It was the night after the Revolution's one year anniversary the two deviant detectives returned to their usual routines and didn't think anything more of the historic past day. While Connor remained in the brownstone to wait for potential clients to come to the door and hire him for a case, Lucas worked within the tower during the day as both the chief of security and the secondary lead technician to ensure all responsibilities were being handled appropriately. The air was nowhere near as tense as it had been, and yet everyone in the tower was still a little wary of potential retaliation from resentful bigots wanting to stir up trouble or attack innocent deviants out of spiteful pettiness. The day had been thankfully quiet and that should've led to an equally quite night, but it seemed an unexpected glitch decided to rear its ugly head as new problem decided to make its presence known.
Connor groaned in pain as he rolled from his back and on to his side to curl protectively around his chest and abdomen as he was unexpectedly awoken from his rest mode in the middle of the night. Checking his internal clock Connor noted the time to be an uncomfortably early hour of four thirty-seven in the morning and pulled the quilt up over his head as he ran a self diagnostic over his system. The diagnostic strangely enough came up inconclusive and the pain subsided slowly until it was bearable enough to move.
Throwing the quilt from his head Connor opened his tired eyes and gazed about his bedroom, spying Bruno laying on the foot of his bed in a deep sleep of his own. As he stirred from his sleep Bruno let out a low muttering sound as he lifted his head up and watched Connor throw his legs over the edge of his bed.
"I'm okay, Bruno." Connor patted the loyal dog's head affectionately as he put his free hand to his abdomen. "I just can't seem to get comfortable enough to sleep as of the moment."
'Is Connor sick?'
"I'm not sick, but I am uncomfortable. I'll be down in the study so I don't disturb Lucas's rest."
'Can Bruno come?'
"Stay up here in case Lucas needs some support." Connor peered through his opened bedroom door to the partially closed door of Lucas's bedroom across the hallway. He knew that Lucas was exhausted and needed to rest. "I don't want him to be alone. Okay?"
Bruno wagged his tail as remained curled up on the foot of the bed obediently. 'Okay.'
"Good boy, thank you."
With his arm wrapped protectively around his abdomen Connor rose from the bed and proceeded to go about his morning routine earlier than usual despite not having to adapt to any appointment that day. Moving about the brownstone quietly Connor set about cybernetically updating himself on the day's weather forecast and breaking news stories to remain on top of things in the city.
Sitting on the sofa in the study Connor ran another self diagnostic only to have it return with inconclusive results for the second time. Tired but unable to sleep due to the mysterious ache in his body, Connor leaned forward on the sofa and buried his face in his palms as he let out a frustrated sigh. As Connor sat alone on the sofa he was suddenly aware of the pain having disappeared entirely just as quickly as it had manifested.
"...Interesting."
Connor told himself as he laid over the sofa in an attempt to salvage some of the night in favor of a proper rest.
"Must've been a glitch."
"Connor?" Lucas walked down the staircase and stared at his brother curiously. "It's four fifty-one, what're you doing up so early?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."
"It doesn't matter. Why are you awake?"
"I couldn't remain in rest mode."
"Insomnia?"
"Something like that." Connor was unsure of what else to say considering he didn't know why he was in pain only have it disappear without warning. "Did I wake you when I walked downstairs?"
"No. I sensed you moving about and became concerned." Going into technician mode Lucas approached his older brother and gave his system a quick scan. He didn't detect anything unusual and as such had no reason to doubt Connor's claim of insomnia. "It'd be best for you to attempt to reinitiate rest mode. I'll do the same."
"Yes, you're right."
Walking alongside his youngest brother up the staircase Connor returned to his bedroom and laid back down in his bed in an attempt to reenter rest mode, but he still couldn't quite get comfortable enough to rest properly. Laying perfectly still and quiet on his back with Bruno right against his side, Connor waited for the time to pass eight in the morning before he decided to get up and go about the day as normally as possible despite his unusual lack of sleep. Never having dealt with insomnia without a difficult case as the culprit or an explainable pain to blame, Connor was unsure of how to resume his daily routine with the mild inconveniences in the way.
After changing into his clean day clothes Connor rejoined Lucas and Bruno down in the study and tried to determine if his previous night's interrupted sleep was the result of a one time glitch or something more serious. Until he had more information he wouldn't be able to form a theory whatsoever.
"I'm going to buy some supplies to resume repairing my motorcycle." Connor announced as he grabbed his more casual brown leather jacket from the front door and hailed an autonomous cab. "Do you need me to pick anything up in the process?"
"No thank you. However, before I return to the tower today, I want to finish insulating the new garage to ensure we are as energy efficient as possible this winter."
"That's a very good idea. I'll assist you when I return."
Lucas nodded as he too grabbed his own black leather jacket and headed toward the backdoor with Bruno right behind him.
The two deviant brothers seemed to truly enjoy the hands-on projects around the brownstone. It gave them something constructive to think about and broke up the monotony of handling cases in the streets and crises at the tower.
While Lucas was busy in the garage Connor returned to the brownstone with a large reusable bag full of internal components and firing mechanisms necessary to get the motorcycle up and functioning again. He'd handle the external body of the motorcycle after all of the internal repairs were finished.
The garage was functional as both a storage compartment for the damaged motorcycle and to provide excess storage space for other possessions. The walls were nice and strong, but they still needed insulation put in place before the winter set in to ensure the brownstone remained warm and secured.
"Nearly finished." Lucas confirmed as he secured the last layer of foam insulation in the wall. Noting the bag in Connor's grip Lucas nodded at the purchase and gave his brother a curious look. "Did you find everything that you need to repair your motorcycle?"
"Yes. I'll be able to-" Connor's eyes suddenly narrowed as the strange pain returned to his chest and abdomen causing him to stop mid sentence as he wrapped his arm around his abdomen protectively. "...Ow."
"Connor?" Taking immediate notice of his brother's discomfort Lucas put his tools aside as he needed to know what was causing Connor to react in such a pained manner. "What's wrong?"
"...A glitch." Connor stated firmly as he forced himself to endure and subsequently ignore the pain while Bruno rushed up to him and pressed his nose against Connor's leg with an instinctive worry. "It'll be remedied by the end of the day."
"Do you need to go lay down again?" The technician sensed Connor's distress and couldn't help but worry about his brother. "If you're not feeling well it's unwise for you to tinker around with a delicate engine."
"I'm okay. The glitch has passed."
Lucas wasn't convinced but knew better than to push it. "It's going to take me approximately seventeen more minutes to finish with the insulation. You should go inside and rest for a few hours."
"Are you certain?" Connor lowered his arm as the pain once again lessened. "I could still help you."
"I'll be fine working alone. I'll check on you again once I'm finished out here."
Nodding silently Connor returned to the brownstone through the rear of the garage with a slight limp to his walk as he pushed through the lingering pain in his abdomen. Placing his bag down beside the still mangled motorcycle Connor went on his way through the rear door and contemplated creating a door that'd connect the garage to the kitchen for easier access.
Pausing for a moment Connor discreetly pressed his palm to his abdomen as he preconstructed the next project. In doing so he accidentally caught Lucas's worried attention once more.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" The odd behavior raised an immediate red flag in Lucas's mind. "It seems like you're starting to obsess over something again."
"I'm not obsessing. I'm merely looking for something constructive to do. Another hobby, perhaps."
Not entirely convinced by Connor's claim, especially since the deviant had a history of denying it when he was feeling ill, in pain or anxious, Lucas decided to let the matter drop for the time being. "Nothing wrong with a new hobby. After all, I play saxophone and I paint to keep my mind from becoming fatigued or overwhelmed with work. What did you have in mind?"
"I find working with my hands very rewarding. Perhaps I'll take up remodeling or actually building models." Eager to get away from his attentive brother's eyes for a minute Connor just rubbed his hand anxiously along the back of his neck and sighed. "I guess only time will tell what new challenges will help keep my hands busy and mind preoccupied. I just dislike always needing to wait to find out about these things."
The morning passed by without further incident and the afternoon was remaining nice and quiet for everyone. Lucas had finished with the garage's insulation and had gone upstairs to shower off to prevent potential foreign matter contamination by accidentally bringing any small fragments of the insulation or dust to the tower when he returned to New Jericho for his next shift. While Lucas was upstairs and washing off his hard work to prepare for another laborious night, Connor was down in the study and preconstructing another remodeling project in the garage. After he had the plan created Connor decided to get some work done by building the door frame before creating the actual door to ensure the brownstone didn't get too drafty during the remodeling process.
As the deviant knelt on the floor with carefully measured and cut wooden planks spread out before himself, the enigmatic pain returned to his chest and abdomen causing him to fall completely forward on his hands and knees. During his graceless fall forward Connor accidentally released the trigger on the nail gun in his grip, and with it a sharp nail was released into an expected surface.
A horrendous pain burned through Connor's left hand and caused the deviant to respond loudly to the sudden pain and caused Bruno to bark one in response to the commotion. "Fuck!"
"Connor?" Lucas heard the swearing and rushed down the staircase to check on his brother and put his hand on Connor's shoulder to see what had happened. The well spoken deviant rarely ever swore and when he did it was usually quiet and to himself. "What has happened?"
Forcing himself to lean back on his knees Connor lifted up his left hand to reveal the long nail that had penetrated clean through the palm and clean through the other side of his hand.
"That could be serious damage." Carefully Lucas wrapped his hand around Connor's wrist to pull the deviant's hand closer to himself for examination. "I'll escort you to the Zeta Facility for-"
"No! No..." Connor was adamantly opposed to going to the emergency facility and pulled his hand back. "I can remove it myself."
"I'm not talking about removing the nail." The deviant technician explained as he ran a scan over Connor's palm. "You're in pain and have been behaving unusually throughout the morning. I want to know what's happening with your system."
"A glitch." Connor reaffirmed in a less than convincing tone of voice as he cradled his bleeding hand to his chest. "It's just a glitch."
"Please don't lie to me. I KNOW when you're suffering from a malfunction or are ill."
"I'm not ill."
"But you're not behaving like yourself."
"...No. I suppose I am not."
"Level with me. Why don't you want to go to the facility to be examined?"
"Facilities still remind me of CyberLife." Connor let out an annoyed sigh as the pain let up enough to allow him to get back to his feet to walk over to the kitchen sink to rinse off his bleeding hand. "I'm tired of spending time getting repaired or having errors in my programming corrected because I'm a prototype, despite having our new upgrades. It's frustrating to feel like your own body is betraying you."
Lucas sympathized with his brother's righteous irritation. "Glitches happen to everyone, brother."
"But I'm not supposed to have these problems. I'm tired of being broken!" Connor sounded almost frightened as Lucas joined him by the kitchen sink to wash the blue blood from his hand. "I'm the most advanced prototype ever created, someone who was designed to be nearly perfect. Now it seems like the responsibility from being so advanced and unique has more cons than pros. Sometimes it feels like I'm cursed."
"You're not cursed." The attentive technician noted as he turned off the water after the blue blood was rinsed away from Connor's hand. Gently wrapping a clean hand towel around the affected appendage Lucas next motioned for Connor to sit down at the kitchen table or a moment. "If anything, you've been gifted."
"Gifted? How so?"
"We're so advanced that while other deviants can experience emotions and freewill, we get to actually FEEL things physically." Walking up the staircase to pick up the android first aid kit from its usual place under the bathroom sink, Lucas raised his voice to keep speaking with Connor in the other room. "You can appreciate the world around you a little more because you can directly interact with it, not just pass through it."
"As a fellow prototype Markus can feel pain, too. I don't think he'd quite agree with you."
"Probably not, but no two people have the exact same experiences as one another." Rejoining Connor at the kitchen table Lucas opened the kit and proceeded to unwrap Connor's hand from the towel, smoothing the towel over the table's surface, and gently held Connor's hand up and over the towel in the process. "I hate pain just as much as you do, but without it I don't think I'd truly appreciate my own deviancy."
Connor weakly nodded as he took Lucas's words to heart and begin a new contemplation. "Do you think this will hurt coming back out as much as it did going in?"
"Unknown."
Squaring his jaw Connor took hold of the end of the nail between his right fore fingertips and pulled in a swift, smooth motion. As the nail exited his hand with a smile 'squelch' Connor gritted his teeth in pain and watched as more Thirium leaked from the odd injury to his hand. "...Got it."
"That looked quite unpleasant." Lucas proceeded to pour the orange incrassation compound over Connor's hand before wrapping it up in gauze to keep the wound clean while Connor's self healing program kicked on. "How long have you been experiencing that glitch?"
"Since this morning." Connor answered honestly as Hank took care of his hand. "It actually roused me from my rest mode."
"I knew something was bothering you. Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because the glitch is something that only my system can correct. I didn't want to trouble you with something that you couldn't help with."
"If you keep having problems with this glitch then I'm taking you to the Zeta Facility for an examination."
"No, please! I'll be fine."
"You drove an actual nail through your hand because of this glitch. What if the glitch happens while you're riding your motorcycle? What'll happen if you potentially suffer from a glitch while working on a case?"
"...It won't happen."
"You cannot be sure of that."
"No, but you can't be certain that I'll experience any further problems from the glitch either."
"That may be true, but if you're ill or malfunctioning you NEED to let me know. I'm your brother and I care about you."
Relenting in his own stubbornness Connor had to admit that Lucas was right. "...Okay. I'll let you know if it becomes a further issue."
"Thank you." Lucas gently tied off the gauze wrap around Connor's injured hand and closed the first aid kit with an audible 'snap'. "Please get some rest and ensure your system has completed a proper recalibration cycle."
"...Very well." The idea of being told to go to sleep and do nothing sounded nearly torturous, but Connor relented for his brother's sake. "I'll enter rest mode for two hours and allow my system for a full recalibration."
The rest of the quiet and relatively boring evening went off without any further incidents from the glitch that was sporadically affecting Connor's system, and the garbage had been properly insulated without any difficulty by Lucas's hands alone. The new side door for the garage would have to wait to be completed since Lucas didn't want Connor having another strange accident while the unknown glitch was still potentially active and completely unpredictable in the stubborn deviant detective's system. The last thing either deviant detective wanted to deal with was another injury or a trip to the Zeta Facility's emergency room for an examination and potential treatment.
Casually tossing the tug-o-war rope for Bruno to repeatedly retrieve, Connor and Lucas sat on the two sofas and watched the news report on Markus's confirmed plans for the future as Detroit's new mayor. Lucas chose to call off his night shift to ensure that Connor isn't alone while he's ill. Everything seemed to be very optimistic for the future, and everyone was banding together.
"Markus is going to succeed." Lucas firmly believed that the deviant leader was the right person for the role as mayor. "We just need to be patient a little while longer."
"You're right. Markus can-" Connor's suddenly wrapped his arms around his chest and abdomen in agony, the toy rope falling from his hand and onto the floor before he had the chance to toss it again. Curling around himself on the sofa Connor groaned in undeniable discomfort while Bruno pressed his cold wet nose to the side of the deviant's neck and Lucas rose to his feet to put his hand against Connor's back. "...Damn it."
"All right, that's it. I'm taking you-"
"No!" Connor shook his head and forced himself to sit upright again on the couch. "I'm okay!"
"You're NOT okay." Keeping his hand on Connor's back Lucas refused to back down. "Let me help you. You're very ill."
"Please... J-Just give me one day to correct this glitch." The pleading in Connor's voice was almost as pathetic as the pained deviant looked. "If... If I'm not better by morning, then I'll go to the Zeta Facility. I promise."
Lucas hated the idea of waiting and hoping for Connor to recover, but he also respected Connor's assessment enough to let the matter drop. At least for the time being. "All right. However, if you're still experiencing the glitch in the morning then I'm taking you to the Zeta Facility."
Nodding weakly Connor agreed as he took in deep slow breaths to try to ease the pain, but nothing helped. Lucas kept his hand in place to give the deviant some modicum of support while Bruno whimpered and laid down at Connor's feet.
'Connor is sick.'
"What's happening to you?" Lucas asked with an empathetic curiosity. "The pain, I mean. Can you describe it?"
"I-It's like a horrible... pressure in my chest and in my stomach. I don't know what's... causing it."
"I thought you said it was being caused by a glitch."
"Correct. But what the glitch is... what caused it... I don't know."
"And your self diagnostic cannot confirm what it is?"
"It hasn't detected any... anomalies. Which makes it feel worse. And it's frightening."
"Then perhaps you should allow me to take you to see a technician in a facility."
Steadfast in his decision Connor again refused. "No."
"Very well. I'll stop asking about it." Lucas pulled his hand from Connor's back and studied the deviant's distressed face worriedly "If you need anything let me know."
"...I will."
"Think you can get some additional rest?"
"I can try."
"That's good. It's getting late, and you're exhausted from having less sleep than usual and from being in pain. Go get some rest and we'll see how you're feeling in the morning."
"Okay." Agreeing with the suggestion Connor didn't even try to feign having any form of energy to spare. "I'll go and enter rest mode."
"Thank you. I'll see you in the morning, brother."
Standing up slowly from the sofa Connor hesitated for only a minute as he tested his pain threshold before taking a step further. Bruno wagged his tail as Connor passed him by then quickly followed after the deviant carefully walking up the staircase into his bedroom. Lucas watched Connor closely just in case he had another glitch or collapsed from pain, perhaps even weakness, but it seemed the glitching episode had passed.
Once Connor was out of sight Lucas cybernetically reached out to Simon at New Jericho Tower asking about any new glitches or bugs being reported. He only had to wait a minute before he received a reply text from the lead technician, but the reply wasn't anything beneficial to the situation at hand.
'No glitches reported at New Jericho. Do you want me to stop by and check on Connor?'
Lucas replied in the negative and of his intentions to help Connor tomorrow morning by taking him to the Zeta Facility if necessary.
"Please be okay, brother. I don't want to see you in worse condition in the morning."
In an attempt to properly rest Connor was laying on his bed in the same position he had done so from the night before as he tried to engage a deep rest mode in hopes of reversing the glitch and stopping the random bouts of extreme pain that had been affecting him sporadically throughout the day. It was almost midnight and Connor was running the third self diagnostic of the day since he walked into the bedroom with Bruno jumping up onto the foot of his bed to cuddle down alongside him for the night. The diagnostic found nothing yet again, and Connor let out a deep sigh of frustration as he closed his eyes and initiated his next rest mode cycle in hopes of an improvement.
"Damn it. This is frustrating."
Finally drifting off to sleep after two hours of failing to initiate rest mode Connor muttered to himself in righteous annoyance at his system seemingly breaking down for reasons he couldn't even begin to understand.
"I need an answer, not inconclusive data."
Barely an hour passed before Connor was awoken by a violent, sharp pain in his chest and stomach again causing him to sit upright in agony and let out a deep groan of frustrated discomfort as he curled around himself once more. Bruno whimpered and crawled up closer to the deviant to rest his chin against Connor's leg to try to comfort his guardian.
'Connor needs help.'
Breathing rapidly through his clenched teeth Connor endured the pain as much as possible while refusing to call out for help.
"...S-Stop..." Connor hissed in frustration at his own body. "...Nothing... is wrong."
Bruno readily sensed Connor's distress and tried to cuddle up even closer to the deviant protectively. 'Connor will be okay.'
As the pain subsided as quickly as it manifested Connor managed to lay back down and slow his breathing. Running yet another self diagnostic only to find nothing of interest, Connor rolled onto his side and punched his pillow once in frustration before settling down to try to enter rest mode and heal.
As four in the morning crept in for the second time in Connor's disrupted continuing pattern of sleep disturbances he shot awake again and let out a choking gasp of pain as he wrapped his arms around his chest and abdomen tightly as if he could protect himself from the internal pain. Clenching his jaw hard Connor sucked in breaths between his clenched teeth as he rolled off the bed toward the door and landed with a muffled 'thud' on his quilt and onto the floor.
Bruno whimpered as he stood up on the bed and watched Connor using his uninjured shaking right hand to reach out ahead of himself to drag his body through the partially opened door and out into the hallway. Using as much strength as he could spare Connor pulled himself into the hallway, resting on his side just outside his bedroom door as his resolve gave out on him.
"...L-Lucas." Connor couldn't find enough energy to shout through his pain as he called out desperately to Lucas down in his own bedroom. "Lucas... please! I n-need help!"
Letting out another groan of pain Connor choked on his breath as he fought to keep himself from passing out from the agony.
"...Brother. Please."
There was an audible 'click' as Lucas's bedroom door was pulled open and a sound of rushed footsteps as the worried technician knelt down on the floor next to his pained brother. "Connor?"
"...I'm... I'm-"
"Damn it." Lucas pressed one hand down against the deviant's back as he slipped his other hand around Connor's shoulder to roll him from his side and flat onto his back on the floor. Connor's good hand reached up from the floor and wrapped tightly around Lucas's arm in fear which made Lucas tense up. "How severe is the pain?"
"...BAD." Connor managed to utter the response through pained breaths. "It... hurts! It really hurts!"
"Okay, I'm going to get you to the Zeta Facility." Lucas promised as he reluctantly pulled his hands from the deviant's shoulder and back. "Just hold on."
"Lucas?!" Connor gasped again as he let out another groan of terrible pain and tried to curl around himself once more. "D-Don't leave me!"
"I'll be right back, just stay calm." Lucas raced back into his bedroom to change into clean clothes and cybernetically informed the facility of their arrival. "I'm right here with you."
Bruno wandered out of the bedroom and laid down in the hallway next to Connor and licked at Connor's extended hand sympathetically. 'Connor will be okay.'
"Hold on, brother." Lucas knelt down beside Connor again, this time slipping his hand under the deviant's back to lift him up into a sitting position, then placing his other arm under Connor's legs to lift the deviant up from the floor. "I'm sorry about this, but I don't think you can walk."
"...I don't know what's happening to me." Connor was wheezing now as fought to breathe through the pain. "I don't know what to do."
"Try not to worry about it, I'll get you some help."
Stepping around Bruno in the hallway, Lucas carefully carried Connor downstairs, through the study and out the front door. Awkwardly Lucas opened the front door with one hand and carried Connor down the sidewalk toward the Zeta Facility at the end of the block. "Try to relax, you'll be okay."
Connor could only nod weakly to acknowledge Lucas's words.
"We'll figure this out." Patting his hand lightly on Connor's shoulder Lucas was determined to help his brother figure out what was going on. "I promise."
It was all a timeless blur for Connor as he was carried to the facility rolled into the emergency entrance of the Zeta Facility atop a gurney by two deviant orderlies, and he was promptly taken into the first available exam room for treatment. Unable to open his eyes because of the incredible pain in his core and unable to fully lay flat on his back, Connor felt vulnerable and weak as he remained curled up on his left side. A light hand on his right shoulder and a familiar voice would have been otherwise comforting if Connor wasn't already lost in the throes of an enigmatic pain that was threatening to consume his mind.
Staying by Connor's side Lucas kept his word and refused to leave his brother alone for even a moment. It pained him to see Connor in so much pain himself.
"Even on the graveyard shift and half shifts combined I keep running into you." Abby joked in an effort to lighten the mood. "What's going on?"
Lucas answered on Connor's behalf to keep the pained deviant from feeling any worse. "As of this moment we don't know, but he's in recurring pain and we're at a total loss of what to do due to his inconclusive self diagnostics."
"How long has he been like this?" Abby asked as she connected a black diagnostic cable to Connor's right temple and to the large computer modem designed to run diagnostics and monitor his vital signs. "His heartbeat is elevated, so is his Thirium pressure... Whatever is happening to him has him stressing out."
"It's been eight minutes and fourteen seconds since he started experiencing this pain." Lucas had waited for Connor to answer but the deviant couldn't bring himself to speak. "He had dragged himself out of his bed to seek help."
"How many times has this happened?"
"To my knowledge this is the fifth time."
"S-Sixth." Connor gasped pathetically. "This is... the worst... one."
A little surprised by the admission Lucas put his hand over Connor's arm and held it there for a moment. "The pain only lasted for a few minutes before, but now he's just... suffering."
Abby checked Connor's vitals on the monitor and pressed her hand to his forehead to confirm he was beginning to overheat from physical stress. "And your self diagnostic has shown nothing wrong?"
Connor nodded weakly in favor speaking.
"This is very strange. I'm not detecting any abnormality in your biocomponents, Thirium volume, software or hardware." Using her audioscope Abby pressed the bell against Connor's thundering heart over top of his arms wrapped protectively around his chest. "If this was an error with his pain receptors then it'd appear on the diagnostic scan and there's no denying that he's in pain."
Lucas was getting worried but expertly hid his concern behind a mask of paternal courage. "Can you do anything for him?"
"I can turn off his pain receptors for an hour, but that's just it. It'll help him for only an hour."
"I suppose that's our best option for now."
Agreeing with Lucas wholeheartedly Abby set aside her audioscope to retrieve the small electronic device designed specifically to neutralize the more enhanced deviant senses for a brief period of time. Detaching the cable from Connor's temple she pressed the device down against his temple and deactivated the pain sensors with a single motion.
In response Connor let out another gasp as the relentless pain suddenly stopped and he could breathe again. Opening his glassy eyes Connor's body relaxed enough that he stopped curling around himself and rolled over onto his back. "...Th-Thank you."
Abby replaced her hand to Connor's forehead to manually check his temperature. "What were you doing before this glitch began affecting you?"
"...The f-first time I was in rest mode."
"And the other times?"
"I was speaking to Lucas in the garage, then I was working on a project."
"Keep going."
"The fourth time I was sitting on the couch, then the fifth and sixth times I was awoken from rest mode. Again."
"You weren't injured recently in your core area, and you didn't receive any software updates," Abby noted out loud as if she could find the answer hanging in the air. "and you weren't doing a single common activity before each glitch. This doesn't add up. There has to be something we're missing."
"I agree." Connor took another deep breath and lightly rested his hand over his stomach now that the pain had ceased. "However, I can't theorize the next correct course of action."
"You need to be monitored so we can figure out what's going on."
"I need to stay here?"
"It's the only-"
"No." Connor sat upright on the table and Lucas had to put his hand to the distressed deviant's shoulder to hold him in place. "I don't want to stay here."
"Connor, you're ill." Lucas reminded him softly and sympathetically. "You have to stay here."
"No! I don't want to stay here."
"Please. Now's NOT the time to be stubborn."
"I'm NOT staying here."
"Give me one good reason as to why."
"I told you before, these places remind me of CyberLife!" Connor sounded absolutely terrified as he blurted the answer defensively. "Every time I leave a facility I feel horrible and my nightmares... They come back. The longer I'm in a facility the worse the nightmares become. I don't want to be afraid to close my eyes."
"Why didn't you say something about the nightmares before?"
"...Because there are times where I will need technical assistance, and being worried about nightmares is foolish. It's an inevitability that I must return here for basic maintenance." Connor ran his hand through his unruly hair nervously. "And there's nothing that can change my dreams, so why mention a problem that cannot be solved?"
In a moment of frustration Lucas wanted to smack his brother upside the head but he restrained himself as he realized Connor was just scared. "Why do you think ignoring problems will somehow make them go away?"
That time Connor didn't have an answer.
Abby patted Connor's shoulder once as she offered up a possible solution to the deviant's distress. "How about I lend you a portable monitor keep track of your vitals while you return home to rest? Keep it hooked up to your system for the next seventy-two hours and I'll be able to remotely record your vitals before, during and after the glitch happens."
Connor looked over at Abby with an appreciative glance as he nodded in agreement. "...That will suffice, thank you."
"Great. We have a game-plan." Abby smiled kindly as she walked over to a metal storage cabinet at the rear of the exam room to retrieve the monitor as promised. Fortunately, the device was lightweight and didn't affect her in her condition. "It'll just take a minute to calibrate the monitor and set it up to record for the next three days."
Lucas did his best to not sound angry, but it was evident that the situation had left him feeling rather peeved. "I thought that you were no longer going to keep it a secret whenever you were ill or damaged."
"...I'm not attempting to deceive you or lie. Sometimes I just prefer to keep some things private."
"Which is fine, unless you're really ill or damaged. Otherwise, it's dangerous."
"...I didn't know that this glitch was going to be such a problem. I'm sorry for upsetting you."
"Stop- Don't apologize for being ill. It's not your fault." Lucas's voice was tense enough to undeniably indicate his anger. "Just don't keep secrets from me. That's all I ask of you, brother."
Unable to say anything more Connor lowered his gaze guiltily and stared at the floor with a sense of shame shining in his brown irises. Not saying a word, even after Abby returned to the exam table with the monitor, Connor just obeyed the instructions without protest.
"Lay back for me." Abby requested as she held up the monitor for the two deviants to see. It was flat rectangular glass screen about the size of a sheet of notebook paper. "This is a newer model of Thirial activity monitors. It's thinner, lighter and more accurate than our previous models. The only flaw is it doesn't support any form electronic impulses or defibrillator to aid an android if their Thirium pump fails on them."
Expectedly Lucas didn't like the sound of that. "Do you suspect that he's in danger of his pump failing?"
"No, not at all. His heartbeat is strong, and I didn't hear any faltering. And like I said, this monitor does NOT have that special function, so he's safe." Abby reassured as she rubbed her palm alongside her belly. "If I was worried about that I wouldn't let him leave the facility at all."
"That's good to know."
"Okay, Connor." Casually Abby lifted up his black t-shirt to expose his chest and abdomen. "I'm going to attach four wired sensor pads to your chest; one over your Thirium pump, two over your ventilation biocomponents and the fourth is going to rest over your thermal regulator for good measure."
Connor patiently waited for Abby to apply the four sensor pads accordingly; one in the center of his chest, two on his upper chest and the fourth in the middle of his abdomen above his aesthetic naval, before she pulled his shirt back down. As soon as the sensors were secured in place Abby turned on the monitor and Connor's pump rate, Thirium volume/Thirium pressure, his ventilation rate and core temperature appeared on the display.
"This will record every little fluctuation in your vitals that we otherwise may be unable to detect either through a direct exam or your own self diagnostic program." The confident technician explained everything as she handed the monitor to Connor to take in his own hands. "Come back in three days. Even if the glitch does resolve itself in that time I want to give you an examination and try to figure out what happened."
Connor accepted the monitor and let out a weary sigh as he sat up just long enough to slip his legs over the edge of the exam table. Tucking the monitor under his arm, mindful to not pull on the wires connecting the sensor pads to his chest in the process, he put his feet on the floor and stood up slowly. Walking with a stilted, almost shamed gait to the door of the exam room quietly and tiredly, Connor took his leave of the facility.
"Thank you, Abby." Lucas bid the kind technician farewell for the night as he followed after Connor. "We'll see you in three days." Hastening his pace Lucas easily caught up to Connor in the parking lot outside the facility. "I know it's difficult but try not to worry."
Without a word Connor began walking down the sidewalk and back to the brownstone.
Accompanying his brother back to their shared home Lucas tried to gauge how his brother was feeling. "Are going to be all right?"
Remaining quiet Connor nodded a little as he watched his own vital signs on the monitor's display.
"Okay, I understand. I'll stay at the brownstone until this is over if you want me to do so."
Connor stayed silent with his eyes still transfixed on the monitor in his hand. The sight of his own heart beating on the glass display was as hypnotic as it was surreal. Every beat seemed normal, strong and healthy. Yet deep down inside Connor knew there was something very abnormal happening to his system.
"Okay." Lucas relented in the discussion and just focused on heading for home and letting Connor get some more rest. "We'll figure it out tomorrow."
Hardly able to sleep or even come close to sleeping, Connor just laid on his bed with his eyes closed and hands folded neatly over his abdomen as he ran one self diagnostic after another in an attempt to isolate and figure out the cause of the sporadic and very painful glitch that was plaguing his system. The pain hadn't returned since he and Lucas had returned to the brownstone during the early morning hours, but that didn't make it any less tense for the ailing deviant as he knew at any moment that searing, almost unbearable pain could resurface without any known cause or preemptive warning.
The monitor was propped up against the lamp on the nightstand beside Connor's bed, his vitals being recorded constantly, and every fluctuation was being chronicled for study later on. The wired sensor pads connecting the monitor to Connor's chest hung off toward the left side of his chest and dangled over the air between the bed and the nightstand.
Bruno was protectively laying on the foot of Connor's bed as he kept Connor company with just his friendly, calming presence. Keen on his guardian's distress the loyal K-9 unit refused to leave Connor's side the moment the deviant stumbled through the front door with Lucas right behind him.
Relying on his technician's training to help see Connor through his unusual predicament Lucas made a habit of checking in on his brother every hour to ensure that he was still okay. Before he took off for his shift at the tower he knocked at the opened door and stepped into Connor's bedroom to speak to the ill deviant casually one more time. "I'll return before six o'clock this evening."
Tiredly Connor's eyes opened slowly, and he vaguely turned his gaze to look at Lucas. Indifferent and annoyed he unwrapped his previously wounded left hand from beneath the gauze bandages as the appendage had fully healed from the nail injury the afternoon before. Flexing his hand a few times Connor showed the healed wound to Lucas and then rested his palm atop his abdomen again.
"Do you want me to call off my shift again?" Lucas looked absolutely exhausted but was too stubborn to admit it. "It wouldn't be a problem."
Shaking his head a little Connor turned away and stared at the ceiling above him. "...That won't be necessary."
"Necessary or not, do you want me to stay?"
"...No."
Lucas was almost insulted by Connor's refusal to ask him to stay behind. Connor hated being alone, and with him being sick with a strange and painful condition the protective deviant really didn't want to leave him alone for too long at all. However, Lucas didn't need to be a detective to know that Connor was just frustrated with himself and with other people constantly hovering over him.
"Okay, then. I'll be back at the usual time this evening. Contact me if you need anything."
Connor didn't reply as he closed his eyes and tried to get some more sleep.
"I'll see you later, brother."
Tiredly Connor listened to the sound of Lucas walking down the staircase, stepping through the study and of the front door opening then shutting in sequence. As silence fell over the brownstone Connor found himself completely engulfed in burning pain as the glitch once more made its presence known.
"DAMN IT!"
Connor swore loudly as he wrapped his arms around his chest and his stomach, and he breathed through the pain as it tore through his body.
"No more!"
Sadly, Bruno whimpered and watched as Connor endured the extreme pain. 'Connor still needs help.'
"I-It's okay."
Connor managed to gasp as the painful fit mercifully didn't last as long as the previous glitching bout. Immediately he regretted not asking Lucas to stay home with him as he felt much weaker and sicker than he had before simply because of the extreme pain.
"...G-Good boy, Bruno."
Turning to look at the monitor Connor noted his spiked vital signs as he responded to the intense pain and ran another self diagnostic.
Still nothing.
Frustrated Connor pressed both of his hands over his face as he breathed heavily and tried to steel his nerves. The night of the Revolution, all of the cases he dealt with as a detective and every injury he sustained during his time working to protect Detroit, was nothing compared to the concentrated internal pain he had been enduring for the past thirty-three hours.
Rolling onto his side Connor stared at the monitor until his eyes eventually drifted shut from exhaustion and he finally fell into a light rest mode.
Four hours passed without any further incident, and everything was peaceful during that time, but some things just weren't meant to last. As much as he just wanted to lay back down and sleep Connor swung his legs over the edge of the bed and the motion caused the wires connected to the monitor to tug, jerking said monitor off the nightstand and onto the bed beside Connor. With a begrudging sigh Connor picked up the monitor and carried it with him as he walked out of the bedroom, down the downstairs and into the kitchen.
As soon as the door to the pantry was opened Bruno sat beside his bowl but kept his eyes on Connor the entire time. With his fresh Thirium ready to be lapped up Bruno lowered his eyes from Connor and didn't pay any attention as Connor stared at the wall of the kitchen that would hold the new door to connect the garage to the rest of the brownstone.
"I wish I could've finished building the door frame."
Connor muttered as he thought about his incomplete project with a sense of yearning. A knock at the front door caught Connor's attention and caused him to turn around to face the direction of the study curiously.
"A visitor? Probably Abby or Simon coming to check on me."
Despite his usual reluctance to be alone for too long Connor didn't want to deal with another examination or a bunch of unhelpful questions. Approaching the front door after trudging through the kitchen Connor pulled it open the door and was greeted by a familiar face, but not the one he was expecting.
"Josh? Hello."
"Hi, Connor." Josh replied warmly at him as he greeted the deviant detective with a kind voice. "Can I come in?"
"Y-Yes. Come in." Stepping aside Connor waited for Josh to enter before he closed the door behind himself. "Lucas is not here at the moment. It'll be another six hours before he returns, but you may wait here all the same."
"I know that Lucas is already at the tower, and I know you're sick."
It was then Connor realized why Josh was at the house. "...I appreciate the gesture, but I assure you that I'm capable of taking care of myself despite my glitch."
Josh kept his smile as he continued to speak with Connor. "That doesn't mean we're not going to be worried about you."
"'We'?"
"Yes, all of us leaders are worried. No one wants to see you sick or hurt."
Connor hadn't considered the fact that Josh could've checked in on him solely because he wanted to do so without any prompts from Lucas or Markus. It was reassuring to know that he had another ally, and he suddenly felt a little guilty for simply assuming that Josh was doing Lucas or Markus a favor. "...Thank you. That's very kind of you."
"How do you feel?"
"Right now, I feel as though I'm running at optimal parameters, although I am also feeling exhausted. It's a strange combination."
Josh quickly noticed the monitor tucked under Connor's arm and he looked genuinely concerned at the sight. "Are you sure you don't want to be in a facility with a technician watching over you?" Motioning toward the monitor he gave Connor a worried glance. "That seems pretty serious."
"Yes." Tucking the monitor up a little higher under his arm Connor did his best to ignore his vitals on display. "I'm certain."
"Do you need anything? Anything at all." Just as Lucas was following his instincts regarding Connor's health, Josh found himself falling back into the protective mode he once displayed before the incident at the tower turned him into an outcast. "I'm happy to help, and I don't think you should be left alone if you're so sick."
"No, but thank you. I'm all right." Connor looked to the kitchen as Bruno trotted back inside the study. "And Bruno is keeping me company."
"There's no shame in admitting you need help from time to time. Everyone needs help sometimes, even us. I've learned that the hard way."
"Yes, I'm aware. But I don't-" Mid sentence Connor suddenly fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his chest and stomach once more as the unexplainable glitch struck the deviant without warning. Dropping the monitor on the floor beside him Connor could only wheeze and mutter to himself as physical distress plagued his body. Groaning in pain Connor pressed his forehead down against the cool, hardwood floor as he was forced to endure yet another bout from the glitch and could only wait for it to pass. "...Shit."
"Connor." Josh knelt on the floor beside him as she tried to help the suddenly stricken deviant while Bruno circled around nervously. "It's okay. I'm with you."
"...It hurts." Connor almost gasped as he fought to breathe through the agony that left his chest and stomach feeling so constricted it was like he was being crushed in a vice. "...I just want it to stop!"
"I know you do." Josh stayed with Connor as he endured the pain, his eyes watching the monitor on the floor very closely. He knew enough about android physiology and behavior to recognize dangerous vital signs, and fortunately Connor wasn't entering critical levels. The only thing that caught Josh's eye was his rising core temperature seemingly in response to the pain Connor was suffering. "It'll be over soon." Josh soothed kindly as he gauged how hot he was beginning to run from his rising stress levels. "I won't leave you alone."
Slowly Connor managed to push himself up onto his knees as the pain subsided and he was able to take in a full breath.
Lightly Josh pressed the back of his hand against the side of Connor's neck and held it there for a moment. "You're overheating."
"...I-It's from the pain."
"You should go lay down." With a gentle pull of Connor's arm Josh encouraged the stricken deviant to take it easy while helping him to get back up to his feet. Josh also picked up the monitor and carried it on Connor's behalf as the weakened deviant stumbled forward a few steps toward the sofa. "You need to rest."
"...I'll be okay now." Connor tried to ease Josh's mind, but he was insistent on helping Connor. "I can make it on my own."
"I know you can, but I want to keep an eye on you."
Although he didn't say anything Connor was grateful that Josh was with him while he endured his unknown illness, especially since Lucas was at the tower and wouldn't be home for another six hours.
"Lay down." Josh encouraged as he guided Connor over to the furniture to rest. Setting the monitor down on the coffee table beside the sofa he watched as Connor laid on his back slowly and draped his arm over his stomach where the origin of enigmatic pain resided. "I'll be right back."
Staying put Connor listened carefully to the brownstone as Josh walked up the staircase and into the second floor bathroom. During his absence Bruno walked over to the sofa with his tail wagging slowly as he looked to the resting deviant. The staircase 'creaked' slightly as Josh returned to the study and pressed a cold, damp washcloth to Connor's forehead.
"I don't want you to overheat for too long. I hope you don't mind."
"It's okay." Connor consented with a tired voice as Josh smoothed the compress out over his forehead lightly before he sat down on the second sofa. "This isn't the first time I've risked overheating."
"I learned enough from Simon to know that any prolonged overheating can spell disaster."
"Fair enough."
"Can I ask you something a little personal?"
"Yes. I don't mind."
"Are you mad at Lucas?"
Connor's bottom lip twitched a little as he contemplated the question. "...Lucas doesn't seem to respect my right to choose the best course of action for my own care. I dislike being admitted to facilities, he knows this, but he still argues with me about it."
"He's just being protective. You're very important to him."
"...That's not how it feels to me."
Josh was about to make a comment regarding Connor's relationship and overall health when the deviant suddenly seized upright in a violent jolt and let out another intense groan of pain as the glitch reared its ugly head once more. Connor quickly wrapped his arms around his chest and abdomen protectively as the washcloth fell from his forehead and onto his lap.
"...Sh-Shit!" Connor swore in abject frustration once more as the glitch returned to plague his system brutally. "Damn it."
Josh kept back and watched the monitor spiking in response to Connor's vitals drastically fluctuating due to the extreme pain and he paid close attention to the numbers. Most notably Connor's temperature rose to a critical degree in a very short amount of time. "It's okay. Just try to breathe."
"I hate this!" Connor nearly sobbed in pain as he finally caught his breath and his body relaxed. The glitch passed and his finally pain subsided allowing him to take in a deep breath. "I hate everything about this! I hate being broken and useless!" Falling back down against the sofa Connor pressed a hand to face and breathed in deeply as the pain let up and he tried to calm down. "I can't even fall into rest mode long enough to escape this horrendous pain!"
"Don't give up hope." Josh replaced the cool washcloth as he leaned over his distressed ally. "You won't be like this forever. I know you'll find out what's happening to you soon."
"...I wish I could believe that."
"Let me ask you something else." As a distraction tactic Josh redirected Connor's focus from his pain and to his brother. "When you first activated Lucas, did you know that he'd become your best friend and brother?"
"...No." Taking in a cleansing breath Connor looked at Josh and told him the truth. "Lucas was hesitant to leave the tower or associate with me."
"What changed that?"
"We got to know one another. We had been given adequate enough time to understand each other and to grow as individuals, and through that growth we became friends and adopted each other as brothers."
"So why do you think you won't find out what's happening to you unless you give yourself time to find the answer?"
"I'm sorry." Realizing his stubbornness and impatience were again proving to be problematic Connor calmed himself down with a deep breath. "I'm just... frustrated."
"You have every right to be frustrated. What's happening to you would be enough to scare anyone."
"It doesn't make it any easier to endure."
"No, I don't imagine it would. Now," he slowly began rubbing his hand along his chin in deep thought "what do you know is NOT responsible for your pain? I assume you've ruled out a failing biocomponent at this point."
"Yes. My biocomponents are functioning normally and my Thirium hasn't been contaminated."
"Software problems?"
"None. And I haven't had an adjustment to my hardware since..." Not wanting to mention Zhorra or what had happened to Lucas in the forest Connor changed his answer with a more logical and believable answer. "Since the day of the Revolution."
"Connor," by process of elimination Josh seemed to be narrowing down the cause of his pain with surprising ease. "your pain seems to be concentrated in your core, right?"
"Correct."
"And your self diagnostic hasn't found any abnormalities?"
"Correct as well." Sensing that Josh had a theory in mind Connor needed to ask what he was theorizing. "What are you thinking?"
"Call it a hunch, but I think the problem is with your Thirium lines connecting to your thermal regulator."
"My Thirium lines?" Arching his brow slightly Connor gave Josh an odd look. "How so?"
"The pain occurs only in your core despite none of your biocomponents malfunctioning and your core temperature spikes whenever you're in pain."
"...My self diagnostic program didn't detect an anomaly within my system." Following Josh's logic and the validity of the theory Connor tried to either confirm or deny Josh's current theory. "To identify the cause of my condition as a physical-" Connor gasped as his arm wrapped around his stomach while the glitch resumed its horrendous onslaught of crippling pain and Connor breathed through his clenched teeth. "...It's happening again."
"It's going to be okay." Josh reassured him calmly as he stayed close by. "Just breathe through it."
The stricken deviant endured the pain for as long as he could before he mercifully passed out from the agony that was searing his body. As his body went limp over the sofa Bruno pressed his paw over Connor's leg while Josh quickly took notice of the change in behavior.
"Connor?"
Utterly exhausted Connor had quickly passed out from the pain. Unresponsive to Josh's voice and barely moving save for his weak breaths Connor looked truly miserable.
"It's okay, I'll get you some help."
Reaching out cybernetically Josh contacted both Lucas and Simon at the tower to inform them of the current situation and his current theory on Connor's condition.
"When you wake up, you'll see that everyone is going to stay by you and help you get better."
After falling unconscious for nearly eight hours due to the extreme pain he had mercilessly endured, Connor awoke to a sensation of coolness pressing against his forehead and against the back of his neck. Opening his tired eyes he gazed about and found himself laying in a large bed in the recovery ward of the Zeta Facility with the artificial skin that should've been covering his abdomen fully receded away leaving the white plastimetal frame exposed. Pressing his hand over his exposed stomach Connor ran a self diagnostic and discovered that he had recently undergone emergency repairs and had no recorded memory for the past seven hours and forty-one minutes.
Lucas himself was standing beside the bed with his eyes closed. He looked as exhausted as Connor felt, but he wasn't going to leave his brother alone in the facility all night long.
"...Lucas?"
Lucas's green eyes snapped open and he cleared his throat upon hearing Connor's voice. "You're okay now. You're going to be just fine."
Sounding as confused as he was lethargic, the recovering deviant could only seem to state the obvious for the moment. "I'm in the Zeta Facility again."
"That's correct." Guilt filled his voice as he admitted that Connor had been brought back to the facility against his wishes. "I'm sorry, but you needed to be here."
"...Has the glitch been identified?"
"Yeah, and it turns Josh was right about it."
"My Thirium lines?"
Abby walked into the recovery room and caught the tail end of the conversation. "Thirium line #248, the descending right Thirial line that connects your Thirium pump to your thermal regulator, to be specific."
"Abby?" Connor recognized the technician and most of what she was saying, but he still needed answers about his glitch. "What was wrong with me?"
"The Thirium line had slipped from its original position in your abdominal cavity and had become wedged between your Thirium pump and your gyroscope. Whenever your gyroscope recalibrated your balance, it would compress the line causing an increase in your Thirium pressure and the intense pain as a direct result." Looking down at Connor's face as she stood beside the recovery bed Abby folded her arms over her chest and atop her belly as she explained everything calmly and professionally with every word. "We mistook the symptom of the pressure increase as a result of the pain rather than the cause of the pain."
"How did it slip out of place?"
"My guess is it was knocked loose when you had your motorcycle accident or when you were caught in the bomb detonation. Without a technician's observations the loosened line wasn't detected until it began to give you problems."
"The line itself wasn't damaged," Connor deduced logically as his eyes blinked slowly. "and that's why my self diagnostic couldn't identify the problem."
"Yup. A simple examination with the internal viewing screen showed us the problem within a matter of seconds. I'm sorry I didn't think to use it earlier, it would've saved you a lot of pain and trouble."
"...It's okay." Connor pressed his forefingers to his right temple and regenerated the artificial skin over his abdomen. "Did I suffer any complications during the repair procedure?"
"No. You're free to go whenever you're ready."
"Thank you." Connor looked around the room for any sign of Josh, but the concerned deviant wasn't there. "...Where is Josh?"
"He went back to the tower." Lucas replied sharply as he handed Connor his black t-shirt. "He wanted to inform Simon and Markus of your condition, and he didn't want to be away from his duties as a leader for too long."
"It's too bad I couldn't have thanked him before he left." Connor kept his hand pressed to his abdomen as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood upright carefully. Taking back the shirt he slipped it back on over his head and redressed himself smoothly. "He may have saved my life."
"Yes, I suspect that Josh's desire to check in on you may have resulted in a lifesaving procedure."
The now recovering deviant agreed as he ran another self diagnostic and found everything functioning normally. "I'll be sure to thank him at the tower so the other deviants know what he had done for me." Connor then nodded as he looked over to Abby. "Thank you as well, Abby."
"You're welcome. Now go home and sleep in your own bed." Rubbing her bump slowly she sighed and gave the two deviant brothers an exhausted glance. "I'm going to do the same in an hour."
Agreeing with the technician's suggestion Lucas motioned to the doorway of the recovery room with a casual point wave of his arm. "Let's go home, brother. We're both exhausted."
The following morning after everything had finally been settled Lucas walked down the staircase and wasn't at all surprised to see that Connor was already awake and going about his own routine through the brownstone. Bruno had been accompanying Connor as he went about his own business and proceeded to finish building the new door frame and the door he had started working before he suddenly became too ill to function. The rest of the large frame had been completed in what had to be record time, and now Connor was focusing on the surface of the wall itself to make room for the connecting door to allow access between the kitchen and the newly finished garage.
Stepping downstairs Hank walked down into the kitchen and admired his older brother's work. The swift improvement in Connor's health and his return to form with completing everything he set out to create.
"Nice work." Lucas sincerely complimented as he patted Bruno's hip. "I believe any hands-on projects would be an excellent hobby for you to adopt."
Connor glanced at Lucas over his shoulder briefly before he resumed his focus on his task. With the door now hung in place Connor tightened the hinges and tested the door to ensure it opened and closed properly. "...It's finished."
"Are you going to stain it or paint it?" Lucas asked about the handy work more closely. "I have some paint you can borrow if you'd like."
"Thanks, but I'll use a stain to ensure the door blends in more with the kitchen's overall aesthetic."
"Good call." Looking into the garage through the opened door Lucas stared at the still damaged motorcycle thoughtfully. "Ready to resume repairs on the motorcycle?"
"No. I have my own task at hand." Connor stated somewhat coldly as he resumed finishing his work on the deck. "And I need to take Bruno for a walk. He didn't get to have one yesterday."
"Want me to join you? I can make time for a walk before I return to the tower."
"No, it's all right." Connor patted the side of his leg as he entered the study to get the leash from beside the front door. The concentration on his face masked the bitterness in his normally soulful, compassionate brown eyes as he tried to avoid conversing with Hank entirely. "I can handle this."
"Of course." Feeling a little disappointed to be left out Lucas decided to give Connor some space. "I'll be sure to let the tower know that you're going to be just fine, and I'll make sure everyone knows that you and Josh have successfully mended fences."
As Lucas ascended the staircase to return to his bedroom Connor looked toward his brother and let out a weary sigh. He hated himself for being so cold and so distant from Lucas, but there was something inside of him telling him that he needed to be angry; that he had the right to be angry. While everything Lucas did was to save Connor's life the deviant couldn't help but feel as though Lucas had betrayed his trust on some personal level.
The one thing Connor had asked Lucas to not do - take him to a facility - was the very thing Lucas had done while Connor was unconscious and helpless. While in the end it was the right course of action to take in saving Connor's life, it was also a blatant disregard of Connor's decisions. It was difficult to explain and even more difficult to understand.
Unsure of what to feel or how to behave, Connor just decided to keep to himself for a while. Cleaning up the tools and the remaining pieces that he had used in the construction of the door, Connor walked into the garage and eyed the horrible, mangled motorcycle with a strange resentment as he put everything away. It was like the vehicle's very presence was a reminder that some things, no matter how well you take care of them, can just break and stop functioning.
"Restoring an old and inferior model of a vehicle is an expensive waste of time. A fool's errand."
Connor muttered to himself as he exited the garage and crouched down in front of Bruno sitting beside the front door to gently rub the loyal dog's ears affectionately. Peering back at the garage over his shoulder he sighed sadly and bowed his head as he realized he saw himself reflected in the wrecked motorcycle.
Bruno whimpered and cybernetically spoke to Connor somberly. 'Connor sad?'
"...Yes, boy. I might be defective."
-next chapter-