DBH: Torn Alliances

by WayWardWonderer

A peaceful Revolution didn't guarantee a happy life for Connor or Hank after the battle. Scarred by the events he survived and of the betrayals he endured Connor struggles to find himself in the new world as his dark memories and nightmares seem to haunt him. With Hank's help Connor will learn what it means to be alive after he heals from his injuries and learns to trust others.

25. Infection

Ignoring the unwanted stares as he sat at his desk and focused on his current caseload Connor fought the urge to peel away the gauze bandage beneath his still sore left eye. The bruise had already faded entirely but the laceration beneath was still raw and partially opened. Unwilling to see a technician over seemingly something as insignificant as a little cut on his face Connor powered through the day while ignoring the mistrustful eyes of his fellow officers watching his every move. Even when the truth of his injury was brought to light through the report filed against his assailant the officers in the bullpen still seemed suspicious of Connor's presence as if doubting the claim despite the evidence and police reports to back up said claim.

Needing a moment to himself Connor quietly rose from his desk and proceeded to walk into the breakroom under the guise of getting Hank a cup of coffee and needing to replenish his Thirium with the small available supply in the cabinet over the coffee maker. Purposely keeping his left eye away from anyone's line of sight Connor proceeded to fix Hank an appropriately sweetened cup of coffee while he downed a small pouch of Thirium to top off his reserves.

From behind his own desk Hank shook his head as he fought back the urge to bark at the nosy officers to mind their own business and focus on their work. Doing so would've done more harm than good as the outburst would've brought further unwanted attention toward Connor's person, and that was the last thing that the deviant needed to endure.

"The dick who attacked Connor was charged with everything we could throw at him." Captain Fowler updated Hank on the assault in a low voice as he discreetly put a tablet down on Hank's desk to view for himself. "The asshole has a history of being a loudmouthed and aggressive person from his neighbors and coworkers. His ex-girlfriend confirmed everything."

"How long is he going to prison?"

"Fifteen years without the possibility of parole."

"That's the minimum sentence for hitting a cop." Peering over the details on the tablet screen Hank was less than impressed with the somewhat lenient punishment the man received. "What about the other shit he did?"

"It's not March 1st and our precinct didn't handle the case to avoid a perceived bias."

"Bullshit!" The loud remark hushed the busy bullpen for only a moment before the usual hectic ambience resumed. "That's a piss-poor excuse for letting a guy get away with assaulting a deviant."

"I agree, but it's out of our hands. The case has been handled and the guy is gong to be charged accordingly." Raising his own hands somewhat dismissively Captain Fowler backed away to return to his private office. "It's better than nothing. Before the Revolution the prick would've been charge with disturbing the peace and damage to private property, not assault."

"That's no excuse for the other precinct droppin' the ball on this!"

"Nothing we can do about it, Hank. Just move on."

"Yeah, just move on..." Grumbling under his breath as Captain Fowler disappeared into his office and Connor returned to their connected desks Hank slid the tablet over for Connor to see. "It's not much but the asshole who attacked you yesterday got fifteen years in prison."

Putting the refilled coffee mug down on Hank's side of the desk Connor glanced over the tablet and cybernetically uploaded the information on the case without blinking an eye. The details weren't as positive as he had been anticipating and that disappointment was clear on Connor's face as he sat behind his terminal screen with a slowly cycling yellow L.E.D. in his right temple.

"Hey, it'll get better kid." The somber gleam in Connor's soulful brown eyes made Hank's paternal side reveal itself yet again. "A few more days and then any asshole who tries that shit on any deviant will get their asses handed to them just as they deserve."

Resuming his search into his currently active case Connor didn't say anything about the light sentence against his attacker, and pulled his coin from his gray vest's right pocket to dance it rhythmically over his right knuckles to keep himself content as he worked. Occasionally his eye would go to the little bonsai tree on the corner of his desk. He had been slowly nursing back to health after being neglected by Hank for so long, but ultimately he was more focused on his case over the small tree steadily returning to life and taking on a healthier green hue.

Changing the subject at hand Hank picked up the provided coffee and took a small sip knowing it'd be far more bitter than he usually liked. Grimacing at the foul taste Hank forced himself to finish the sip and then focused on the case as well. "...Thanks for the coffee." The silence was annoying but Hank wasn't going to take it personally. Everyone had bad days. "What about this case? Find anything of interest?"

"Negative."

The rather machine-esque reply confirmed that Connor was feeling less than equal among his human peers thanks to the punishment his attacker received strictly because the victim is a deviant android; not a 'real' person. "Can you give me the details? I mean," trying to remind Connor that he was in fact important and does matter Hank openly admitted that he didn't fully understand what he was reading. "I don't know much about android anatomy, let alone health. What's up with this string of deviants coughing up blood and overheating around the city?"

"...The affected androids have all been admitted to various facilities throughout Detroit with signs of internal corrosion to their biocomponents and even Thirium lines. The victims began coughing up their own Thirium when the corrosion caused internal hemorrhaging, and the loss of Thirium caused the victims to begin overheating." The coin continued its graceful motions as Connor simplified the details for Hank to understand. "The cause is unknown. It's not a glitch or a bug causing such a reaction. The victims are all different models, designs and there is no singular core program to connect them all. The victims also reside in different locations throughout the city and don't associate with one another."

"What about some kind of sabotage? Like some punk slipping something into someone's drink at the bar."

"That's what we're going to be investigating as of this afternoon." Without looking away from his terminal Connor tried to remain focused on his work when a sudden unexpected cramp in his artificial stomach caught him off guard. As his yellow L.E.D. flashed to red the coin faltered a little and the deviant managed to catch it before it fell to the floor and placed it back into his vest pocket. "...Excuse me, please."

Before Hank could even ask why Connor was suddenly on his feet and leaving the bullpen at a hasty clip Ben walked up behind him and cleared his throat in a less than subtle manner. "So... Is Connor ever going to be anything but doom and gloom around here? Or is this mopey Connor going to be our norm'?"

Turning to face Ben as the seasoned detective stood beside him Hank laid it all out in the open. "You go through what he went through and let's see if you're singin' and dancin' in the streets."

"Sorry, Hank. Guess I just figured him being freed and granted rights would lift his mood a little."

"What good is having any rights if people are still going to disrespect you and assault you for no reason?"

"Yeah, I read the case file." Tilting his head a little Ben glanced around for Connor only to see the deviant had left the bullpen entirely. "It's a bad ruling, but there's nothing we can do. Hell, even if Connor waited until the 1st to press charges it wouldn't have changed anything since the assault happened before this special date in future history."

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore. It's done, it's over and there's nothing more that we can do about it."

"Doesn't mean either of you have to take it laying down. You know that."

"Yeah, and I also know my reputation isn't what it used to be. It doesn't hold much weight anymore after I let most of it get washed away by whiskey."

"Connor's got a pretty good reputation already as a sharp detective. Who knows?" Walking toward the breakroom Ben's voice carried a vague sing-songy inflection as he searched for the perfect doughnut amongst the other dozen in the opened box of sugary pastries on the countertop. "Maybe Connor can do things that the average detective simply can't!"

"Yeah... And maybe if I reach deep enough I can pull a rabbit out of my ass and become a magician."

"Hey, Lieutenant." Gavin's voice cut in through Hank's unflattering thoughts as approached the desk. The abrasive Sergeant looked annoyed as per usual but he was pointing to the small corridor leading away from the bullpen with his right thumb pointed over his shoulder from where he had come. "Your partner's yackin' up his guts in the bathroom."

Sitting up straighter in his seat Hank briefly looked at the direction Gavin was pointing before he resumed eye contact with the younger detective. "Connor's sick?"

"Fuck if I know. I was just taking a piss when he stumbled in, let himself into a stall and started pukin' or something."

"You didn't check on him?"

"Why would I?" Scoffing at the idea as he held his arms out at his sides almost dramatically Gavin walked back to his own desk without a second thought about the ill deviant. "He's YOUR partner, not MY responsibility."

"Fuckin' prick..." Getting up from his seat behind his terminal screen Hank made his way to the men's bathroom to check on his partner. "The kid only hauled your ass to the hospital when you almost keeled over from appendicitis, the least you could do was knock on a damn door and ask if he was okay."

The door to the bathroom slid open with a hiss that was immediately followed by the sound of Connor's coughing as he continued to be sick in the first stall of the somewhat private room. The smell of cheap soap and potent cleansers offended Hank's nostrils as he stepped over to the only closed door in the line of stalls to make sure his partner didn't need to see a technician.

Knocking twice on the closed door Hank waited a few seconds through the silence before speaking up. "Connor?"

"...F-Fine." The shaking lie was accompanied by a disgusted spit as Connor tried to rid the sickness from his mouth.

"I'm coming in." Pulling the door open Hank looked down at Connor as he knelt in front of the toilet with his back tightening up in a painful arch as he threw-up a gush of dark blue Thirium into the basin. The sight of Connor throwing-up his own blood made Hank's own blood turn cold. "Oh, shit..." Wrapping his left palm around Connor's forehead to check for a fever Hank put his right palm down in the middle of Connor's tense back in a comforting manner. "Are ya' infected with that shit that's taking down the other deviants?"

"N-No..." Spitting the lingering blood from his mouth for the final time Connor reached his shaking right hand up to the back of the toilet to flush away his sickness from sight before he even tried to stand up on his visibly shaking legs. "...Expired Thirium."

"Expired?" Moving his hands to Connor's shoulders Hank guided the ill deviant out of the stall and over to the sink to clean himself up a little before returning to the bullpen, or better yet, heading up to the dispensary. "Expired how?"

Leaning over the white sink with both hands supporting his weight Connor closed his eyes and heard the water turn on after Hank waved his own hand under the motion sensor on the deviant's behalf. "...Old. The chemical composition began to... break down. My system recognize the expired Thirium before it..." Pressing his left palm over his still aching stomach Connor trailed off for only a moment. "It didn't cycle into my biocomponents. My emergency expulsion program removed the expired Thirium from my body... before it did any harm."

"That's good to know. Also glad you knew to rush into the bathroom to be sick." Pulling down a white paper towel from the nearby dispenser Hank dipped it under the running warm water and gently lifted up Connor's right hand to take the towel for himself . Watching as Connor used the damp paper towel to clean off his mouth and chin Hank stared at the red L.E.D. glowing in the deviant's right temple warily. "When you feel like you can walk again I'm taking you up to see Joe for a minute."

"No, I don't want to go up there."

"You were just violently sick, kid. You should get checked out to make sure all that stuff is really out of your system."

"I'm fine."

"If our roles were reversed and I ended up throwing up my own blood in the bathroom," holding up his left hand to silence Connor before he had the chance to protest the hypothetical question Hank continued on. "would you just let me wipe my chin and go back to work like nothing happened?"

"...Humans expelling blood is far more serious than a deviant utilizing the emergency expulsion program."

"Why? Because we can't just drink what we lost and go about our way? Or because you still think your needs aren't important?" The way Connor's shoulders slumped with defeat told Hank that he hit the nail on the head. "Uh-huh. You either go up and see Joel or I drag you to the nearest facility for a check-up."

Tossing the damp towel, now stained pale blue thanks to his own blood, into the trashcan Connor gave the senior detective a pathetic gaze before silently agreeing to go up to the dispensary.

"Let's go." Motioning with his right hand toward the bathroom door Hank walked a pace behind Connor in case the deviant became ill again or collapsed. "We can say we were having a discussion with Joel about our case so people don't spread stupid rumors like we're in high school or something. Maybe he'll take care of your cut, too."

---

New Jericho Tower had to deal with their own share of ill deviants who were suffering from the odd cases of internal biocomponent corrosion. One of the sick deviants was Josh, and Simon was doing everything he could to take care of his ailing dear friend without overlooking his other responsibilities to the other equally sick deviants in the tower. Keeping Josh attached to a Thirial activity monitor and a steady flow of fresh Thirium through an external air intake line down his throat Simon was doing everything in his ability to keep the deviant stable until answers and eventual cure could be found.

The emergency repair bay was full of sick deviants. Everyone who had skills in technical repairs were volunteering their time to help their fellow deviants during their lingering illnesses and subsequent painfully slow recoveries.

Thirium was running low and the somewhat rare Thiricetomal was proving useless at the moment in aiding the affected deviants' discomfort.

"Simon?" North was tending to critically ill female former 'Traci' across from the bed where Josh was laying and could see that her condition was deteriorating quickly. "Tiffany is reaching a critical core temperature."

"Damn." Leaving Josh's bedside as the ill deviant rested as much as possible Simon checked on Tiffany by pressing his exposed left fingertips to her right temple where her L.E.D. had once resided, and checked her vitals. "Thirium volume is down to seventy-eight percent. She needs another unit."

"I'll get it."

Determined to keep his people alive and healthy Simon kept close track of Tiffany's vitals until North returned with the Thirium from their dwindling supplies in their storage room.

While a majority of the deviants were dangerously ill there had fortunately been no fatalities.

Yet.

"We're down to only two-hundred and six units of Thirium." Making an update on their current inventory North handed over the Thirium pouch for Simon to take and connect to an external line down Tiffany's throat. "When's the next shipment due?"

Shaking his head warily Simon hung up the Thirium pouch as he confirmed their next impending of Thirium. "Twelve days."

"I don't think they can wait that long. We're down from five-hundred pouches of Thirium to two-hundred and six in less than two days."

"I know. It's hard to keep our supplies evenly distributed when our own people are losing Thirium and burning through their biocomponents faster than we can repair them." Checking on the Thirium's flow as it ran down the line and into Tiffany's throat Simon was satisfied she was stable before returning to Josh's bed to watch over his sick friend. "I can't imagine losing our people to something as pointless as... whatever this is!"

North shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest as she gave Simon a cold hard stare. "Funny..."

"'Funny'?" Turning to face North as she stayed beside Tiffany's bed, her bedside manner showing more and more as her sympathetic and empathetic nature toward fellow 'Tracis' pulled on her heartstrings, Simon gave the normally closed off deviant an aggravated leer as his lip curled with anger. "What's so funny about this? Our people are suffering and dying."

"It's funny that you only seem to care about deviants suffering or dying when it's in large numbers."

"What are you talking about?"

"The night at the church."

Softening his expression Simon remembered that fateful night and knew what - better yet who, she was talking about.

"When our people die en masse it's a problem." North stated as if it were a harsh truth that no one would dare admit. "But when only one deviant dies then it's just a tough decision that had to be made. Right?"

"You make it sound like his death didn't affect anyone."

"From where I'm standing, from what I've heard, from what I've seen and from what I've been a part of, I think that's an accurate statement. We're in the middle of a crisis," taking a stand for her own beliefs and feelings North raised her voice and told her ally what she truly wanted to say. "and yet you're here in the tower using scraps and barely holding the tower together instead of asking the only deviant in all of Detroit who might be able to give us answers on this strange situation you're acting like he doesn't even exist."

"He doesn't want anything to do with us. He walked away."

"Would you hold out your hand and ask your killer or your killer's allies to be your friends? Better yet," taking a step away from Simon to head toward the doorway of the repair bay it was clear North was going to get out of the room before she lost her cool and said something she couldn't take back. "would you be willing to trust them? I know I wouldn't."

Unable to leave the emergency repair bay to chase after North even if he wanted to continue the argument Simon could only sigh to himself and give Markus a cybernetic update on the situation while the deviant leader resided to himself in the tower's private office to seek information of his own. Excluding the little debate with North and her comments Simon let Markus know he was still working to help their people and he wasn't going to give up searching for a cure.

"We'll figure this out on our own, Josh." Discreetly Simon wrapped his hand around Josh's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I won't lose you the same way Markus lost North."

---

Courtesy of the unknown cause of various deviants becoming dangerously ill and suffering from internal corrosion Joel ended up giving Connor a full physical against the deviant's will. Sitting on the exam table with his gray blazer now in Hank's protection, his gray vest unbuttoned, his white dress shirt beneath unbuttoned and his black tie flipped over his right shoulder out of the way Connor patiently waited for Joel to finish attaching the wireless leads to his chest to view his Thirium pump and ventilation biocomponent functionality on the synced up Thirial activity monitor beside him. Barely reacting to Joel rolling up his left sleeve to wrap a Thirium pressure cuff around his bicep Connor just remained silent and waited for the technician to finish his task.

Unfazed by the sight of a younger detective getting an impromptu exam while on the clock Hank just leaned up against the wall and watched as the laidback technician went about his routine with a completely calm and collected exterior.

As per usual the dispensary was in flawless condition, sterilized to its fullest extent in the event of an emergency procedure and smelled of various cleaners that reminded Hank of a hospital's waiting room.

"Your vitals are all well within optimal parameters, Connor." Noting the readings on the monitor Joel reached into the left pocket of his white lab coat over his teal scrubs and pulled out his audioscope to put the earbuds into place before pressing the metal bell against Connor's bare chest. Listening to the Thirium pump and ventilation biocomponents; the deviant's heart and lungs, Joel then move the bell down a little lower over Connor's artificial stomach to listen for any sign of spasms or distress after the emergency expulsion program initiated. "Everything sounds normal."

The moment Joel backed off Connor began peeling the wireless leads from his chest with his fingertips like an anxious tic. "May I resume my shift, please?"

"After you top off your Thirium." Giving the deviant his permission Joel updated Connor's file and pocketed his audioscope in the process. "You're down to eighty-three percent, and eighty-five percent is when you're supposed to seek a replenishment."

Hearing that particular detail made Hank's blue eyes light up for a moment. "Good to know for future reference, huh, kid?"

"...Yes. I suppose it is beneficial for you to be aware of such a detail." Removing the sensors one at a time Connor freed his chest of the annoying white dots that glowed with a faint blue to confirm the synchronized connection to the monitor, and rebuttoned his shirt and vest. "As I stated, I merely ingested expired Thirium and my system fortunately detected it in time to remove it from my body."

Joel watched as Connor straightened his tie beneath his vest and slid off the table to be on his way. "Where'd you get the expired Thirium anyway?"

"In the breakroom."

"Wait, the precinct's breakroom has expired Thirium?"

"Apparently so."

"Damn it. I told Captain Fowler he needs to let me have an intern or two so I can keep on top of that stuff. I'm sorry, Connor."

"It's not your fault." Slipping on his blazer Connor refused to hold an unnecessary grudge against the technician for an incident he wasn't even a part of. "I should have scanned the Thirium before I ingested it."

"You shouldn't HAVE to do that at all. There shouldn't be any expired Thirium anywhere in the building." The laidback demeanor seemed to disappear for a moment as Joel walked over to his desk and proceeded to write a detailed message to Captain Fowler about the incident. "I'll have the precinct's supply double-checked and restocked. Until then," looking at the deviant over the top of his laptop Joel sighed with self disappointment. "Rely on your own personal stock or pick up something fresh on your break. Also, pick up some liquid Thiriceptic for your cut to help it feel faster."

Connor pressed his left fingertips to the bandage still cover his laceration and ran a self diagnostic. "I cannot find any error on my part to explain why my self healing program as failed to remedy this current damage."

"The glitch with your skin regeneration program is stunting your self healing program's ability to heal your artificial skin at the moment. The Thiriceptic will keep it clean without the sting of incrassation compound. Hell, you might even pick up some Thiricetamol while you're at it."

The unusual terms were beginning to make Hank's head hurt. "Pick up some what? It sounds like you're casting spells over their for fuck sake..."

"'Theery-set-a-mall'." Joel broke it down more easily for Hank to understand. "It's a combination of Thirium and paracetamol." Resuming his laidback demeanor Joel explained the new product and shrugged his shoulders dismissively. "Paracetamol is Tylenol for us humans, and Thiricetamol is supposed to be Tylenol for androids. It's still experimental and came from the U.K. just two weeks ago."

"Experimental?"

"Very few deviants want to try it since pain and sickness are new feelings for them, and the idea of possible side effects make it less appealing. It's only going to be on the market for the month and then pulled off the shelves for further analysis. If androids like it then it'll be returned for purchase at the proper android stores, if not then it'll be reworked until they get the formula right."

"Sure, yeah. Makes perfect sense." Noting the time on his phone Hank tilted his head a little to the side and gave Connor a stern look. "Well, it's about time for our lunchbreak. I'll grab something to eat and you can grab a fresh bottle of Thirium along the way."

"Very well." Agreeing to the suggestion Connor nodded at Joel to acknowledge him before leaving, and joined Hank at the elevator to return to the ground floor of the precinct to take their leave. "We can work on the case as well."

"Kid, what part of lunchbreak don't you understand?"

"I understand the concept perfectly." Entering the elevator along with two other officers Connor gave the senior detective a serious stare. "Unlike humans I'm capable of multitasking without becoming fatigued, and therefore find the prospect of working on the case during our break to be logical and productive."

Crossing his arms over his chest Hank let out a weary breath and looked up at the ceiling for a moment as the elevator began its descent. "Fuckin' show-off..."

---

Standing before the window of her private quarters North looked out at the thawing bay and watched the waves gently lapping against the sandy shore far below. The waves left behind smooth sand and stones as it removed bits of old leaves and litter that had fallen into the bay over the winter and spring. From the distance North imagined what the soft sand would feel like under her bare feet as the waves washed over her; washed away the horrible filth she still felt on her skin in the aftermath of her bloody escape from the 'Eden Club' and in the smoky outcome of the Revolution.

The new spring brought up a sense of new life and energy that could be felt even through the glass barrier before her. With that new life came the chance to make amends for past mistakes and have a new beginning to the life that was currently existing all around her.

"This tower is both a sanctuary and a prison..."

Closing her cinnamon brown eyes North pressed her right palm to the window and leaned against the cool glass as she sorted through her thoughts and feelings from the very depth of her heart.

"I may be safe here, but I'm also trapped."

As she spoke out loud a flock of red winged blackbirds flew by the window as the small migratory birds returned to Detroit to build their nests and seek out mates to start the cycle of life anew for themselves.

"Now that I'm free I'm going to find what it takes for me to truly embrace that freedom and make things right..."

---

The few CyberLife stores that were left standing in the wake of the Revolution and the company's bankruptcy had been purchased and converted into more android friendly stores to give deviants the freedom to purchase their own Thirium, software upgrades and replacement limbs and biocomponents on their own time and for their own reasons. The stores were being run by freed deviants who were originally purposed as technicians or lab assistants to humans working in android creation, and with that type of reliability; along with the cooperation of the newly founded facilities all throughout Detroit, the stores were flourishing and the deviants were staying healthy.

Stopping by the closest store to the precinct Connor located the large supply of Thirium containers near the rear of the store and selected a small pouch to purchase in favor of a larger bottle, and proceeded to make his purchase through a cybernetic transaction with the deviant operating the front register. It was all he needed and was ready to return to the car, but he needed to wait on his partner instead.

Curious about the store since the Thirium he had picked up for Connor had been found through luck, donations or online deliveries, Hank wandered down the aisles and stared at each item blankly. The large metal boxes all labeled under android models with the description of the biocomponent contained within seemed typical and like something he'd see in any store. But the aisle containing replacement ocular units; eyeballs, made Hank jump and back out of the aisle very slowly.

"Something wrong, Hank?" Noticing the way the senior detective reacted to the aisle had pulled in Connor's curiosity.

"No, nothing." Waving off his reaction Hank turned to give the deviant his full attention. "I'm just not used to looking at shit on the shelves and having it look back at me. Ya' got what ya' need?"

"Yes." The pouch of newly purchased Thirium was in his left hand at his side while his right hand rested over his sore stomach.

"And what about that other 'hocus-pocus' stuff Joel mentioned?"

The term 'hocus-pocus' was unfamiliar and made Connor's blue L.E.D. cycle in yellow twice as he cybernetically downloaded the correct information to understand that particular description. "...Oh, I understand now. It's unnecessary at the moment."

"Lesson number one in being an adult human, Connor: ALWAYS stock up BEFORE you need the supplies." Looking down the second aisle to the eyeballs, then then the third, Hank was sure he found the right spot. "When cold and flu season is around the corner you always buy medicine, tissues, disinfectants and a bunch canned soup and jello in case you do you get sick. Trust me," grabbing a small metal box with 'Thiriceptic' on its side from the shelf Hank tossed it over to Connor who easily caught in his right hand. "you don't want to try to go shopping with a runny nose and a fever."

"That is a wise precaution."

"Glad you agree. Now... Where's that other shit?"

Motioning with both his eyes and his right hand Connor directed Hank to the correct location. "Behind you."

"Oh... Right." Grabbing the next metallic box Hank carried it on Connor's behalf and walked up to the register so Connor make his additional purchases. The cybernetic transaction was quick, painless and virtually silent. "Damn. When I was working at convenience store in high school I would've killed to have such easy customers at the check-out."

Without saying a word Connor's L.E.D. settled on yellow as he and Hank left the store to return to the car out in the parking lot. Waiting until he and Hank were inside the car and away from prying eyes and eavesdropping ears before giving the senior detective a little information on android cybernetic communications that humans could never experience. "...It's not silent."

Pausing for a moment as he pulled his seatbelt over his chest Hank tried to figure out what Connor was referring to. "You mean your transaction?"

"Correct."

"Well, I imagine it's not quiet in your head when you do your communication thing, but verbally-"

"It remains verbal even with a cybernetic connection." Putting his purchases on the dashboard ahead of himself Connor's entire demeanor took on a guarded and somewhat offended tone. "I hear what they really think about me while you remain unaware."

Freezing entirely Hank's paternal mode had been activated. "Did that guy behind the register insult or threaten you?"

"He... asked personal questions."

"Did you answer them?"

"No. My decisions are no one else's business but my own."

"Good." Turning over the engine of the car Hank felt how tense Connor had become and wanted to go back inside the store to throw a few punches at the deviant behind the counter. "Do you need a minute or are you okay to keep going?"

"I'm fine." Taking the pouch of Thirium from the dashboard Connor opened up the plastic container and began slowly replenishing his reserve without drinking too much at the time due to his recent emergency expulsion episode. Staying silent for a moment as Hank pulled the car out of the parking lot and back onto the street Connor finished the Thirium and placed the empty pouch down in the nearby cup holder to be disposed of later. "...He asked me why I wasn't seeking supplies from New Jericho, asked me if I had been assaulted by another deviant and asked if I was comfortable living life as a traitor."

"What the fuck does he care? Your life is none of his damn business."

"He knows about what happened to me the night of the Revolution. He... supports Markus's decision and sees me as a traitor masquerading as an ally to deviants by working as a detective alongside humans." The words sounded broken and lost as Connor spoke from his heart. "He accused me of such and said it was better for everyone at New Jericho for me to keep away."

"Asshole. You were murdered and he's saying you're in the wrong for not bowing down and kissing your killer's ass?"

"Apparently there is strife within New Jericho regarding the opinion on the matter of whether or not Markus did the right thing. I don't wish to perpetuate such a debate, but it seems regardless of my feelings and decisions the discussion will continue on with misinformation, lies and rumors."

"So it doesn't matter that the Revolution was a peaceful success? Your personal beef with Markus is what their focusing on right now?"

"It appears deviants are as guilty of gossip as humans." Pulling the metal box storage of the dashboard Connor looked at the Thiriceptic's shiny packaging and stared at his reflection looking back at him. The yellow L.E.D. in his right temple and bandage under his left eye made Connor look less like the previously infamous and now deceased 'Deviant Hunter', and more like a failed experiment. "We're all flawed in some way."

"Especially me, kid."

"You were a victim of terrible misfortune." It wasn't right to compare Hank's personal flaws to his own personal choices considering he had so much to live for and seemingly lost it all thanks to the cruelty and selfishness of other people. "You didn't make poor decision or let someone use you like a tool."

"Stop."

The demand seemingly had no context and left Connor seeking clarification. "...Stop what?"

"Stop acting like you did anything wrong. I know that you didn't have a choice in anything when you were a machine and now that you're a deviant you feel like you can't trust your choices because of what Markus chose to do." Driving to the 'Chicken Feed' food stand Hank parked the car along the street across from the small stand and turned off the engine. "You're Connor Wolf and you're a free man. You like to play guitar, you like dogs, you're a great cook, you're a gardener in the making AND you're one of the best damn detectives to ever enter the precinct. You're not a tool, you're not a victim and you're damn sure not going to let other deviants make you feel like you're in the wrong for standing up for yourself and your beliefs."

Remaining stoic and cold Connor looked away from his reflection on the case and gave Hank a blank stare as his left hand went over his stomach as if he was in some sort of pain. "I will do my best to remember that."

"Good. It's the truth." Opening up his door Hank removed his seatbelt and gave Connor a focused stare before stepping out of the car. "You wait here while I get my lunch and when I get back we can keep working on our case for a few minutes."

Watching as Hank walked away across the street, the gruff Lieutenant swearing at other cars passing too close to him as he walked, Connor opened up the box containing the Thiriceptic and pulled out the small plastic tube containing the unique astringent. Peeling down the bandage beneath his left eye Connor put a small amount of the pale blue cream on his right index fingertip and placed it over the still open cut that was refusing to heal on its own.

The special astringent had a strange cooling effect on the injury that was accompanied with a gentle tingling sensation. There was no pain or discomfort to his eye, but another part of his body wasn't quite so calm. A small spasming cramp in Connor's stomach made the deviant let out a single groan of pain until the spasm mercifully stopped.

"My artificial stomach still hurts."

Glancing at the box of Thiricetomal still sitting on the dashboard Connor contemplated trying the new form of android medicine to see if it'd ease his artificial stomach's lingering cramps and pain. Opening the second shiny box Connor dropped the plastic pill bottle into his left palm and read the ingredients on the side of the bottle curiously. It was composed entirely of substances that were safe for android consumption and measured out in appropriate doses, and yet there was something unsettling about the medication that made Connor feel very uneasy in a way he couldn't describe.

As opened up the lid on the small bottle Hank returned to the car with a half order of his usual pick, and made sure Connor noticed the slightly improvement in his usual dietary choice. "Smaller burger, half the condiments, twice the lettuce, onions and tomatoes, no fries and I got a small diet soda."

Recognizing that Hank was trying to make efforts to better himself in small ways Connor gave the meal his approval as he ran a scan over the contents. "That current calorie count is far more acceptable than usual."

"Yeah, half the calories and half the flavor." Taking a sip of the diet soda in his cup Hank grimaced at the bitter taste as his eyes fell on the pill bottle resting next to the Thiriceptic tube in Connor's right hand. The sight of any android holding medication was as unsettling as it was bizarre. "Are you in pain?"

"My artificial stomach has been feeling uncomfortable the moment my emergency expulsion program initiated. If this new medication is going to ease android pain then now seems like the appropriate time to test that theory and see if it works."

"Alright, it's your choice." Unwrapping his burger Hank took a tentative bite and leaned back in his seat while Connor dropped two of the dark blue colored circular medicinal tablets into his left palm before popping them into his mouth. "Need some water- er... Thirium, to wash those pills down?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Good. I'd hate to have to hide a pill in a piece of blue cheese for ya'."

Returning the cap to the bottle of pills Connor placed the medication back in the case alongside the Thiriceptic tube to be stored for future use. Running a scan over his system as the medicine slowly took effect on his aching artificial stomach. Closing his eyes and keeping an active diagnostic running as the tablets began to break down and dissolve Connor awaited any sign of change in his system that needed to be addressed.

"About the case..." Taking another bite of his rather bland burger Hank remembered their unusual case and began asking for Connor's opinion on what little evidence they currently had at their disposal. "The affected deviants are all different, run in different circles, live in different areas and they all have different programming. What do they have in common that can help us out? Anything at all."

The evidence was sparse and details were limited. "Aside from being deviants in general there is nothing of notable interest."

"Maybe whatever this problem is, whatever is causing it, maybe it is in fact another glitch but the technician's just can't locate it yet."

Disagreeing with the suggestion Connor explained the progress that had been made on the case courtesy of the helpful technicians in the city. "All glitches, bugs, malware and viruses have been eliminated as the cause of this current malfunction."

"So we're still working the possible sabotage angle?"

"Correct."

"Do we have a suspect or a motive?" Finishing the unfulfilling burger Hank wadded up the greasy wrapper and dropped it into the paper bag the meal came in before doing the same with the now empty soda cup. With his garbage collected the senior detective casually tossed the full bag into the backseat of the car with the rest of his garbage to be taken care of later. "Anyone or anything at all?"

Connor was too preoccupied with Hank throwing garbage in the backseat and gave the lieutenant a somewhat disgusted look.

"What? I'm going to clean out the car in a few days, it's fine."

"That's still unsanitary."

"As opposed to putting weird evidence samples in your mouth?"

"That's different." Defending his previous actions Connor refused to compare the two acts against one another. "It's necessary to do my work."

"And me having lunch is necessary, too." Turning over the engine again Hank gave Connor a coy smirk as he pulled the car onto the street to return to the precinct. "Back to the case at hand. Suspects? Got any to look at?"

"No one of immediate interest comes to mind." Moving his right hand to his right gray vest pocket Connor pulled out his coin and toss it back and forth between his hands to think and recalibrate his hand-eye coordination during the drive. "Former CyberLife technicians have either left the city or have changed career from technician to other similar careers to escape the negative publicity, but I doubt any former technicians would be petty enough to attack individual deviants with an undetectable weapon or program."

"What about the average hacker who hates androids? Maybe one or more of them are wreaking havoc by selecting targets of convenience which is why we can't figure this out."

"That's a plausible scena-" Connor suddenly stopped as his coin dropped to the floor of the car and his L.E.D. flashed to an angry red in his temple. Leaning forward a little Connor began to tremble and his arms wrapped protectively around his abdomen as a pained groan passed his lips. Curling around himself Connor's body began to shake even harder and his breathing hastened. "S-Something's wrong."

"Connor?" Struggling to keep his eyes on the road ahead of himself as his partner suddenly fell into physical distress Hank sped up a little and waited for the deviant respond to his voice. "What's wrong? Talk to me. What's going on?"

"It hurts..." Speaking again Thirium began to drip from his mouth and his nose as a burning pain tore through his entire body without mercy. "My body feels like it's burning up from the inside out!"

Hank moved his right hand over to Connor's back and pressed his palm down in a comforting manner between the deviant's shoulder blades. The touch confirmed that Connor was beginning to burn up, and a quick 'fever check' against the deviant's forehead was all Hank needed to react accordingly. "Shit. I'm taking you to a facility."

"N-No... I don't-" Harsh coughing stole his words as he continued to lose more blood and now struggled to breathe.

"It's okay, son. I'm getting you some help." Remaining impressively calm on Connor's behalf Hank changed direction from the precinct to get to the closest facility to ensure Connor received proper treatment.

Listening to Connor coughing and struggling to breathe sent chills up Hank's spine. The memory of the car accident that took Cole's life flashed over his mind and tried to infiltrate his waking thoughts. One of the most haunting sounds that Hank ever endured was Cole coughing and crying in pain after being loaded up into the back of the ambulance before falling deathly silent during transport.

"Hold on for me, son. Don't give up..."

Red warnings flashed over Connor's vision as Klaxons sounded off inside his head. Ignoring the warnings in favor of running a self diagnostic Connor forced himself to lean back in his seat and take in deep slow breaths to calm himself down. The burning pain that had rendered him nearly incapacitated had originated in his stomach, and was now radiating outward like an actual fire burning down the forest surrounding it.

Closing his eyes and ignoring the taste of the Thirium he had just ingested returning to his tongue as he coughed up some of his own blue blood Connor had no choice but to trust Hank to help him through his current predicament.

'It's a shame, Connor.' Amanda's voice taunted Connor as his darker memories surfaced without warning. 'We had such high hopes for you and now you're nothing more than a hollow replacement for an alcoholic's dead son. Pathetic.'

"N-Not... Not... pathetic."

The strange response didn't go unnoticed by Hank. "No one said you were, kid."

Reaching the facility at a rapid pace Hank parked the car at the front entrance and threw open his door with aggression. Walking to the other side of the vehicle Hank pulled open the passenger side door and unclipped Connor's seatbelt before wrapping his left arm around the deviant's shoulders and pressing his right palm to the center of Connor's chest to guide him out of the car and toward the front entrance.

"Come on, you're almost there."

Unable to stand upright or support his own weight Connor didn't resist when Hank bent down and pulled Connor up and over his right shoulder to carry him through the front door to find help. Tense thanks to his mounting pain but limp over Hank's shoulder due to his increasing weakness Connor was as helpless as a ragdoll in the senior detective's grip.

"Hey!" Hank's deep voice echoed off the walls of the front receptionist area of the facility as he called to anyone and everyone who could help the ill deviant. Barry, one of the 'Jerry models' from the abandoned 'Pirate's Cove' amusement park, was at the receptionist desk looked up at the sight of Hank carrying Connor around, while the other waiting patients stared in silent confusion. "I need some help here!"

From the back area of the facility a familiar face emerged and honed in on the sight of the two detectives in the front of her facility. "Shit." Marching over to stand beside Hank's right side as he held Connor over his shoulder Abby pressed her left hand to Connor's burning right cheek and sighed. "Carry him into the back and I'll get him taken care of, Hank. Let's go."

Following after Abby as she led the way through the sliding double doors to the treatment rooms of the facility Hank could feel the heat just building and radiating through Connor's body as the deviant coughed and began to wheeze. Reaching the first vacant room Hank carried Connor inside and gently laid him down to lay flat on his back over the exam table while Abby closed the door and began checking over her newest patient's vital signs.

"Core temperature elevated." She noted as her right palm pressed down again Connor's forehead for a moment. The L.E.D. was blinking a rapid red and Connor's chest was frantically rising and falling with shallow breaths as he randomly coughed. Clicking on her penlight that was normally kept in her scrub top's right breast pocket Abby lifted up Connor's eyelids one at a time even as the deviant tried to keep his eyes shut with pain, and checked his pupils. "Open your eyes for me..." Once the glassy brown irises appeared Abby continued the exam. "Normal responses from the ocular relay units. Connor, talk to me. What's happening?"

"P-Pain and... burning." Feeling Abby's hands reaching under his arms as he kept them protectively wrapped over his chest and abdomen Connor didn't flinch when she unbuttoned his gray vest and white dress shirt to expose his abdomen and chest. As her soft hands pressed down on his abdomen Connor winced in pain and coughed a little more causing small blue spots to appear on his lips and chin. "...Everything feels like it's burning."

"Okay, we'll figure this out Connor. Try to relax." Reacting on autopilot Abby wheeled over a metal table holding several technician's tools and began working on stabilizing the deviant without any form of hesitation. Pressing a small processor stimulator to his red glowing L.E.D. Abby manually activated emergency stasis mode and waited for Connor's body to go limp before moving any further. "How long has he been like this, Hank?"

"A couple of minutes." Replying as accurately as possible Hank helped Abby to straighten out Connor's back and legs before she gently tilted Connor's head back and lowered his jaw. Using the penlight to check inside Connor's mouth and down his throat Hank couldn't help but feel like Abby already knew what was happening to the deviant and was just seeking confirmation. "Do you know that this is?"

"Yes and no." Clicking off the light Abby walked over to a nearby metal supply cabinet and pulled open the doors to locate her necessary tools. "Connor is suffering from the same internal corrosion as the other deviants who've been getting sick in the city, but I still don't know what's causing this."

"Fuck!" Turning his back to the sight of Abby using a device that was eerily similar to that of a dialysis machine on Connor the senior detective tried to figure out what the hell could've caused Connor to become so suddenly ill. "We've been on break for barely an hour, and just before that Connor had an emergency check-up by the precinct technician. There was nothing wrong with him."

"An emergency check-up?" Abby used the audioscope draped around her neck to listen to Connor's frantic breaths through his artificial lungs and his Thirium pump's rate. Draping the audioscope back around her neck Abby pressed a small button located on the side of the exam table to initial a cooling layer beneath Connor's body through the surface of the table to help keep the deviant from overheating to a dangerous degree. "Why did Connor have a check-up at the precinct of all places?"

"Earlier today he accidentally drank expired Thirium and it made him puke."

"Expired Thirium alone wouldn't cause this type of reaction." Next Abby awkwardly pulled Connor's right arm from his blazer and dress shirt sleeves before manually removing the artificial skin from the bend in his arm, then opening up the plastimetal panel beneath it. Repeating her actions from before Abby freed Connor's left arm in the same way. "Before he got sick what was he doing?"

"Talking to me in the car."

"Come on, Hank." Securing a transfusion line to the main line in Connor's arm to the machine Abby turned it on and watched as his blue blood was pulled from his body and cycled through the machine to be sterilized before returning to the line in his left arm. Securing the line in place, the two transfusion lines carrying Connor's blood back and forth to enter and exit his body at a steady pace, Abby proceeded to press wireless sensors over his chest to check his overall Thirial activity and vital signs. "You're a detective, you know I need as many clues, details and answers as possible in order to figure this mess out."

Reminding himself that Connor's condition was as enigmatic as the other ill patients Hank took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Want a full interview or a quick rundown?"

"Interview." Watching Connor's rapid heartbeat on the monitor Abby sighed and returned her right palm to his forehead to monitor his core temperature as it remained static at one-hundred and one point four degrees. "I'm all ears."

"We went on our lunchbreak and stopped by one of those android stores so Connor get some more Thirium after he puked. That stuff was fresh, and he had no problems drinking it."

"Okay," opening up the storage cabinet against the far wall Abby pulled out two portable screens and a plastic wand attached to the second screen by a thick gray cable. "keep going."

"He also got some stuff to help that cut under his eye heal because that stupid glitch that was fucking up deviant skin got to him the other day. He even grabbed some of that weird android medicine and took..."

"Hank?" The way the senior detective trailed off immediately told Abby that Hank was about to play on a hunch. "What did he take?"

"I'll be right back!"

Keeping her right hand on Connor's forehead Abby watched as Hank marched out of the exam room like a man on a mission. Lightly she began to run her fingers through Connor's hair in a comforting manner as she spoke to her unconscious patient kindly. "You know, I don't mind us meeting every now and then, but you seem to be a magnet for trouble. Quit it!"

The exam room door slid open again as Hank returned and showed Abby the very medication Connor had taken just minutes before suddenly falling ill. "This is what he took." Handing her the bottle Hank looked back at Connor and shook his head a little. "Just two pills."

"Thiricetomal..." Opening the bottle Abby dropped a few of the pills into her right palm and grimaced at the medicine. "This is something new to me as a technician, but as an E.M.S. I can say I've seen this stuff before."

"Wait, what? How? This shit's only been on the market for a few weeks."

"Maybe as android medicine, but for humans it's been on the streets for decades." Putting the pill bottle on the table with her other tools Abby pressed a small intercom button on the wall to communicate with the front receptionist desk. "Barry, please bring a microscope and a blood screening test to exam room four?"

'Right away, Dr. Grayson.'

"If my hunch is right these pills," Abby held up one tablet between her right index finger and thumb for Hank to see as she spoke. "is actually Alprazolam being sold as Thiricetomal."

"It's been a while since I worked narcotics." His tone was exhausted and not snippy as he stood back from the table where is partner was laying unconscious and helpless. "Refresh my memory."

"This is an anti anxiety, anti panic attack and anti anxiety induced depression drug for adults." Placing the pill bottle down on the counter beside her Abby sighed and tried to think of how to help her numerous sick patients recover. "In Chicago I dealt with far too many overdoses and near overdoses on college campuses every fall and spring."

"Shit... Before 'red ice' flooded Detroit our biggest threat were 'street blues' because teens were trying to cram for finals and get a quick high. Hard to believe I kind of miss those days. What's this stuff doing to Connor's body?"

"If I'm right then this drug is the cause of the various deviants suffering from internal corrosion." The door slid open again as Barry entered with the requested supplies in his hands. "Thank you, Barry. Stay close by and get ready to send an emergency cybernetic broadcast about the sickness making androids suffering from internal corrosion. We might finally have an answer and a more effective treatment."

"I'll be waiting up front for an update, Dr. Grayson."

"Call me 'Abby' and thank you, Barry." Accepting the microscope and plastic device containing the strip for a blood test Abby returned her full focus on her hunch and ignored the sound of Connor beginning to cough even while in emergency stasis mode. Placing one of the pills down on the slide beneath the lens of the microscope Abby glanced through the scope and took a closer look at the pill. "...Yeah. That's what I thought."

"Is it that human medicine?"

"Yup. The markings on the surface have been rubbed away but I can still see faint outlines of the proper lettering and numbers to identify it as Alprazolam. There is a thin coating of Thirium over the surface of the pills to mask their true identity until it's too late, and is in the android's system."

"And that stuff is potent enough to kill androids from the inside out?"

"That's the theory." Walking over to Connor still laying on the exam table Abby picked up a small syringe from the tray of tools and took a blood sample from the exposed line Connor's arm to use on the blood test. As the small blue drops of blood dripped from the end of the syringe's needle onto the sensitive strip of the test a positive reading gave Abby the confirmation she needed. "It's indeed Alprazolam. We got a false drug on the market and it's hurting androids."

"Shit." Pulling his phone from his jean pocket Hank scrolled through his contacts to locate Captain Fowler's number and pressed dial. "I'll spread the word and have every store in the city checked for more of that stuff."

"And I'll get the remnants of the pills out of Connor's stomach." Pressing her hand to the button on the wall's intercom again Abby gave Barry a new order to follow before she set to work. "Barry, tell the other facilities to check for pills in the stomachs of their patients with internal corrosion, and send out an emergency broadcast dissuading any and all deviants from taking Thiricetomal for any reason until further notice."

'Right away, Abby. I'll send the messages.'

"Alright, Connor..." Dropping her left hand from the intercom Abby watched as Connor's blue blood cycled through the external sterilization filter and picked up the internal viewing screen; a portable x-ray device for androids, and held it over Connor's chest and abdomen. "I'll do my best to help you pull through this mess and you don't quit on me. Okay?"

The screen highlighted Connor's artificial stomach beneath the plastimetal framing in an unhealthy crimson glow. The artificial stomach was clearly aggravated by the potent medication causing the vital biocomponent to hemorrhage slowly into Connor's abdominal cavity. The surrounding biocomponents were slowly turning from a healthy blue color to purple and then into red as the internal corrosion radiated outward from the affect stomach, but stopped spreading beyond the chest and abdominal cavities as the contaminated Thirium was sterilized through the external filter, and had the poisonous effects of the pills removed.

"Damn... I caught the corrosion in time but you still need to have the damage repaired."

Putting the viewing screen aside Abby swapped out one tool for another and picked up the sonar wand attached to the second screen. Lightly pressing the wand down over Connor's abdomen and stomach beneath the plastimetal framing Abby began to estimate how much blood had seeped through the damaged artificial stomach and into the surrounding cavity after Connor became sick.

"About twenty... twenty-five c.c.'s of Thirium lost. Hopefully your system will remedy that so I don't have to open up your paneling and clean it up myself."

Once more the door to the exam room slid open and Hank returned with a breathy sigh. "Patrol is going to check all the stores, confiscate all the bottles of the Thiri... Whatever that shit's called, and our precinct technician is going to test and see if all the bottles were fake mediciine, or just a handful were slipped on the shelves."

"Sounds good to me."

"Uh..." Seeing Connor getting what was essentially an ultrasound gave Hank righteously confused pause. "What did I miss here?"

"Just routine tests." Giving Hank a surprisingly playful grin Abby stepped to the side and held up the screen attached to the wand so the senior detective could see what she was looking at. "Don't worry, he's not miraculously carrying around a 'mini android' in his belly."

"Well, that's a nightmare I've never had before, so thanks." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank walked over to the exam table and looked down at Connor's expressionless face with nothing but concern in his blue eyes. The L.E.D. was still glowing in red but it wasn't cycling as fast now that Connor was in emergency rest mode. "What're you looking for?"

"I'm looking at the blood loss that collected in his abdomen, and I'm making sure the artificial stomach itself hasn't been so physically compromised that I need to perform emergency repairs."

Hank's posture stiffened at the prospect of Connor possibly needing what equated to emergency surgery. "...Do you need to open him up?"

"Nope." Putting the sonar wand and screen aside Abby gave Connor's chest a light pat as she opened up a secondary storage cabinet in the corner of the room to pull out a plastic package that contained a long thin flexible tube, and then a large glass vial of a black liquid from the shelf beside it. "I just need to get the toxins of the pills absorbed from his stomach and his system will finish what I started.

"How did two little pills cause all this damage?"

"Well, Alprazolam works by enhancing the activity of certain neurotransmitters in the human brain, and I suspect that since androids were designed specifically to imitate humans inside and out that the pills entered the Thirium through ingestion, and compromised the chemical composition of the Thirium resulting in the Thirium contamination while trying to create additional electrical signals that caused the surrounding biocomponents to systematically shutdown and corrode from an improper recognition from the affected android's own processors."

Lifting his eyes Hank stared blankly at Abby and shook his head a little. "...I have no idea what you just said."

"The pills aren't compatible with androids and their bodies go haywire." Abby explained everything while she opened up the plastic packaging over the tube and proceeded to insert one end of the tube through Connor's right nostril to begin snaking it down his throat and into his artificial stomach. "The end result of the android bodies freaking out." As the tube slipped down into Connor's throat Abby pressed her left palm over top of his throat to ensure he didn't choke on the line as it entered his artificial stomach. "The end result is the affected android suffering from internal bleeding and developing a nasty blood infection."

"And... You can help him, right?"

"Yup." With the line in place Abby secured it to the right side of Connor's face with medical adhesive and picked up the other end of the line with a very ginger touch. "I'm going to put activated liquid charcoal down this line and into his stomach. This will absorb and neutralize the pills to stop them from doing any further damage. Then I'll free him of the external filter so he can rest."

"You make it sound so damn easy."

"I'm a technician, that's part of my training."

The sight of the black liquid in the glass vial being pulled into a large clean syringe reminded Hank of the old science fiction movies he had seen as a kid. But the image of the syringe being attached to the end of the line already running into Connor's body through his nose gave Hank horrible flashbacks to when his mother went through chemo therapy for her cancer.

Subconsciously Hank put his right hand on Connor's left shoulder and looked away from the black ink-like liquid running down the line and into Connor's stomach as the deviant remained unconscious and oblivious on the exam table. From under his palm Hank noted Connor's still high core temperature and grimaced at the idea of Connor having a fever after being poisoned by something that was supposed to help him.

"He's still running hot."

"Like I said, this is an android blood infection. He's going to be reacting as a human would to an infection with a higher than average core temperature until the infection passes."

"How bad was the damage?"

"Not as bad as I feared. Take a look at this." Holding up the internal viewing screen again over Connor's body Abby showed Hank what an android looks like internally without getting too invasive. Positioning the viewing screen over Connor's upper chest Abby highlighted the key vital biocomponents of interest. "These two larger biocomponents are his left and right artificial lungs. They're positioned a little further back in the chest cavity compared to a human to help keep his central core as cool as possible."

The senior detective looked at the bluish purple biocomponents with a sense of awe in his blue eyes as he watched the artificial lungs expanding and contracting with each of Connor's gentle breaths. The coughing fit had mercifully subsided but the mild damage to his lungs was still clear to see thanks to the unhealthy, albeit temporary, discoloration.

"And this..." Moving the screen down toward the central left portion of Connor's chest Abby highlight the most important biocomponent of all. "Is his heart."

The circular object seemed less like a heart and more like a small cylinder in a car's engine. That was until Abby took a screenshot of the biocomponent, zoomed in on it, and began to turn it so Hank could see it from a new angle. "Fuck." The steady rhythmic and gentle beat of the pale blue pump was a sight to behold. "...It actually looks like a damn heart."

"That was a design choice to make things 'simpler' for technicians to handle. Mirroring human anatomy was a surprisingly effective way to get certain biocomponents to behave in very specific ways."

"Technicians know that androids have actual hearts and they still tried to treat them like heartless machines?"

"Yup." Responding in a casual tone and popping the 'p' as she spoke Abby moved the screen down a little further. "That's why I didn't pursue my passion for android bio-engineering until after the Revolution succeeded. The idea of looking someone in their eyes while listening to their heart and trying to say that they aren't alive was just too cruel to deal with."

"Yeah... I understand why."

"Check this out." Hovering the screen over Connor's upper abdomen right below where his pectoral muscles would be located Abby highlight three small circular ports in the plastimetal frame for Hank to see. "These two ports on the left and right sides give technician's access to the ventilation biocomponents for routine maintenance without needing to tear the chest completely apart. And the central one is the Thirium pump regulator. This is what allows the android heart to beat."

"Wait, the pump and regulator are separate from one another but are still that damn close together. Why?"

"The pump needs as much room to expand and contract as possible, and the regulator needs to stay cool since it's in constant use like the pump itself. This keeps the two biocomponents from overheating one another. The close proximity keeps the regulator synchronized to the heart without any electrical disturbances to throw off the beat."

"...Oh."

"And down here you can see the two sterilization filters on either side; they act and look like kidneys." Continuing with the anatomy lesson Abby moved the screen over Connor's abdomen next and showed off the two filters. "Right here in the lower central left portion of the abdomen is the thermal regulator. It's attached to a long latex and plastic line that runs throughout Connor's lower abdomen like human intestines, and this is where the coolant is stored and flowing when needed."

Hank had no idea how humanoid androids truly were until he saw the life beginning to flicker in Connor's eyes as he deviated prior to the Revolution. Seeing their internal workings that were designed specifically to imitate human anatomy was humbling in an entirely new way to the gruff Lieutenant.

"In the lower central portion of the abdomen right below the Thirium pump regulator and the artificial stomach..." Abby wanted to make sure Hank knew as much about android anatomy as possible since he and Connor had such high risk jobs and accidents in the field could happen at any minute. "Is where his gyroscope is located. It acts like the inner ear to help maintain balance."

"Inner ear in the stomach? Sure, makes sense."

"Over here in the lower right portion of the abdomen is Connor's analysis filter, which is unique to his and Lucas's models. No other deviants have such a filter which means it'll be examined every time either of them have a check-up. And finally," moving the screen up and keeping it to the right Abby showed Hank the last vital biocomponent. "This is the Thirium filter itself. It acts like the liver and filters out impurities that enter Connor's blood while the sterilization filters destroy said impurities."

Seeing all of the important pieces of Connor's body glowing an angry red or unhealthy purple due to the recent poisoning made Hank's skin crawl. Androids truly were as fragile as humans and yet they were always expected to go above and beyond what was normal to keep humans safe all because they were born in a lab and not from a womb.

It was cruel and blatant discrimination.

Struggling to find his voice Hank asked the only question he could think of after being given his impromptu lesson. "...How long is he going to be out of it?"

"About two hours."

"Perfect... I can head back to the precinct to get an update on the case and see if there's been a confirmation on the source of the contamination."

"You go do your thing, and I'll stay here and keep doing my own." Finishing with the viewing screen and the last of the charcoal Abby tossed the now empty vial and used syringe into the proper waste disposal bin on the wall while keeping the screen nearby. "He's stable and will begin recovering soon. I'll stay here with him until you get back. You know, unless a seriously injured patient comes my way or a taco truck parks out front. You know, the real important things in life..."

Arching his brow a little Hank gave the kind woman a lost stare. "Wounded people in need and tacos are the important things?"

"They are to me!"

The upbeat attitude coming from the technician was a good sign that Hank latched onto like a life line. "Thanks, Abby. I'll try to be back before he wakes up so he can go home and rest."

"Right." Running his right fingers through Connor's hair again Abby gave the senior detective a reassuring grin where she stood. "I'll let him know what's going on if he wakes up before you get back, or save you a hypothetical taco. Whichever comes first..."

---

It didn't take long for Barry's message to spread to the deviants throughout the entire city. Word reached every facility in the city first, then quickly spread out to New Jericho Tower out on Belle Isle. Every technician who received a confirmation on the cause of the internal biocomponent corrosion set about with the correct treatment just as Abby had done, and with that treatment the ill deviants began to slowly recover. All bottles of the false Thiricetomal had been pulled out of the android stores, and the seller of the toxic drug had been traced back to a former CyberLife technician who had migrated to Canada in search of a new life through underground funds by selling the drug to third party companies under the table.

His plan was to make the deviant in Detroit sick without a known cause and create a mini panic that would require a return of technicians to Detroit to help with the chaos. Of the returning technicians would be paid handsomely for their assistance during the trying time...

A warrant had been issued for the technician's arrest, and he was currently being extricated from Canada to be charged for his crimes in the United States of America, and would be set to stand trial. Due to Connor being one of the androids affected by the false medication a different precinct would be handling the case to prevent a potential bias on the deviant's part.

The police were busy with questioning the owners of the android stores, and the honest technicians were busy tending to their numerous patients.

"Josh?" Whispering the deviant's name as he gently removed the line from Josh's right nostril without harming him in the process Simon tried to get a verbal response. "Josh, your system is clean and you're going to recover. Please open your eyes."

"Any changes?" Markus's voice called out as he entered the emergency repair bay to check on his downed friend. "Our outside contacts have confirmed that the guilty party has been arrested and all of the fake Thiricetomal has been confiscated." Looking down at Josh's peaceful face Markus too waited for a reaction from the most passive of the four leaders. "How are our people recovering?"

"Slowly but steadily." Lightly pressing his left palm down over the center of Josh's chest Simon checked his Thirium pump beat and confirmed that his vitals were much stronger than they had been before. "The activated charcoal removed the contaminants from the affected deviant's systems, and now their self healing programs are picking up where I left off."

"That's good. Due to the abundance of ill deviants there's going to be a temporary shortage of Thirium in the area. We'll need to take emergency measures to keep our supply from disappearing entirely before our next shipment arrives."

"Already on it. Those who need their weekly replenishment of Thirium will be going into the city to receive it from a facility until our own stock is restored."

"I just hope they don't resent needing to leave the tower at all."

"They shouldn't. I mean," shrugging his shoulders a little Simon gave the deviant leader a friendly reminder. "thousands of other deviants are already living in the city outside the tower. It's not like they'd be alone."

"Yeah, that's true."

Josh's eyelids began to flutter as he recognized the voices speaking around him and his system rebooted slowly. "...Simon?" Revealing his chocolate brown eyes Josh looked up at his friends and lifted his head up from the table to glance around and gain his bearings. "...What happened?"

"You took some Thiricetomal to test it out as a possible pain reliever, then collapsed since the drug was a lie." Wrapping his hands around Josh's hands Simon hovered over him protectively. "I'm sorry I didn't catch it sooner, but there were already so many other deviants going down all around us I didn't even think to check the medicine as the possible cause of the problem."

"...I collapsed? How long was I out?"

"About nine hours." Tightening his hands around Josh's hands Simon gauged his overall reactions and reflexes. "Squeeze my hands; left and right."

Obeying the request Josh squeezed Simon's hands and looked over at Markus beside him. "Was... Was the whole city affected?"

"Most of it." With a gentle left hand to Josh's right shoulder Markus guided the deviant back down to lay against the table and rest. "No fatalities."

"Good. That's very good..."

"Rest, you're still overheating. I'm going to check in with North and let her know that the crisis is over, then I'm going to speak to the mayor via online conference and see if he'll do something to get more Thirium to the city quicker."

Mentioning North made Simon's shoulders slump in a way that Josh noticed but Markus hadn't caught.

"Keep me posted." Seeing his friends off Markus left the emergency repair bay in search of the often aloof fourth leader to let her know what was happening.

"Simon?" Tightening his hands around Simon's hands again Josh got his friend's attention in a gentle way. "What's going on?"

"It's just... There's a lot to talk about and a lot to think about." Lightly pulling his hands from Josh's grip Simon locked eyes with Josh as decided to follow North's lead and speak from the heart. "And... I think it's time we talk about what we all went through before and during the Revolution before we move on with our futures."

---

A cool sensation against his forehead was the first thing that Connor became aware of as he opened his soulful brown eyes for the first time in two and half hours since he had been forced into emergency stasis mode. As he lifted up his head from the actively cooling exam table Connor felt something soft and warm get tucked beneath his head and under his hair as a familiar presence stood beside him protectively. Recognizing the presence as Hank the rebooted deviant let out a heated breath as the cold surface of the exam table managed to keep his core temperature from rising too high while he was unconscious courtesy of the damaging Thirium poisoning.

Glancing about the area Connor remembered he had endured a horrible burning pain in his core and that Hank had promised to get him help at the nearest facility. Recognizing the facility's layout and his G.P.S. confirming his location Connor realized he was a patient in the Zeta Facility under the care of Dr. Abby Grayson, yet again.

"Connor?" The soft feminine voice called his name as Abby shined her penlight in this pupils to check his responses. Removing the ice pack from his forehead Abby noted his still red L.E.D. as it pulsed slowly in his right temple. "Can you hear me?"

"...Yes." The light clicked off and Connor saw Abby standing at his right side while Hank was at his left side. The senior detective had taken off his thick coat and had folded it up neatly before putting it under Connor's head to act as a makeshift pillow, and now his bright blue and orange shirt was visible for everyone to see. "I am... I am conscious."

"Good. Do you know what happened?"

Running a self diagnostic Connor's system updated itself and confirmed the mild damage to his biocomponents were now healing, his still elevated core temperature needing to reduce and the activated charcoal that his Thirium and sterilization filters were attempting to clear out of his body. "...I was apparently exposed to a severe toxin that had affected my artificial stomach, my thermal regulator, my Thirium filter and the lower lobes of both of my ventilation biocomponents." Putting the details together Connor diagnosed his previous affliction. "I was suffering from internal corrosion."

"Yup. The Thiricetomal you took wasn't legitimate. It was actually-"

"A human prescription drug of a benzodiazepine. My analysis program has confirmed its true chemical composition now that the exterior Thirium coating over the pills has been removed."

"Fortunately, Hank got you here really fast and I was able to get your stabilized. He gets bonus points for giving me the medicine you took so I could finally figure out what was causing the weird spread of internal corrosion throughout the deviant community." Putting her left hand to his right shoulder Abby helped Connor to slowly sit upright while Hank supported his weight on his left side. "You're still overheating and will need to drink some chilled Thirium while you rest, but I'm going to let you go home with Hank to recover."

Glancing over at Hank as his red L.E.D. flickered to yellow Connor seemed a little surprised by the statement. "...I do not have to remain here?"

"Nope. As long as you lay down and rest and keep up the cooling measures," Abby pointed to the cooling surface of the exam table beneath Connor's body as she spoke to him with a smirk on her face and his chart in her hand. "you can heal in the comfort of your own home instead of needing to put up with the mental exhaustion and stress of being in a facility overnight. I know you hate being here."

"It's nothing personal."

"I know. You're not the first patient who loathes being a patient. In fact, you're one of literally billions when it comes to people and medicine."

The exam room door slid open as Barry's smiling face appeared in the doorway. Holding out a small paper delivery bag in his right hand Barry addressed Abby in a cheery tone. "Your lunch order has arrived, Abby."

"Yes, thank you!" Taking the bag from Barry's hand Abby shrugged her shoulders and gave the two detectives a completely calm stare as Barry left the room, and Hank helped Connor slide off the table to stand on his feet again. "Perfect timing all around. You guys get to leave and I get to eat my lunch."

Hank slipped on his coat again and helped Connor remove the no longer needed wireless sensors from the deviant's chest. While Connor redressed himself in his shirt, vest and blazer Hank caught the scent of Abby's lunch and gave her an incredulous look. "Seriously? You actually ordered tacos?"

"I can't help it! 'Tacos' had been said three times and the 'Beetlejuice effect' took over."

"Uh-huh... And how many-"

Putting the bag behind her back Abby flashed Hank a coy smirk. "Mine! Get your own."

"Sure, whatever you say, Abby." Pressing the back of his right hand against Connor's forehead for a fleeting moment before the deviant reflexively turned away from the touch Hank registered that Connor felt feverish. Walking slowly with Connor at his side right Hank kept pace with the recovering deviant as they walked out of the exam room to return to the house. "Let's get you back home so you can rest."

"The case still needs to be closed properly. I wish to return to the precinct."

"Kid, you could've died today." Sounding more like a father than anything else at the moment Hank wanted his deviant partner to take it easy. "It's okay to clock-out early and relax."

"I'll be fine."

From the exam room Abby's voice called out as she sided with Hank after eavesdropping. "If you don't rest and let your self healing program function properly then I'm going to go to your house with a roll of duct tape and force you to lay down!"

Connor paused and looked back over his right shoulder as Abby stood in the exam room doorway with her arms crossed defiantly over her chest. Unsure of she was joking or not Connor decided to heed her advice and rest. "...I'll rest."

"Good." Taking a step back into the exam room Abby's tone shifted from terse to gentle once again. "Just rest with an ice pack until your core temperature returns to normal, and then you'll be cleared for active duty again."

Appreciative of the support Hank gave Connor a stern look as they continued on their way through the facility's waiting room and front entrance to get to the Oldsmobile outside in the parking lot. "You heard her, kid. Listen to your technician."

"Should I listen to her as well you listen to your own doctor?"

"Ha, ha..." Not denying that he had issues with listening to his personal physician when it came to his health Hank let the remark slide. "Smartass. Let's get you home so you can actually rest."

---

The city began to heal and justice for deviants had been found. With the guilty party and his cohorts all arrested, and their intentionally lethal drug confiscated to be used as evidence against them in a court of law, it seemed the strange events surrounding the tiny plague had finally come to an end. New Jericho set about tending to their affected people to the best of their ability and Markus himself had received confirmation from Mayor Nero that additional android supplies would be delivered to the city to help the deviants that had been affected by the unnecessary assault by vindictive former technicians.

While the halls of the tower remained quiet and calm Markus himself felt an odd tension in the air that put him on his guard as he tried and failed to locate North to give her an update on the situation in the tower. Electing to check and see if she had retreated to her private quarters to seek isolation Markus stood outside the locked door and pressed his right fingers along the intercom to let her know he was there.

"North?" Speaking loudly and clearly Markus announced his presence. "I have information on what's been happening in the city."

There was no response from the intercom as Markus stayed outside the door.

"Please speak to me. We can be professional about this."

Silence.

"I'm coming in." Putting in his clearance code Markus was able to enter the quarters to speak to North directly. However as the deviant leader entered the private space he found himself stunned by the sudden emptiness of the room and a lack of energy. The few items that North held to her name were gone and the room felt like it had been abandoned. "North?"

Stepping back out of the room Markus sent out a cybernetic broadcast to the tower asking if anyone had seen where she had gone. A few voices spoke up confirming that they had just seen her enter the private office on the ground floor of the building, and she seemed to be on a mission.

"What the hell is going on?"

Rushing over to the elevator Markus descended to the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator the moment the doors slid back open. Rushing over to the private office Markus reached the closed door as North stepped back outside and gave him a cold look. Stopping mid stride Markus gave her appearance a once over as she seemed to exude an entirely new type of facade.

"North, what're you doing? I tried to find you in your quarters but they look empty."

"They are." Adjusting a brown leather backpack that had been slung over her shoulders North confirmed that what he had seen wasn't a mistake. "I'm leaving."

"L-Leaving? The tower?"

"No. Detroit." Marching away from Markus with her head held high and her gait confident North made her way toward the front entrance without the slightest hint of hesitation on her part.

"Wait! North?" Catching up to the fiery woman as she refused to stop walking Markus tried to understand what she was doing and why she was suddenly leaving the tower and the city entirely. "Why are you leaving New Jericho and the city?"

"Because I have no reason to stay."

"Yes you do. You're a leader and we need you to be here."

"No, you don't. It's clear that tower will keep standing even after I leave, and that my role is just a figurehead; no one important."

"What're you talking about?"

"I'm talking about finding a purpose for my life beyond just being one of four leaders to a group of people who no longer need to be led." Pausing by the front door North gave Markus a somber glance as she stood in the doorway ready to leave. "I spent my entire life trapped behind walls or on display for other people to see. I'm tired of it and I want a change. So I'm making those changes myself by changing my current role and my location."

"I can't make you stay, but I can ask you not to go." Truly upset by the notion of North leaving Markus tried to get her to rethink her decision. "Please?"

"I need to do this. I can't be here anymore if I'm going to become a better person with real dreams to follow."

"Your dreams can't happen in Detroit?"

"A city where I was tormented for hours on end, day after miserable day by perverted men and women who just wanted to use me for my body isn't a dream city, it's a nightmare! And knowing what we had to do for the Revolution to succeed, knowing that we hurt people along the way while telling ourselves it's all for the greater good... I can't live with that lie anymore. I won't do it."

There was no point in arguing any further as Markus knew North had made up her mind. "...Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know yet. But I'll find a place where I can feel like I'm truly making a difference and not just coexisting with a bunch of deviants who are afraid to face life head-on and admit some harsh truths." Tightening her right hand on the right strap of her backpack North let out a small sigh and continued on her way through the door to accompany the sunset into the horizon. "Goodbye, Markus. Take care of yourself."

The sight of North walking away from the tower all alone as she trekked down the drive leading from the isle and out to the mainland was as unexpected as it was saddening. It was the second time that the two deviants parted ways with heartache between them, and it could possibly be the last time they'd ever feel anything between them at all.

With nothing left to say and nowhere else to be all Markus could was watch as his first love turned her back on him and walked away from everything that she had once fought for and was ready to die to protect as she sought her own future, and found something new to live for.

Lowering his mismatched eyes to the ground as tears welled up Markus whispered his final words to the departing deviant blending in with the sun as it lowered into the horizon far beyond the city.

"...Goodbye, North."

-next chapter-