It seemed the old saying "April showers bring May flowers" was holding true since numerous fresh flowers were growing wildly all over the city parks, walking trails and within the city sanctioned decorative flowerbeds. All of the flowers were either about to bloom or had bloomed days prior giving the bland city a bright burst of color. The mix of freshly cut grass, blooming flowers and the damp earth created a comforting aroma of nature and renewed life. The storms had quieted down and were seemingly going to be away from the city for the next few weeks, which meant it was safe for people to go outside and enjoy nature without needing to worry about getting caught up in a nasty rainstorm or taken down by a gust of wind.
A calm day at the dog park had been exactly what Connor and Bruno needed after dealing with stressful cases and foul weather. Connor stood in the shade of a giant oak tree and tossed a bright red frisbee for Bruno to chase after, retrieve and bring back to his guardian for another toss. The simple game of chase and fetch placated Bruno's basic programming needs of tracking and retrieving, and it gave Connor something simple to do without being too preoccupied at the same time.
"Good dog." Connor praised as he took the frisbee from Bruno's teeth and gave his chin a gentle rub. "Want to chase it again?"
'Yes!' Bruno confirmed with his cybernetic link as he circled around happily at Connor's feet and wagged his tail. 'Again!'
"All right." Curling his arm and his wrist Connor aimed to toss the frisbee between two smaller trees in the distance and gave Bruno a small nod as he released his grip and threw the toy out for the dog to chase. "Fetch!"
Taking off as fast as he could on his three paws Bruno chased after the frisbee and managed to leap up into the air to grab the flying disc between his teeth and land without any problems. Turning around Bruno carried the frisbee back over to Connor and sat down at his guardian's feet and continued to wag his tail.
"Good catch. One more, then we'll head back to the brownstone."
'Ready!'
"Okay..." Repeating his past action Connor gave the frisbee a good toss and watched as Bruno chased the toy at full speed. "Fetch!"
With a small smile on his face Connor watched as Bruno chased after the frisbee and managed to catch it once more with great ease. It was a relief to see some semblance of normalcy in the world, even if that just meant a dog who had been thrown aside had been given a new lease on life and was able to continue to work as both a K-9 unit and live as a loved family pet.
"Good boy." Reaching into his jean pocket Connor pulled out Bruno's leash and clipped the lead back to the dog's collar. "Time to go back to the brownstone. We may have a client waiting for us."
'Okay.'
Carrying the frisbee in his mouth Bruno happily trotted alongside Connor as the two deviants exited the dog park to head back home. No one gave either Connor or Bruno a strange look as the duo passed by the other park patrons. The two deviants were as welcome to the park as anyone else and it was nice to feel accepted rather than scrutinized for something they couldn't control.
"We'll make sure no one stopped by the brownstone while we were absent, then we'll check in with Lucas."
Bruno wagged his tail at hearing Lucas's name as he walked loyally beside Connor. 'Lucas is busy.'
"True, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't check in on him from time to time. After all, he is my brother and he's your second guardian."
'Connor misses Lucas.'
"I do. He's been spending a lot more time at New Jericho Tower and I miss having him around."
'Connor should visit Lucas.'
"If he's busy handling his responsibilities at New Jericho Tower I do not want to accidentally interfere with anything or distract him."
'Connor is not a distraction.'
"I sure hope you're right about that."
As the duo neared the brownstone a pair of police drones flew overhead with their lights flashing. Shortly thereafter a squad car sped down the street with the lights on as well. A clear sign that the police were looking for a suspect who was undoubtedly on the run.
"Bruno, sit." Cybernetically Connor tapped into the police broadcast and found an A.P.B. for a man wanted for questioning. A reported burglary had taken place earlier that afternoon and the suspect had been seen in the area prior to the break-in and matched the description provided by the witnesses as the scene after the break-in had taken place. "Bruno, tap into my frequency and upload the suspect's likeness into your databases."
Doing as he was told Bruno identified the man and let out a confirmation bark. 'Suspect identified...'
"Let's look around and see if we can find him before we head back to the brownstone. Couldn't hurt to help patrol with locating their suspect."
'Bruno will find the suspect.'
Continuing on their walk the duo passed by an alleyway and heard a rustling sound from behind a trashcan. Using a cybernetic sweep Connor noted that there was a human male crouched down behind a dumpster and he noted that the male's heart rate and blood pressure were drastically elevate due to an ongoing adrenaline rush. With the man hiding and being pumped full of adrenaline Connor had a hunch that he and Bruno found the very suspect that the police were attempting to locate at the moment.
Patting the side of his leg Connor called Bruno over to him as he stepped forward and pressed his back to the side of the alleyway. With a cybernetic link he informed the police drones of his location and watched as the drones swept over the alleyway with their cameras and sensors. A sudden scream of their sirens confirmed that the drones were able to identify the man and alerted patrol to the area.
Connor heard the panicked scrambling of metal trashcans being toppled as the man suddenly bolted from his hiding spot and sprinted through the alleyway in an attempt to hide a second time. Unclipping the lead from Bruno's collar Connor began his foot chase and urged Bruno to do the same.
"Bruno! Seek!"
Bruno dropped the frisbee and let out another bark as he began chasing after the man with every intention of catching him just as Connor had requested. Running as fast as he could Bruno refused to lose the suspect and was determined to take him down. The K-9 unit knew Connor was right behind him and that he was going to keep up with the chase as well.
"Stop!" Connor shouted at the man as he quickly caught up to the fleeing human with surprising ease. He had already been designed for speed and stealth, but it was as if the upgrades to his system were giving him a boost of energy efficiency and were allowing him to run faster than what had once been his standard speed during foot chases. "Detroit police!"
The man never stopped or looked back as he gave Connor his succinct answer to the simple request. "FUCK YOU!"
"That was rude." Sending the suspect's description to dispatch - height, build, Caucasian complexion, dark brown hoodie, dirty jeans, black shoes - and continued with the pursuit. "Last chance to surrender peacefully!"
"FUCK OFF, ASSHOLE!"
"All right, you'll have to live with that particular decision and its consequences."
Chasing the man over several blocks, past numerous open alleyways and stores, leaping over benches, turned over trashcans, weaving through parked cars and climbing through partially opened fences had proven to be very little hindrance to the pursuing deviant detective. Even Bruno was able to keep up with the suspect despite his three legs thanks to humans having lower stamina in comparison to that of androids.
Keeping up with the suspect with great ease despite the eight block chase, Connor managed to get within arm's reach of the fleeing man and he reached out his hand to grab on to the man's shoulder. With a firm grip and equally strong yank, Connor pulled the man backward off his feet and down to the sidewalk to be restrained until the police arrived.
"Do not resist!" Connor warned as he easily pinned the man down and held him in place against the sidewalk. As he put the man chest down on the ground Bruno stood guard and positioned himself beside the man's legs in case he tried to run again. "You're under arrest."
"H-Hey!?" Twisting and turning as much as he could, the man found himself suddenly face down on the sidewalk with his arms pined behind his back by Connor's strong hands and Connor's knee pressing into the middle of his back for leverage. "Let go! L-Let go, man!"
"I will not." Huffing a little as Bruno stood guard over the man and growled defensively, Connor sent a cybernetic message to emergency dispatch to confirm his location and successful apprehension of the suspect. "You are wanted for-"
"Fuck you!" The man was proving to have a very colorful and expansive vocabulary, and Connor was not impressed. "Give me a fuckin' break here!"
"That's not my decision." Holding on to the man's arms Connor took in a deep breath as he felt his Thirium pump beating faster than normal and tried to get it to slow back down. The rapid heartbeat was uncomfortable now that he was no longer running. "That's up to the-"
"Fuck off! Fuckin' asshole!"
Bruno barked and growled at the obscenities being thrown at his guardian. He understood spoken English perfectly well!
A chirp of sirens filled the air as a responding patrol car pulled up along the street. Soon after, a familiar looking Oldsmobile parked behind the squad car and a familiar Lieutenant strolled out of the vehicle to check in on the reported arrest.
"Well look at what we have here." Hank announced with his hands on his hips as he looked down at the suspect's face. "Jim Randall. The errand boy for Ted Jones, the former 'Red Ice King', in the flesh."
"Fuck you!"
"Haven't heard that enough times in my career. Chen?" Nodding at the pinned suspect Hank requested that Tina take care of Randall on his behalf. "Got room for a mouthy 'gopher' in your car?"
"Plenty of room." Pulling her cuffs from the back of her belt Tina happily took over for Connor and secured Randall's wrists behind his back. "I'd stick him in the trunk if I had to."
"Watch it, bitch!"
Connor pressed his knee a little harder into Randall's back for the unnecessary insult and didn't let up until the man let out a pained yelp in return.
"AGH! FUCK!"
Tina saw what Connor did and flashed him an appreciate smirk. "Thank you, Detective. But I got him from here."
"Of course." Connor stood up and backed away to give Tina plenty of room to wrangle the suspect to the back of her squad car to take him back to the precinct for proper questioning. "I'm certain Mr. Randall will be more cooperative once all of his charges are laid out before him."
Hank nodded in agreement as Tina led Randall away to be questioned later. "Good work, Connor."
"Bruno and I were merely in the correct place at the correct time." Remaining modest Connor took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as his heart continued to race. With each frantic beat Connor could feel his Thirium being forced through his lines at a rapid clip and made his other biocomponents shift into overdrive to compensate for the extra blue blood. "I-It wasn't anything special."
"Any time someone can make a criminal pursuit easier is special to me." It didn't take Hank long to notice that Connor seemed to be breathing heavily despite just standing still. When Bruno whimpered and pawed at Connor's hand he knew that something unusual was happening to the young deviant. "You good?"
"Good?"
"You look like you're outta' breath."
"I-I'm merely experiencing a rapid Thirium pump beat due to the p-prolonged foot chase."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"No. I just... I just need a minute." Pressing his palm over his chest Connor closed his eyes and ran a self diagnostic over his system. "I'll be fine."
...SELF DIAGNOTIC: [Engaged]
...LOADING INFORMATION:
REGISTERED NAME: "Connor Wolf"
MODEL: RK-800
SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 51
ACTIVATION DATE: August 15th, 2038
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs
COMPLEXION: Caucasian
AESTHETIC GENDER: Male
HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown
ASSIGNMENT: NONE
ASSOCIATION(S): Private Detective; Consultant with New Jericho Tower
BOOTING PROCESSORS...
LOADING OS...
SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]
-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... OK]
READY...
[...Thirium Volume - 98.4%]
[...Thirium Pressure - 130/90]
[...Thirium Pump Rate - 136 B.P.M.]
[...Ventilation Rate - 23 V.P.M.]
[...Core Temperature - 100.4 Degrees Fahrenheit]
WARNING:
-STRESS LEVELS: ^20%
[...Elevated Thirium pump rate detected]
[...Erratic Thirium pump rate detected]
[...Seek Technical assistance]
"I-I'm suffering from the e-equivalent to tachycardia i-in organic lifeforms."
"Anything that revolves around your heartbeat is something worrying over." Hank didn't like the way Connor was struggling speak in between his deep and panting breaths. Approaching the deviant casually Hank made a move to grab Connor's wrist for a pulse check, but he hesitated in doing so. "I know that you and Lucas are pretty advanced and have some special stuff that androids don't, but I'm not sure how to check and make sure you're okay."
"I... I can ch-check my own system."
"And what's it telling you?"
"My h-heart is... It's..." Trailing off for a moment the sense of fear, dread and even pain from the night the bullet traveled from his arm and into his heart flashed through Connor's mind. The discomfort he was currently experiencing was so reminiscent of the night he had suffered what equated to a heart attack that it was making his heart beat even faster. "H-Hank? I think- My heart..."
"Deep breaths." When Hank heard Connor call him by his name and not his rank he knew for certain that something was wrong. "All right, it's okay."
Putting his hands on Connor's shoulders Hank carefully guided Connor over to the Oldsmobile to sit down for a moment. He could feel Connor trembling in fear and his thundering heartbeat under his palms. With each step Connor took Hank saw his complexion pale as a blue tint filled his cheeks as if he were experiencing a sudden spike in his Thirium pressure.
"Here, sit down." Hank opened the passenger side door of the Oldsmobile and helped Connor to sit down. The sight of Tina's squad car driving away reminded Hank that at the moment he was the only one who could help Connor if Connor would be willing to accept it. "Describe what's happening to you. You said something about your heart."
"F-Feels like..." As his fingers curled into a tight fist into the fabric of his t-shirt, Connor admitted that he was in pain. His heart was actually in pain. "H-Hurts."
"Can you describe your pain for me?" Pressing the back of his hand to Connor's forehead and the side of his neck Hank didn't feel any sign of a fever and was able to rule out any issues with his thermal regulator. As his hand touched the side of Connor's neck Hank was able to detect a pulse point and quickly pressed his fingertips against that point for a proper count. "Shit, I didn't know you actually had a pulse. It's too bad it's pretty fucked up right now."
"H-Hard to... think. P-Pump is... erratic."
"I'm taking you to see a technician. No arguing." Stepping away from the door Hank snapped his fingers and looked over at Bruno. "Inside, Bruno. We're taking Connor to a facility."
Bruno quickly jumped into the opened door of the car and sat down at Connor's feet. Whimpering sadly he pressed his chin down on Connor's knee and cybernetically monitored Connor as Hank walked to the driver's side of the car and proceeded to radio in the emergency situation to dispatch. The loyal dog knew Connor was in pain and wanted to be of some comfort for his guardian.
"Hang in there, son." Turning over the engine Hank pulled the Oldsmobile back on to the street and used the responding police drones as clearance to head out to the closest facility. "You've survived worse."
"D-Don't remind me."
"Slow breaths will help with the pain. At least, it does for humans when this shit happens."
Nodding a little Connor kept his hand over his chest and took in a deep breath and let it out as slowly as he could. The fact that he had instinctively reacted in such a way was a good sign, but the second fact that his chest pain reminded him of his close call with total Thirial arrest was a very bad sign.
"Dispatch let Abby know you're coming in. She'll be ready for you."
"L-Lucas?"
"I'll find a way to contact him for ya' after you're checked in at the Zeta Facility." Keeping his eyes on the road Hank remained calm, cool and collected for Connor's sake. He didn't want the deviant to panic and make his condition suddenly worse. "The facility's a lot closer than the tower and we won't have to deal with security protocol this way."
Connor's breath suddenly hitched as a mounting pressure began to build in his chest. Red warnings flashed over his vision and made the stricken deviant begin to fear the worst for his impending diagnosis.
...SELF DIAGNOTIC: [Engaged]
...LOADING INFORMATION:
-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... ERROR]
-INITIALIZING BIOSENSORS... OK]
-INITIALIZING AI ENGINE... OK]
-MEMORY STATUS... OK]
READY...
[...Thirium Volume - 98.4%]
[...Thirium Pressure - 140/90]
[...Thirium Pump Rate - 143 B.P.M.]
[...Ventilation Rate - ERROR]
[...Core Temperature - 100.7 Degrees Fahrenheit]
WARNING:
-STRESS LEVELS: ^35%
[...Elevated Thirium pump rate detected]
[...Erratic Thirium pump rate detected]
[...Erratic Thirium pressure detected]
ERROR:
-SCANNING THIRIUM PUMP
ERROR:
[...Increased Thirium pressure in Thirium pump]
[...Excessive Thirium detected in Thiricardial pouch]
[...Seek immediate technical assistance]
"H-Hank?" Grabbing on to Hank's shoulder Connor managed to get his attention without causing Hank to look away from the road. "C-Cant... breathe!"
"Almost there." The way Connor's fingers were nearly digging into his skin made Hank worry for the deviant's health. He had never seen Connor so scared for his own life in such a way before. "Try breathing out instead of in, you might be hyperventilating."
"P-Pressure!" Gasping as he fought to speak Connor made it clear he wasn't having problems with breathing itself, it was his chest that was causing him extreme pain and to nearly panic. "H-Heart can't... b-beat!"
"Almost there..." Repeating himself Hank sped up as he made the final turn and reached the parking lot of the Zeta Facility in an illegally swift manner. The moment the Oldsmobile was in front of the front emergency entrance the passenger side door had been pulled open from the outside by Barry, the helpful deviant receptionist at the facility. "He's having trouble breathin' and he said his heart's having trouble beating."
"Dr. Grayson will assess Connor's condition." Barry stated with a confident smile as he carefully pulled on Connor's arm to lead the deviant out of the car and help him lay on top of the gurney that he had wheeled out into the parking lot. "She is expecting him already."
Hank waited for Connor to begrudgingly let go of his shoulder before he stepped out of the car and walked alongside the gurney to help Barry wheel Connor inside the facility. Watching Connor clutching at his chest with wide-eyed panic and panting breaths gave the senior detective a sense of dread. He had never seen Connor look so pale and scared at the same time.
"You're going to be okay, son." Keeping his voice low and calm Hank maintained a sense of calm as he and Barry wheeled Connor into the correct treatment room. Bruno was trailing after the gurney but stopped in the waiting room as his own programming told him to not go anywhere without proper authorization or an order from his guardian. "You've dealt with heart issues before and you came back stronger than ever! You can handle this."
The moment the gurney was wheeled through the parted doors of the treatment room Connor was met with Abby hovering hover him with utter focus in her warm hazel eyes. Using a sharp pair of scissors she cut through Connor's black t-shirt to fully expose his chest and abdomen, then secured two wireless leads to his chest to monitor his frantic Thirium pump beat.
"Connor, talk to me." Abby urged as she worked with Hank and Barry to lift the struggling deviant up from the gurney to lay him down on the nearby exam table. The erratic pump beat, high Thirium pressure and hectic breathing were raising numerous red flags in her mind. "Describe your pain for me."
"C-Can't... beat!"
Hank spoke up on Connor's behalf as Abby used her audioscope to directly listen to his malfunctioning Thirium pump. "Like I told Barry, he can't catch his breath and he said his heart can't beat properly."
"Shit, sounds like a leak in one of his Thirial lines is causing an internal error." Abby diagnosed as her ears confirmed that Connor's heart was in fact struggling to properly beat. "Barry, prepare to drain a Thirial effusion."
That was something Hank never heard before, but the way Connor seemed to tense up and somehow pale even further told him it was something quite unsettling or at the least painful to endure. "What's happening to him?"
"A leak from an internal line of the Thirium pump is causing the secondary Thiricardial pouch of his pump to swell up and fill with blue blood." She explained as Barry retrieved a sonar wand and attached tablet screen to be used, then wheeled over a rolling table with a large syringe with an equally large hollow point needle attached. "The pouch holds excess Thirium while Thirium pressure recalibration is in progress." Abby further explained as she slipped on a pair of purple latex gloves. "It's a vital piece of the Thirium pump's structure, and I need to extract the excess Thirium before his Thirium pump becomes compromised from strain and pressure."
"Oh..." Seeing the syringe being prepared and watching Barry press the sonar wand down on Connor's chest right over his distressed heart made Hank pale in response. "This is fuckin' serious."
"It looks worse than it is." Abby said in a somewhat encouraging manner. Using the image on the screen Abby lined up the tip of the needle over Connor's heart and aimed to pierce it through his artificial skin, synthetic muscles and betwixt the plastimetal plating frames to get to the vital biocomponent beneath. "Connor, don't move and try to hold your breath."
"Whoa, wait!" Using his more authoritative voice Hank managed to make everything stop for just a minute. "Can't you do something to either stop his pain or at least numb him first? You're about the stab him in the fuckin' heart!"
"Thiricetomal is still being tested as a painkiller, and the last thing Connor needs is to be used as a guinea pig."
"Can you at least put him to sleep or open his chest without stabbing him instead?"
"His heart's beating too fast for stasis mode to set in and I have to extract the fluid without opening the chest panel. If I open the panel then the external pressure of the plastimetal frame will lessen and the Thirium collecting in the Thiricardial pouch will increase without any resistance and cause the couplings of the main Thirial lines to rupture."
Barry gave Hank an uncomfortable look as he held the wand perfectly still and made sure Abby could see the screen. "And the building pressure will cause his Thirium pump to arrest."
Hank hated the idea of Connor being fully conscious and aware of something like a sharp needle being stabbed into his heart, and he did the only thing he could do to help the young deviant during his situation. Grabbing on to Connor's hand Hank held tight and gave him a small smile. "This is probably going to suck, so if it hurts just squeeze my hand and it'll help you get through this a little easier."
Unable to do anything to help himself Connor just gave Hank a frantic nod and didn't try to take his hand back.
"Okay, Connor. On three..." Abby did her best to help her patient remain in the loop and mentally prepare for what he was physically about to endure. "One, two, three."
A pained gasp escaped Connor's lips as the needle was inserted into his chest and readily found its mark. The pressure in his chest seemed to amplify to an excruciating degree before it finally began to lessen at a steady pace. Squeezing Hank's hand reflexively Connor tried to not move or even breathe while the needle was inserted into his heart.
Retracting the plunger on the end of the syringe Abby began to drain away the excess blue blood from the deviant's heart at a steady pace. Within a few seconds ten c.c.'s of the leaking Thirium had been extracted and Connor's breathing began to ease slightly as his heartbeat slowed in response.
"The excess blood was building up and pressing against his left ventilation biocomponent's air intake line." Abby then explained without needing anyone to ask the obvious question. "Once the blood has been drained his self healing program will be able to repair the damaged line and won't require any invasive repairs."
Connor managed to take in a shallow breath with less resistance allowing him to relax slightly. As the discomfort eased he loosened his grip on Hank's hand. The pain was becoming more bearable, and the sense of panic slowly faded from his mind.
"That's it." Hank felt Connor's grip lighten up and encouraged him to keep doing whatever it was he was doing in order to feel calm. "Everything's going to be all right. It'll be over soon."
Abby looked up at the Thirial activity monitor to track Connor's pulse and watched as more of the blue blood was drained away by the syringe. "Fifteen c.c.'s already gone. How do you feel?"
"...My chest feels lighter." The deviant detective responded tiredly from where he was laying. "That's good."
"How's your breathing?"
"Improving."
Hank turned his attention back to Abby and looked mildly relieved. "How long until he heals?"
"Forty-eight hours." She responded without even blinking. "That'll give his system enough time to repair the damaged lines and recalibrate his Thirium pressure."
"Hear that, son?" Hank watched as the syringe filled up with the excess Thirium then looked down at Connor's face. "You're going to be fine."
Nodding a little Connor slowly pulled his hand from Hank's grip and rubbed his palm over his face. The relief on a physical and mental level was palpable.
"Forty-two c.c.'s of blue blood." Abby calculated the total amount of blood extracted as she gently pulled the needle of the syringe back out of Connor's chest and placed the mostly full syringe down on the metal tray beside the exam table. As the needle was extracted Connor let out a shocked gasp of pain and relief. "How do you feel now?"
"I-I feel a little... lightheaded." Connor's brow furrowed and his hand went to his chest again as if trying to quell some form of returning discomfort. "My chest... f-feels..." Trailing off quietly Connor's eyes closed and his head lolled limply to the side. "...wrong."
"Connor?" Putting her hand under the deviant's cheek Abby patted once and tried to get his attention. The sudden lack of consciousness was a serious complication that needed to be addressed. "Connor, respond. Barry, get the diagnostic modem over here."
"Right away, Dr. Grayson."
Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and gave him a slightly shake. "Hey? Can you hear us?"
The attached Thirial activity monitor began to shriek loudly as the deviant's heart rate suddenly spiked and began racing at a dangerously rapid irregular beat. The shrill sound made Hank take a step back as he observed the resulting procedure designed to treat Connor's condition.
"Irregular beat, Thirial tachycardia and Thirial hypotension." Abby announced loudly as she placed one hand over the other and interlaced her fingers together. Pressing her single combined fist down over the center of Connor's chest she began to compress the deviant's racing heart in a purposely slow manner to try to change the current heart rate and correct his arrhythmia. "Hank, trade places with me. I don't have the strength to do this for too long."
Without missing a beat Hank traded places with Abby and began pressing down on Connor's chest in a steady rhythm. "What's happening to him now?"
"I'm not sure." After the diagnostic modem had been rolled over to the exam table Abby attached a long black cable to Connor's right temple and turned the device on. The readout was almost instant, but it'd still take some time to read through. "But I'll figure it out. Barry, take over for Hank and keep the rhythm exact."
"Yes, Dr. Grayson."
"Okay, let's see what the-" Stopping short Abby read over the detail and was met with coding, software and even hardware that was never a part of Connor's original design. The upgrades were something that she had never seen before and was perplexed as to where they came from or how Connor obtained them. "Shit! This just got more complicated..."
Hank didn't like the sound of that, and he disliked Connor's heart stopping even more. "What is it?"
"There's some new tech in here that I've never seen before! Most of this stuff was still theoretical when I was in school, but now..."
"What?" That little discovery wasn't one Hank had been anticipating. "How does he have technology that you don't recognize?"
"I have no clue. If I knew where it came from and how he got it, then this would be a lot easier."
"Hold on..." Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank gave Lucas a quick call and stepped out of the room for privacy. "I might actually be able to help with this."
"I sure as shit hope so." Abby muttered to herself as she began reading over the details on the modem again. The data being provided was far more advanced than she had anticipated, and she was struggling to understand what she was reading. "How in the hell do you have even more prototype hardware in your system than before? CyberLife is gone."
"Dr. Grayson," Barry spoke up as his charismatic smile had disappeared entirely. "his Thirium pump is not responding."
"Shit." Knowing what that meant Abby prepared to use the external Thirium pump stimulator attached to the side of the Thirial activity monitor. "The compressions aren't working. I'll have to shock him."
The door to the room slid back open as Hank returned with his phone in his hand. "Lucas is on his way over. He'll be able to-" Seeing Abby holding the two paddles made Hank's stomach twist. "What're you doing?"
"I need to shock his pump back into a proper rhythm."
"Fuckin' hell..."
"I hate this as much as you do." Abby placed the paddles accordingly over the center of Connor's chest and to the left apex of his heart to ensure the charge went clean through his Thirium pump. The machine reached its charge and Abby addressed Barry firmly. "Step back."
As soon as Barry was free of the area and out of harm's way Abby prepared to send the charge.
"Sending charge."
Connor's body arched up slightly and fell back against the table as the electric shock was sent through his heart. There was no immediate change in his pump's beat and the monitor showed the same unstable line.
"Come on..." Abby encouraged the deviant under his care. "Come back to us." There was a shuddering 'blip' on the monitor as Connor's heart continued to beat irregularly for a few seconds before falling into a steady normal rhythm. "All right, that did it." Returning the paddles to the stimulator Abby checked the monitor to check his pump rate. "Strong pulse, normal rhythm."
"Thank fuck." Hank swore as he approached the table again. "Connor, can you hear us?"
"Not yet." Using her audioscope Abby listened to Connor's chest carefully as his Thirium pump continued to thrum with a healthy rhythm. "No faltering in either ventilation biocomponent or his Thirium pump. He's stable and should be waking up in a few minutes."
"And Lucas should be here just as quickly."
Draping her audioscope around her neck Abby gave Hank a searching glance. "What did Lucas tell you?"
"A very quick summary of what was certainly a very interesting, very long story." The senior detective confirmed as he watched Connor's complexion regain a healthier color as his system stabilized and his pump resumed its normal rhythm. "He said that he'll give you everything you need to know about these changes and upgrades that both he and Connor now have."
"Both of them have upgrades?" Such a revelation reminded Abby that even though she finished school she still had a lot to learn. "Fuck, I need to put in for some overtime pay just for taking care of those two."
"I know how you feel."
Connor's brow furrowed slightly as his head lolled toward the sound of Hank's voice. Brown irises slowly returned as Connor regained full consciousness and looked up at the senior detective hovering over him. "...Lieu...tenant?"
"Yup, right here."
"What... What happened?" As he struggled to lift his head up Connor felt Hank's palm press against the back of his hair to help him to sit upright. "I don't... recall why I... lost consciousness."
Abby adjusted the head of the table to allow Connor to sit upright without needing Hank's help. "Your pump momentarily entered an irregular rhythm and your Thirium pressure dropped to a dangerously low number. I had to give your pump a shock to get back into a proper rhythm, but you should be just fine."
Pressing his palm over his chest Connor felt his normal heartbeat and let out a shaky sigh. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me just yet." Crossing her arms over her chest Abby raised her brows and gave Connor a knowing look. "When I had to figure out why you crashed, I had to run a diagnostic on your system and discovered that you have something going on that you failed to divulge to your primary technician."
Feeling an embarrassed blush fill his cheeks Connor looked away from Abby in shame as he unclipped the diagnostic cable from his temple. "...It's a long story."
Smirking a little Hank muttered his own response under his breath. "Told you."
Abby wasn't going to accept such an indifferent non-answer. "And I have no more patients to handle this afternoon." Giving her most stubborn patient a knowing look she made it clear that she wasn't going to go anywhere until she learned the truth behind his new upgrades. "I'm all ears."
It took Connor about ten minutes to explain everything that he had gone through, conveniently leaving out the existence of Zhorra and the other "RK" models hiding out at the forest refugee camp in the process, and Lucas took just as long to explain everything else after he arrived to check on his oldest brother at the Zeta Facility. Details on the upgrades were given to Abby for the sake of technical convenience in the event of another emergency situation, but even so Lucas requested that such information remained encrypted to keep some semblance of privacy even from other technicians. Thankfully there was technician-patient confidentiality clause that had been implemented in March, meaning their secret was safe with Abby.
Hank had been permitted to stay when the two brothers explained everything, and he was glad that he knew the full truth. It was somehow a relief to know that Connor's enhanced sense for pain was what prompted him to strike his own arm and accidentally dislodge the bullet in his limb. In a way, Connor having experiences beyond just what happened during the Revolution and whenever Hank was around reminded Hank that his negative behavior wasn't solely behind Connor's struggles.
"Okay, well, I can't be mad at you two for wanting to protect your privacy." Abby sympathized as she finished making notes in Connor's electronic chart with Lucas's assistance. She didn't want to overlook any detail regarding Connor and Lucas's new enhancements. "But I can be mad that you were abducted and experimented on, and didn't say anything to anyone!"
Connor was watching Hank from the corner of his eye waiting for the senior detective to yell or even react, but he didn't say or do anything. Hank was listening intently to the story being told and had no opinion on the matter at hand.
"We made sure we took every necessary precaution and had our systems tested after we returned to the brownstone." Lucas maintained his cool as he told Abby and Hank a not-total-lie regarding the incident. "As a technician myself, I was able to accurately assess both of our programming and determine that while the upgrades were unexpected, they ultimately did not have any negative impact on our abilities to function."
Hearing the way Lucas was standing up for their decision and did so without mentioning Connor's odd memories and dreams was its own relief. Connor didn't want to deal with more questions or a round of uncomfortable tests.
"All right, okay." Abby decided she couldn't be mad at the brothers. What's done is done and there's no going back. "Just promise that if you're ever illegally experimented on ever again that you'll go to the police, and I'll be able to sleep at night."
"In the highly implausible event that this particular incident repeats itself, I vow to see a technician immediately."
"Good. That's all I wanted to hear." Returning her attention to Connor as she finished her notes on the chart, Abby gave her patient a stern look. "Now, thanks to your new 'Thirial flux' programming you're going to be experiencing what equates to humans getting adrenaline rushes during heightened moments of alertness. And it was that very flux that had forced an excessive amount of Thirium into your pump so you could have your adrenaline rush, but the flux failed to recognize that it was no longer needed and continued to force too much Thirium into your pump. In the end, your pump began to swell and your pressure began to drastically increase as your pump entered arrhythmia. That's why you felt like you couldn't breathe and why your pump was causing your pain."
Such a discovery made Connor righteously nervous for the future. "Will this happen again?"
"I was able to turn the program off and recalibrate it with Lucas's guidance, so you'll be okay. Any frantic pump beat afterward will correct itself automatically after you cease any extraneous physical activity. You'll be just fine, but if you don't feel quite like yourself for any reason just find me and I'll help you."
"Thank you, Abby."
"Also, I was able to run a thorough diagnostic on your Thirium pump regulator." Abby continued in a rather terse manner. "The previous damage you sustained to your regulator has become worse. It's functioning at approximately seventy-two percent capacity, and you'll need to get it either repaired or replaced soon."
"I will do so when it becomes necessary." At the moment Connor didn't care about yet another issue with his prototyping design. "I'll be fine."
"I'm sure you will." Making another note in the chart Abby let Connor go. "He's all yours, Lucas."
Lucas turned to Connor and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "If you're ready to leave we'll go back to the brownstone, and I'll keep an eye on you as you rest."
"Yes. I'm ready." Removing what was left of his cut open t-shirt Connor gave Abby a hopeful glance as he threw the ruined garment into the nearby trashcan. "Would you happen to have a scrub top that I can wear?"
"Yeah, give me a minute and I'll get you one. Good thing it's not rainy right now, I'd hate for you to catch a cold!"
"...Thank you."
Clearing his throat for a moment Hank approached the two brothers and gave them a simple smile. "Since you're going to be okay, how about I drive ya' home? I'm starving and I want to get something to eat sooner rather than later. Besides, you live just down the block."
Nodding in agreement Lucas decided it'd be best to accept the offer to ensure that Hank knew they we were grateful for his assistance that day. "I'll go and get Bruno ready." Looking back at Connor for a moment Lucas held out his hand. "Leash?"
"Here." Pulling the leather leash from his pocket Connor handed it over to Lucas to take. "We'll also have to replace Bruno's frisbee. He dropped it before chasing the suspect and I doubt that it's still on the sidewalk."
"That's something that'll easily be replaced, no problem."
With both Lucas and Abby now out of the room Connor looked over at Hank still standing nearby and gave him a timid nod of appreciation. "Thank you for everything you did for me today, Lieutenant."
"No problem." Hank was just happy that he could help out Connor without accidentally making things worse. "I know if the roles were reversed and I went down with chest pain, that you'd get my sorry ass to a doctor without a second's hesitation."
"I don't just mean driving me to the facility, I mean you keeping calm so that I could remain calm. It helped me a lot today." Clenching his hand into a fist at his side Connor remembered how frightened he had been when it felt like his heart was going to stop beating at any moment. "And... letting me hold on to your hand when I was in pain. How'd you know that'd help?"
"Uh, well, helping Barb during childbirth for one." He admitted with a sheepish grin. "And every other woman I've helped with childbirth after that." Hank saw the confusion on Connor's face and chuckled to himself. "I know, it's not exactly the same, but pain and fear typically go hand-in-hand, no pun intended, and just having a support system really helps."
"So I've noticed."
"For what it's worth, I'm proud that you were willing to ask for help when you needed it. And before you try to brush it off as a fear induced response or some other weird thing, it doesn't matter. You asked for help instead of trying to power through what was essentially heart failure because you had some fucked up experiences in the past."
Sliding off the treatment table Connor sighed and looked over at the door just as it slid open again. Accepting the dark blue scrub top from Abby's hand Connor slipped the garment on over his head and pulled it down to cover his core. "Hopefully I won't need to rely on a support system in the future."
"That's a big hope to have but hang on to it anyway. Never hurts to have a life goal in mind."
"Do you believe I'll be able to fully take care of myself without needing other people to check in on me?"
"That's the ultimate goal of every single person in this world, son. We want to be self sufficient, healthy and stable at all times. The problem is," putting his hand to Connor's shoulder Hank guided the recovering deviant out of the treatment room, down the corridor and out to the waiting room to reunite with Lucas and Bruno. "the world has a funny way of changing and we have to change along with it whether we want to or not. And sometimes the world doesn't want anyone to be fully independent and secure since life itself changes so fast."
"I'm aware." Unwanted changes were something Connor was fully capable of adapting to with minimal effort. "But that doesn't mean I'll let go of the hope that I'll be able to fully take care of myself without needing to fall back on other people."
"Nothing wrong with having hope." Hank confidently confirmed as walked with Connor. "Sometimes hope is all we have in this fucked up world."
-next chapter-