victim without a proper analysis of his shutdown or any witnesses to said analysis."

Hank agreed and gave Connor a nod of his head. "Right. We'll secure this crime scene, and you keep doing whatever it was you were doing when you found this guy inside of here."

"Of course." Patting the side of his leg Connor caught Bruno's ear and fished the leash from his trench coat pocket. With the lead back in place on Bruno's collar Connor headed for the clinic's door to resume checking the streets for signs of the 'Binary Killer'. "I'll give you an update on my investigation by this evening."

Gavin watched as Connor left the building with his head held high, and then rubbed his thumb against his nose. "Seriously, why come out here for this?"

"For exactly what Connor said, and because Chris is still learning how to handle deviant cases." Hank explained casually as he used his phone to give Ben a call and request a C.S.I. team out at the clinic. "We need to keep everything calm, cool and under control until we can figure out who it was that gutted some overpaid desk jockey from CyberLife, and then went after his former assistant."

What was supposed to be a hunt for a potential serial killer was quickly becoming a manhunt for another deranged maniac who had attacked at least one innocent deviant in the abandoned medical clinic. As the deviant detective resumed his search for the "Binary Killer" he received a cybernetic update from Lucas that gave him unexpected pause. Another deviant's mutilated body had been found under the bridge of a local jogging park, and by all account the body had been torn apart by a vicious wild animal leaving the victim with mangled limbs, lethal Thirium loss and missing vital biocomponents. The similarities between the two most recently discovered bodies couldn't be ignored and the two detective brothers went out to investigate together.

Unlike the first victim the second victim was of a feminine design and had been attacked out in the open. The deviant was a basic 'MJ-100' model who went by the name of 'Shauna'. She had been in the park attempting to feed the stray dogs and cats that lingered in the park begging for scraps when she had been attacked, dragged under the bridge and subsequently killed.

Lucas had arrived at the bridge before Connor and found himself staring at Shauna's irreparably broken body with a sense of failure in his green eyes. Not only could he not protect Shauna as one of the leaders of New Jericho, but he couldn't repair Shauna as the New Jericho's lead technician. The only thing he could do was investigate her shutdown and try to give her justice.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Shauna. I should've been able to do something to help you."

"Lucas?" Connor called out to his little brother as Bruno trotted up to the younger deviant and pawed at his arm sympathetically. Even from the distance Connor saw that Lucas was distressed. "Have you found anything useful?"

"I've identified the victim." Kneeling down before Shauna's body Lucas gently lowered her eyelids and closed her unseeing, terrified gaze at last. "Her name was 'Shauna', and she was attacked in a manner that mimics that of the body you informed me of this morning."

"This is very bizarre. The odds of an android polar bear running free without anyone noticing it are so low they aren't worth calculating, and yet the odds of an android with such extreme body modifications roaming about without being noticed are just as low."

"Your preconstruction regarding the cause and severity of the damage to these two victims is too accurate to be ignored." Lucas had also run an analysis over the two bodies through a cybernetic link with Connor and came to the same conclusion. Whoever was responsible for the latest attacks had to use the strength and physicality found only in the 'URS-12' models of androids. "In spite of the odds we must persevere and keeping searching."

"Agreed." Glancing about the area around the bridge Connor noticed that there were no pawprints or lost artificial fur that'd confirm a bear's presence, but there were two sets of shoe prints that were freshly caked into the muddy ground all around the crime scene. One set of prints belonged to the victim as she tried to fight back against her assailant, and the second set belonged to an unknown suspect of masculine design and was very strong. "And the evidence is beginning to support our somewhat outlandish theory of a modified android."

"I've noticed the lack of animal prints as well. The only sign of animal life is in the form of organic stray dogs, cats, various birds, squirrels and the occasional raccoon. No bears or anything remotely strong enough to imitate a bear attack can be found."

"This victim is missing biocomponents as well." Gently Connor pushed back the lapels of Shauna's torn blue blouse to examine her abdomen. "The same ones as the previous victim. The Thirium filter and both sanitation filters have all been removed."

"Those three particular biocomponents house a substantial amount of Thirium that would cause rapid shutdown upon removal."

"The first victim had his throat torn open, and Shauna had her Thirium pump punctured. They both bled out from other wounds but had their biocomponents forcibly removed afterward in such an aggressive way that it makes the prospect of the biocomponents being stolen to be illegally resold on the black market less likely."

Lucas scanned over the coupling in Shauna's middle right chest and confirmed that the Thirium lines had been torn free by someone who had forcibly removed the biocomponent. Such an aggressive removal process would damage the biocomponent and make it impossible to be sold. "Interesting. Perhaps our killer wants to leave a calling card by removing the biocomponents."

"That's very plausible. The biocomponents being damaged upon forcible extraction makes the prospect of selling them for profit is now extremely unlikely."

Police drones appeared in the sky above the two deviants prompting them to look up and acknowledge the incoming police presence. They wouldn't be able to investigate the scene for too much longer without other detective joining them.

"I'll follow the shoe prints in an attempt to locate our suspect." Lucas volunteered as he decided that it'd be best for Connor to speak with the police alone. "If I find anything I'll contact you immediately."

"Right. Do you want to take Bruno with you?"

"That won't be necessary." Giving Bruno's chin a small rub Lucas let the dog know it wasn't anything personal and that he just wanted a moment to be by himself. "I will circle the park if the shoe print trail doesn't lead me to anything substantial."

"Very well. I'll remain here and speak with Lieutenant Anderson regarding the situation."

With the guilt of the two murders pressing down on his shoulders Lucas used his scanner to follow the shoe prints of their potential murderer in an attempt to track them down before they could harm another deviant. Being a leader gave Lucas far more guilt than he deserved considering he hadn't done anything that was directly connected to the two recent murders.

"We need to find a lead soon." Connor whispered as he stood guard near the body with Bruno loyally staying beside him. "Whoever is causing these deaths needs to be located quickly before anyone else can be killed."

Throughout the day more deviant bodies were discovered in various parts of the city, and Connor had the misfortune of working alongside Hank as they chronicled the additional three bodies found during the bloody day. All of the victims had been taken to the Central Precinct so that Dr. Joel Forrest, as the lead technician, could perform the apportionments and chronicle all of the damage that the five deviants had sustained during the attacks that had led to their permanent shutdowns. The lengthy procedures had left everyone involved in the murders thoroughly exhausted, and Hank had no choice but to bring Chris in on the investigation to help him gain invaluable experience since they had so many bodies on their hands.

Despite being young and never being the lead investigator on any big case, Chris was showcasing and impressive leadership ability and was eager to help uncover the identity of their most recent killer. Chris managed to keep up a facade of being unphased by all the bodies that been discovered in a single day, and he didn't flinch when he had gone up to the dispensary to view the finished apportionments alongside Hank and Connor.

Joel was a little pale after having to perform the five android autopsies. Wringing his hands together before himself in a tight grip helped the skilled technician keep himself from fidgeting as he showed the three detectives the end results of his assessments on all five victims.

"All right, uh, we can confirm that one person is responsible for this carnage." Joel took in a deep breath as he shook his head and gave the three detectives a somber stare. The amount of chaos and destruction on the five bodies was enough to shake him to his core. "All of the victims had their Thirium and sanitation filters torn out of their bodies - either by claw like hands or even jagged teeth. They also had their most vulnerable body parts targeted to ensure they bled out and were too weak to defend themselves."

Chris wasn't too familiar with android anatomy, but he was a quick study. "The three filters removed all hold the highest blue blood volume besides the Thirium pump, right?"

"That's right."

"And the victims had their throats and their pumps targeted before the other biocomponents were stolen." Noting the grotesque pattern for himself Chris read over the tablet screen with the images of the five victims' bodies on display and their injuries all highlights in red. The apportionment report was as detailed as it was morbid. "The wounds are the result of claw slashed and bite marks, and there's even teeth marks around the sites where the biocomponents were removed. Wouldn't biting the biocomponents damage them?"

"Yeah, which is why it's so difficult to uncover this lunatic's motivations."

"What if they're- Wait, no." Dismissing his own theory before he even verbalized it, Chris decided to hold his piece. "That wouldn't make any sense."

Connor was listening intently to Chris's observations and realized that the younger detective was correct about the way the biocomponents had been extracted and damaged, and he was now very curious about Chris's own theory. "May I ask what you had been theorizing?"

"It's nothing." Trying to remain humble Chris insisted on holding his tongue. "I keep forgetting that I'm dealing with deviants and not humans, so the motivations are going to be a little different."

"Not as different as most people think." Encouraging Chris to speak up again Connor gave him his full attention. "Please tell us your theory."

"Well, I just think that if the evidence is pointing to someone looking to cause the most damage to a body while taking away biocomponents that hold the most blood with their claws and teeth, it seems like this killer is... trying to eat their victims."

Hank's blue eyes widened and then narrowed as he gave Chris a very intrigued glance. "You're thinking our killer is a deviant cannibal, right?"

"Yeah, but I know it's foolish. Deviants only drink blue blood, they don't eat-"

"Your assessment is apt." Connor interrupted without any intention to be disrespectful. "To assume that a deviant who had undergone modifications that were designed to give the 'URS-12' models the instinct to hunt and kill, wouldn't be above consuming the biocomponents over other deviants to consumer their blood and sustain themself is founded to some degree."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. That theory is very enlightening in a way as it finally gives us a potential motivation behind the grisly attacks, murders and the consistent pattern in the chosen biocomponents that have been stolen." Closing his eyes Connor set up a cybernetic link to Lucas to ask for an update on his little brother's own search. "If we can find any deviant who's..."

"Detective?" Hank heard the way Connor trailed off and saw the reflexive nervous swallow of the deviant confirming that he was now very anxious. "What's going on?"

"...I cannot reach Lucas." Opening his eyes again Connor didn't even wait for a follow-up as he turned on his heels to march out of the dispensary. "His cybernetic signal is still active, but he isn't responding. I need to locate him."

Sensing that something was wrong Hank decided to assist Connor and trust Chris to handle everything back in the precinct. "Chris, you're now the lead of the deviant division, so take this case. You do what you think is best and work with Joel. I'm going to go out into the field for a wellness check on Lucas."

"Y-Yeah, okay." Relieved that he wasn't laughed at for his theory Chris straightened up his posture as he gave Hank a confident nod as he took the first steps to become the lead detective beyond the niche division. "We got this, Lieutenant."

"Hey, I'm going with you." Hank nearly shouted as he had to jog after the swift deviant to get inside the elevator beside him before the doors slid shut in front of himself. "Where was the last place you saw Lucas?"

"At the park. He had gone in search of- No..." Connor suddenly paled, something that was only possible courtesy of his new upgrades, and tried again to cybernetically ping Lucas's location. "No, no, no!"

"All right, try to not assume the worst."

"It's hard to not assume the worst considering my little brother went in search of a killer who seems to be cannibalistic!"

"We'll find him." Passing through the elevator doors once the elevator reached the ground floor, Hank had to hasten his pace to keep up with Connor as the deviant detective called over Bruno from being spoiled by Tina at her desk. "We'll take my car and head out to the park. You keep trying to get Lucas to answer."

Only able to nod as he focused solely on his little brother's safety, Connor tagged alongside Hank and joined the senior detective in the Oldsmobile to drive out to the park several blocks away. Scared that something had happened to Lucas during his absence prompted Connor to give Bruno a new assignment during the drive. The moment they were at the park Bruno was track down Lucas and bark the moment the missing deviant was discovered.

"Please respond to me..."

Hank saw and heard the fear in Connor's very existence. As much as he wanted to offer the younger deviant words of confidence or pat his shoulder sympathetically, he knew from personal experience that such expressions wouldn't do much to ease Connor's mind. Connor needed to focus on his brother and Hank wasn't about to distract him for even a moment.

As the car neared the park Connor was able to pick up on Lucas's cybernetic signature. Directing Hank accordingly Connor eagerly waited for Hank to get to the nearest parking lot and cybernetically sent the detected coordinates to Bruno for the dog to follow.

"Find Lucas!" Opening his door Connor let Bruno climb out of the parked vehicle and rush out to find the missing deviant. "Go Bruno!"

Sniffing the air and barking once Bruno honed in on Lucas's signature and began running as fast as his three legs could carry him. The way the K-9 unit's L.E.D. flashed to red with alertness and eagerness confirmed that he was aware of the danger and wanted to do everything in his part to protect Lucas.

"He's in this direction." Connor explained as he and Hank exited the car together to look for the missing deviant. A terrible gut feeling made Connor feel like he was about to stumble across yet another body that had been torn apart by an animal, and there was nothing he could do about it. "Lucas?! Please answer!"

"Lucas!" Shouting as well, Hank managed to easily get his deeper voice to carry through the somewhat wooded area in comparison to Connor's lighter and somewhat naturally raspier voice. Doing his best to keep alert for any sign of a struggle Hank hoped that they'd find Lucas sooner rather than later. "Lucas, where are you?"

Nearing a hiking trail that branched out into three different directions Connor stopped and scanned the area. He saw Lucas's shoe prints in the soft ground and saw that he had been following the potential killer's shoe prints down the central path. It was then he noticed the potential killer's shoe prints had doubled up after walking down the left most path and turning back on to the central path. The possible killer was now following Lucas instead of the other way around.

"Shit..." Sending out another cybernetic call Connor hoped that Lucas wasn't in any danger or harmed. 'Lucas, please reply!'

'...C-Connor.'

"Lucas..." As he uttered his brother's name out loud Connor sensed Hank's eyes focusing on him with raw concern burning in his gaze. "What's happening?"

'H-Help. H-Hurts...'

"We're on our way!" Rushing down the central path Connor sprinted as quickly as possible with Hank managing to keep up with him fairly well. Soon he heard Bruno barking and then growling as several trees in the distance began to shake violently. "Lucas?!"

"Fuck!" Hank swore as he heard and saw the chaos in the tree line. Using his phone Hank called the precinct and requested assistance at the park as he had a hunch that they had found their strange cannibal deviant. "We're gonna' need some back-up out here!"

Running as fast as his legs could go Connor burst through the trees and discovered a horrendous sight awaiting him. "LUCAS?!"

The deviant of concern was fighting with a monstrous abomination that was once a normal android. With a massive and clawed hand wrapped around his head, the set clawed hand pressing on his shoulder and both of his own hands pushing away a powerful set of jaws of the abomination, Lucas looked like he was on the verge of collapse. He had his back pressed against the side of a large, overturned tree log, he was covered in his own blue blood, his clothing was tattered, and his torso had been clawed up right over where his filters were located. Even his analysis filter - a biocomponent exclusive to Connor and himself - had claws marks over it as if the snarling beast had been trying to tear his abdomen apart!

The beastly android's look was entirely different. The android itself was that of a model that had been built as a unique design as an improvement compared to the standard 'TR-400' model. This android was the unofficial model number 'XM-700'. It didn't have any exterior artificial skin to give it a humanoid appearance and its artificial irises glowed with an amber, reddish light with no discernible color over top.

The figure was wearing a massive, torn up coat that had been designed specifically to try to hide its oversize frame. It also had jagged, sharp fingers that were modified claws of the 'URS-12' models, and it had deep gouges in the plastimetal lining its arms and legs as if it had been in numerous physical confrontations. Its legs were long and bulky, like a bear's legs but still had humanoid feet ensuring it could move about quickly. The broad shoulders and density of the plastimetal made the figure look incredibly muscular. The lower jaw of the deviant was that of a polar bear and its upper teeth had been filed into razor sharp points to compliment the lower jaw and gave the android a lethal bite.

As Bruno growled and bit at the beast's arm that had its hand wrapped around Lucas's throat, the beast continued to snap at Lucas's exposed throat with its jaws in an attempt to kill him with a single powerful bite.

"Get away from him!" Connor demanded as he quickly ran over and jumped onto the android's back to wrap his arm around the monstrous android's throat. In an attempt to get the beast away from Lucas and save his brother's life, Connor was willing to put himself in harm's way. "Lucas, run!"

The beast wasn't affected by either Connor's added weight to its back or Bruno's bites as it continued to try to tear apart Lucas's throat. Shaking its arm wildly the beast easily threw Bruno aside for a moment, but soon the loyal dog had its own teeth sunk deep into the beast's same arm in an attempt to save Lucas's life as well.

"Holy shit!" Hank had no idea what he was looking at, but he did know it was dangerous. Pulling his gun from the holster on his hip he called out to the monstrous android and watched as Connor tried in vain to crush the beast's throat and pull him away from Lucas. "Detroit police! Let go of the deviant and put your hands in the air!"

The beast paid no mind to Hank as it let out a snarl of frustration and swung his arm again, that time it did it hard enough to send Bruno flying into the trees. The loyal dog impacted the side of a large pine tree and let out a pained yelp as the impact had broken his front left leg with a clean and audible 'snap'.

"Last chance, asshole!" Hank warned as he watched the beastly android let go of Lucas long enough to reach back, grab Connor by his shoulders and throw the second deviant head-over-heels forward against the same fallen tree that Lucas had been pinned against. As both deviant brothers collapsed to the forest floor beside one another Hank took aim and knew he only had one shot to make. "I warned you!"

As the beast took a snarling swing at both Connor and Lucas laying defenselessly on their backs on the ground, Hank squeezed the trigger and sent a single bullet through the side of the monstrous android's head. Stunned by the gunshot the beast stumbled backward and made horrible, guttural sounds as if trying to either roar or communicate.

Hank held his ground and didn't back off even as the beast turned its focus on him and away from the now three wounded deviants. Waiting for the monstrous android to step closer Hank aimed at its face and looked past its haunting, glowing eyes before squeezing the trigger a second time. The second bullet passed through its head just as easily as the first as the shot penetrated the beast's skull right between its eyes.

Letting out one final snarl of protest the beat dropped to its knees before falling to its side. The beast's body began to tremble violently as its system shut down and any sense of electrical activity faded away.

"Connor, Lucas?" Holstering his gun Hank rushed over to where the two deviants were laying and pressed his hands over their chests. They were both still breathing, but they were currently stunned and unable to respond. "Boys, you're going to be all right. It can't hurt you anymore."

Police drones had picked up on the two gunshots and quickly circled in the sky above the gathered trio. The sound of police sirens filled the air as back-up arrived at the scene to assist Hank during the final confrontation with the beastly android. Hank heard the drones, glanced up at them and then shook his head.

"Perfect timing..."

Bruno limped out of the tree line and whimpered as he rejoined everyone at the scene of the attack. Licking at his newly broken leg as a small trickle of blue blood oozed from the wound over the break, Bruno looked like he was ready to run off and hide.

"Shit, all three of you need some help right now." Hank decided as he waited for Connor or Lucas to regain consciousness. Focusing on Lucas's abdominal wounds Hank shrugged off his thick coat and draped the garment over Lucas's body before pressing his palms down overtop the coat to apply pressure to the bloody damage beneath. "Hang on for us, you're going to make it."

Connor's head lolled slightly before his entire body jerked as if suffering from a single full body muscle spasm. Quickly glancing about Connor realized what had happened and rolled on to his knees to check over Lucas for himself. "Lucas? Can you hear me?"

"He's alive." Hank confirmed as he continued to apply pressure to Lucas's body. Rocking back on his knees Hank gave Connor plenty of room to get to his little brother and check his system for any internal errors. "Help's coming."

"The damage to his filters is forcing him into low power mode and he's nearing insipid shock."

"What do you want to do?"

"We need to get him to a facility right now." The low numbers that Connor received after his fingertips connected to Lucas's right temple to check his system confirmed the severity of the situation. "We can't wait for the E.F.T.'s to find us out here."

"All right, I got him." Moving with great ease Hank was able to get his arms beneath Lucas's shoulders and knees then scoop the deviant up into his arms and off the forest floor. Without any difficulty Hank stood up and began walking toward the trail that he and Connor had just raced down. "You get Bruno. There's no way your back can support Lucas's weight after that bastard chucked you against a damn tree."

Connor looked up at the wounded dog as Bruno picked up his dropped fedora - being thrown caused the hat to fall away - and rubbed Bruno's ears gently before lifting the injured dog up into his own arms. "You did good, Bruno. You found Lucas, alerted us to where you were, and you fought to save him."

'I couldn't stop the android.' Bruno whined as he set up the cybernetic link with Connor and rested his chin over Connor's shoulder while keeping the hat safe in his toothy grip. 'I am not strong.'

"You are strong." The deviant detective countered as he walked alongside Hank and looked over at Lucas entirely unconscious in the older man's grip. They were all shaking, exhausted and eager to be away from the monstrous beast that had just been slain. "That android was just stronger than anyone today."

It took just over two hours for Abby to tend to all of Lucas's wounds and repair the damage to his body before any permanent harm could set in. The deep gouges that marred Lucas's arms was a simple fix, but his abdominal plating needed to be repaired first and foremost to ensure his repaired filters wouldn't become loose or fall away from his torso as he moved about. Fortunately, the filters had escaped permanent damage during the attack and could easily be mended with a few key touch-ups from a soldering iron, and the loosened Thirium lines beneath could be easily restored to their original places with the same delicate technique courtesy of Abby's skilled hands.

Connor had a single deep laceration and a nasty bruise along his upper back and shoulders thanks to being thrown against the downed tree, but he wasn't in critical condition. Despite his pain Connor had paced about the waiting area as he tried to not think about how close his brother had been to being killed. Every step he took was meticulously watched by Bruno from one of the vacant chairs across the room. The K-9 unit had his leg repaired by Barry in another room and had some white gauze wrapped around his healing leg to keep the mended break stable.

"This is horrible." Connor sighed as he took in a steady breath and felt an ache in his chest as the damage to his upper back responded negatively to the movement in the front of his body. As much as he wanted to turn off his ventilation program Connor didn't want to risk overheating by mistake. "Lucas never should've been left alone."

"Not your fault." Hank responded as he returned to the facility after reporting back to the precinct. The senior detective made sure Chris was up to date so he could handle all of the paperwork accordingly without any issues from the higher-ups. "There was no way you could've known that the 'thing' that stalked him was still in the area."

"He's my brother. I knew he was upset. I should've stayed with him."

"And then what? You would've been torn apart too, and the cops had no idea you two would've been out there." Defending his point Hank looked over at Bruno and lightly ran his hand down the dog's back. Everyone was upset and everyone needed to hear some good news for a change. "Uh, that 'thing' was taken back to the precinct and Joel did everything in his power to figure out what it was. He was as thrilled to see it as we were."

Connor stopped pacing and gave Hank an odd look. "What did he uncover?"

"The android was mutilated by another technician and designed to be a sort of guard at one of CyberLife's hidden warehouses. Joel found information in the android's memorybank and linked it all to that Zltako guy who died in a house fire back in November."

Hearing Zlatko's name and knowing that he had modified Zhorra, who then modified Connor and Lucas, prompted the deviant detective to press his palm over his abdomen as if terrified of what was now inside of him. "...What kind of modifications were given to the android?"

"According to Joel this android was a strange hybrid between one of those heavy lifting 'TR-400' models and the polar bear models you kept mentioning. Through the android's memories Joel was able to confirm that it had run out of Thirium in the basement of the warehouse where it had been stored, was beginning to starve to death, and escaped the warehouse to go on the hunt. Joel also found the missing biocomponents from the victims all inside of its stomach. He had been eating other deviants like a cannibal. Chris was right."

"That's horrible. It was suffering and in turn it made other deviants suffer simply because it couldn't communicate and ask for help." Disappointed but not surprised by the answer since CyberLife was involved, Connor gently lowered himself to the nearby chair and tried to not aggravate his sore back. "What'll happen to its body?"

"It's going to be taken apart, analyzed and then have its parts traced back to whichever CyberLife warehouse supplied them. With any luck we'll find the person who approved of that illegal undertaking we'll have their sorry ass prosecuted."

Before Connor could ask another question the sliding glass doors that divided the waiting room from the corridor slid open as Abby emerged. She looked as tired as Connor and Hank felt but didn't let it slow her down. Giving Connor a small smile she let the deviant detective know that his brother was going to be okay without actually needing to say a word.

Rising to his feet very slowly Connor made sure to not strain his back or twist his shoulders as he moved. "How severe was the damage?"

"Mild internal bleeding on all four of his filters." Abby confirmed as she escorted Connor toward Lucas's private recovery room for a visit. Hank was going to hand back and give the brothers some privacy. "But when it comes to four distinct filters all bleeding at once, mild bleeding becomes severe. You made the right call getting Lucas here when you did instead of waiting."

"And his throat? That modified android had been holding him in place by the throat when I initially arrived, and Lucas couldn't call out for help."

"There is some notable compression damage to his neck and throat, but luckily the damage will heal on its own in the next two days." Abby was aware that both Connor and Bruno were injured as well, and she knew that Connor would deny being in any pain regardless of the severity of his injuries. "I know Barry patched up your back before he took care of Bruno. Mind if I take a look for myself?"

Pausing for a moment Connor looked at Abby and saw the sincere worry in her eyes. Not wanting to make things stressful for the technician Connor nodded and let her escort him to a nearby exam room for a moment.

"Let me help you with your coat." Abby pulled the garment down from Connor's shoulders and then sighed at the other layers he was wearing. "And your other coat, then the vest and the shirt..."

"I dislike being cold or feeling exposed."

"Yeah, I know." With the other layers removed Abby was finally able to see Connor's upper back for herself and examine Barry's handy work. She trusted the deviant to take care of everything without supervision, but she still needed to see the final outcome for herself. "I'm going to peel up the bandages for a moment."

Holding still Connor patiently waited for Abby to examine his wounds so he could go and visit with Lucas. He was less interested in a few bruises and far more interested in his little brother's recovery.

"Okay, looks like the laceration is going to heal on itself by tomorrow and the bruises should be gone entirely by tonight." Abby was impressed by Connor's healing factor considering he had usually shown slow progress when it came to physical damage. "Interesting, usually as a prototype you should be healing a little slower."

"I've undergone a recent update." While it wasn't a total lie regarding the modifications to his body, Connor didn't want to divulge what he and Lucas had endured back in the snowy forest when they had an eventful encounter with Zhorra. "It's proven to be very beneficial."

"I'll say." Returning the bandages to where they belonged Abby helped Connor redress himself before exiting the exam room. "Guess that's something to be grateful for. As for Lucas, he can leave in the morning and return to either your brownstone or go back to New Jericho Tower to finish his recovery. It'd be best if someone were around to watch him though."

Readjusting his tie Connor gave Abby a righteously worried look. "Is his condition still serious?"

"Physically no. But his stress levels were abnormally high even while in rest mode."

"He has been working a lot at New Jericho Tower as of late. I'll encourage him to rest."

Abby had to bite her tongue to keep herself from pointing out the irony in Connor telling someone else to take it easy. Now was not the time to do so. "Good. I'll make sure you all have extra Thirium to have at the brownstone."

"Did you see Bruno yet?"

"I'll go and check on him while you visit with Lucas. I hate seeing animals in pain, so I've been putting that exam off for as long as possible."

"Understandable."

Exiting the private exam room Connor walked down the corridor to visit with Lucas while Abby returned to the waiting area to check on Bruno. Taking in a deep breath Connor removed his now dirty fedora and proceeded to enter the room to see his little brother. The sight of Lucas resting on the bed with bandages wrapped all around his torso and forearms was unsettling, but nowhere near as bad as seeing him covered in his own blood and being attacked by a monstrous entity. The muted Thirial activity monitor silently recording Lucas's steady heartbeat was reassuring, yet it did little to ease Connor's worries.

"Lucas?" Addressing his little brother in a low voice Connor crossed the room in silent strides and sat down on the edge of the bed beside Lucas. "I'm right here."

After a few painfully quiet seconds Lucas's green eyes opened and he looked up at Connor peering down at him. "...Connor." Swallowing once Lucas tried to rid his throat of the lingering pain left behind after being strangled by the beastly android. "Are you okay?"

"I'm only bruised. You were the one who had been nearly-" Suddenly unable to speak Connor felt his eyes stinging as warm tears welled up against his soulful brown irises unexpectedly. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have left you alone!"

Perplexed by the sudden wave of emotions Lucas slowly pushed himself upright with his elbows and gave Connor a lost stare. "I'm the one who volun-"

Wrapping Lucas up in a tight hug Connor held on to his little brother with as much strength as he dared. "I can't lose you! You're all I have."

"I'm not going anywhere." Reciprocating the hug Lucas felt how pained Connor truly felt but wasn't sure why. It was as if his older brother was currently reliving a traumatic moment from his past. "I assure you that I'm not going to leave."

Slowly loosening his hug Connor quickly dragged his hand over his eyes to remove his tears and recompose himself. "Y-Yeah, yes. I know. I apologize for my outburst."

"Are you certain that you're okay? You seem somehow emotional compromised."

"I'm just still on edge after everything that happened. The idea of losing you was very upsetting."

"I think we both need some time to recover from our high stress careers at the moment." Laying back down very slowly Lucas did his best to not aggravate his sore abdomen or accidentally reopen any Thirium lines in his torso. "As much as I've been pushing myself at the tower, I suspect you're doing the same, if not more, at the brownstone."

"It's strange to realize how limited we truly are even as advanced beings." The admission was enough to make Connor's sore shoulders slump. "It's... humbling."

The way Connor was being emotional, guarded and jumpy gave Lucas a reason for concern. He didn't need to be a technician or a detective to know that something was happening to his older brother. Whether that something was good or bad had yet to be seen, but Lucas knew that he didn't want to wait around to found out the hard way if Connor was enduring something traumatic or damaging far too late.

"Brother, I think we need to look closer at your programming once we have the chance to do so."

"...What?" Fear for his own programming and abilities prompted Connor's palm to return to his core. It was as if Lucas could read his mind and was now testing him to see how he'd react. "I'm not damaged or malfunctioning."

"But you are behaving in an unusual manner. It's merely out of concern for your well being."

"I'm aware. You're my brother, and you're trying to look out for my best interest."

"Will you permit me to examine your coding?"

"Only if you will reside at the brownstone during your recovery and you rest accordingly. I know that the tower is important, but you're working as a leader, a technician and a detective all at once. That's too much for one deviant to handle on their own."

"I've recently become aware of that." Rubbing his hand over his sore throat Lucas gave Connor a somber glance. "I was so overwhelmed during the attack that I lost my ability to cybernetically call out for help. If I hadn't been so exhausted from all my work, I could've called out sooner, and I could've defended myself easier."

"Considering the android that we had been searching for had been given the strength of a bear, I don't think you can really fault fatigue for being unable to overpower them."

"True enough." Relieved to know his brother was alive and going to recover allowed Connor to let out a sigh through his nose and take in a calming deep breath. "You and Bruno are going to be laid up for a few days, but I'll take care of both of you during your recoveries."

"What of the 'Binary Killer'?" There was still a serial killer who needed to be tracked down and prosecuted for their crimes, and Lucas couldn't ignore it. "They still need to be found, and we were preoccupied all day long with that modified android."

"I can help you, Bruno and search for the killer at the same time. I won't be easy to accomplish, but I will not fail."

-next chapter-