The morning had started out simple enough as the two detectives clocked-in at their usual time, but soon a report of a group of deviants being assaulted by humans during the night came their way and made things far from simple. The humans were all arrested and taken in for questioning while the deviants gave their witness statements after confirming that they wanted to press charges against the humans who hurt them. While Hank and Gavin interrogated the arrested men in their usual intense manner Connor and Chris interviewed the witnesses, and wrote down every single detail being provided to them. Based on the collected information the officers could all agree that the humans were college aged bigots who had too much to drink the previous night, and started the entire altercation when they broke into the android exclusive apartment complex looking for a fight.

During the interrogations and interviews Captain Fowler sat in his office and spoke to the higher-ups over the phone as he explained the mess that he and his people were trying to clean up. During the discussion the seasoned officer just sighed and rubbed his left fingers against his brow as his mounting frustration threatened to turn into a headache.

"What do you mean let the assholes go?" Leaning back in his chair Captain Fowler pressed a small button beside the phone that caused the glass walls of his office to frost over to ensure none of his officers could see him getting pissed off over the phone. "We have evidence AND witness statements proving that these idiots are dangerous and started the fight! One of the victims was beaten so badly they don't think he'll live through the night, and we're talking about a damn android KID here!"

The masculine voice on the other end of the line was somewhat familiar but at the moment Captain Fowler couldn't place it as the words he was being told just didn't seem to make any damn sense.

"That's bullshit! Letting an entire group of-"

Interrupting the angered Captain and standing by their words the voice over the phone refused to back down, and his order stood firm.

"Fuckin'... All right, fine. They'll be out on the street within the hour. When the 911 calls come in don't send them my way, I'm not going to send my people out there to clean up a brand new mess that you made!"

Slamming the phone down on the received the righteously frustrated Captain leaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down before addressing his officers. The last thing he wanted to do was let a group of arrested degenerates go free because a faceless voice over the phone told him to do it, but having to tell his detectives and officers to stop working on their cases to get the victims justice was just as bad.

"What the fuck are those pricks upstairs even thinking?"

As expected the bullpen was in low spirits as they watched the six arrested college students get released from their holding cells without so much as a 'disturbing the peace' charge filed against them. Whoever let the group of hungover and arrogant college students go free had far more pull than Captain Fowler, and with that power they effectively destroyed an open and shut case giving assaulted deviants some justice. Hank's posture was tense as he sat heavily in his chair and Connor's L.E.D. settled on yellow as he danced his coin anxiously over the back of his right hand. At the nearby desks Gavin kicked his dirty feet up on his desk and texted Aaron about the whole mess while Chris went into the locker room to talk with his wife over the phone to vent out his frustrations in private.

From his own desk Ben sorted through the evidence filed by his C.S.I. team and through text messages let Tina know what was happening while she was on patrol with a temporary rookie partner. Ever attentive of the bullpen's mood the seasoned detective had an instinctive approach to keeping everyone calm and composed no matter what the circumstances may be.

Fuming quietly at their respective desks Hank let out an annoyed sigh through his nose while Connor caught the coin between index and middle knuckles before slipping it into his vest pocket. Noticing that Connor had stopped the coin's dance Hank eyed his partner warily while Connor slowly rose from his seat and smoothed out his uniform to maintain a presentable aesthetic.

"Kid?" Speaking in a low voice Hank knew that Connor was plotting something in his mind. "What's up?"

"...We cannot pursue this case any further due to someone unknown pulling strings behind the curtain." Focusing on the senior detective's face Connor told Hank what he was thinking about while his yellow L.E.D. cycled to a calm blue. "Perhaps someone else can continue the case in our stead."

"You're thinking about Lucas and Noreen."

"Correct."

"Shit... Go ahead and see if they can't get a hold of the case. It's better than sitting on our asses and accepting defeat."

"I will do so. I'd prefer to make this contact more discreetly since it may take some time to communicate, and I don't wish to be stared at by the bullpen."

"Right. Go ahead and go into the vacant interview room to talk." Glancing at the private office behind him Hank was almost glad to see that Captain Fowler kept the glass frosted over after breaking the bad news. "I'll cover for ya' if Fowler says anything about you being gone."

"Thank you, Hank." Crossing the bullpen Connor took his leave and locked himself in the quiet interview room out of sight and sound for a moment of privacy. "I'll try to be as quick as I can without skipping any details."

Unwilling to just let the six college students go without so much as a slap on the wrist Hank leaned back in his chair and smirked as Connor attempted to use a loophole to rearrest the students and make the charges stick. Feeling eyes staring at him Hank turned to look at Gavin as the abrasive Sergeant pocketed his phone at long last. "What're you staring at, Reed?"

"Is the 'Tinman' going to recruit back-up and get those kids behind bars?"

"He's going to try."

"Good. Smug bastards seem to think they're untouchable, and need a damn wake-up call before they get out into the real world."

From the front entrance panicked screaming and muffled voices drew all the officers up to their feet as their attention was pulled toward the commotion. Three deviants all appeared near the front of the bullpen holding their receptionist, Pamela, as a hostage. The three deviants were the assault victims that had been interviewed just two hours prior, and were righteously angered upon learning that their attackers were being let go. Sporting their previous injuries and torn clothing from the assaults the trio were a sight to behold.

The cold barrel of a gun was pressed to Pamela's right temple as the three deviants stormed the bullpen and began shouting demands at the officers who were suddenly on edge, their hands hovering over their own weapons in response to the danger.

"Don't move!" The deviant with the gun, Jacob, had tears in his eyes and an enraged sneer on his face. His model was a blond 'AX-700', one of the very androids Connor rescued from the sublevels of CyberLife Tower during the Revolution, and he was desperate for justice. "Arrest the humans that assaulted us, or I'll shoot!"

Pamela whimpered as she clawed at Jacob's left forearm wrapped around her throat and tried to break free.

"HOLD IT." Hank spoke up loudly but refrained from pulling his gun from the holster on his right hip. "Jacob, we get you're pissed off and we're pissed, too. But why are you going to hurt Pamela? She's not one of the humans who hurt you, or even a cop!"

"...I lost my daughter this afternoon." Jacob replied through his gritted teeth as he pressed the barrel a little harder against Pamela's temple. "She was assaulted along with Clara, Eric and myself. Her name was Dahlia, my beautiful little flower... She was killed because of those humans who BROKE INTO MY APARTMENT! How are they permitted to just walk free after assaulting three people and killing a fourth... Killing A CHILD?!"

Lowering his voice Hank gave the three deviants his full attention. He knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one, a child at that, and of how it feels knowing that the person who is responsible for such pain will never receive an adequate enough punishment. "I'm sorry about Dahlia, I really am. We didn't know she..." Trailing off a little Hank tried to be as sympathetic and empathetic as possible without letting his guard down. "I hate to say this, but now that Dahlia is... You can press new charges and-"

"And what?! Watch those killers walk out of here a second time?!"

Clara and Eric, the other two deviants who were a part of Jacob's family, pulled out their own weapons and made sure Jacob's back was covered. Clara was a 'WP-400' with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. Eric was a 'CP-600' with light brown hair, light skin and blue eyes. The two deviants were just as beaten up and emotionally broken as Jacob, and it seemed they had reached their breaking point with the loss of Dahlia.

Clara was holding two shotguns in her hands and Eric was holding something wrapped up in a thick dark blue blanket in his arms. Unable to see the contents of the blanket all the bullpen could do was assume it be more weapons, ammunition or even a bomb; and to not make a reckless move.

"Jacob," trying to be the voice of reason Hank spoke up again. "you hurting Pamela or anyone else won't bring Dahlia back."

"I know that! With how fucked up this world is I wouldn't dare to bring her back into it, no matter how much my heart aches... I just want the people who are responsible for her death to be charged! If that means I have to hurt someone to get the justice my daughter deserves, then so be it!"

From the corner of his eye Hank looked at the frosted over glass of Captain Fowler's office and hoped that his commanding officer managed to figure out what was happening and called for back-up. Unsure of what to do in that moment all Hank could think to do was keep talking to Jacob in hope of either reasoning with him or getting his to let his guard down long enough for Pamela to get away from the danger.

"Jacob, if you want us to press charges against the people who hurt Dahlia then you need to let us make that call and the report."

"You call whoever you have to call." Tears streamed down Jacob's face from his eyes as he held his ground. "Eric is going to be monitoring every single call that leaves and comes into this precinct, we'll know if you're going to betray us again."

"We never betr-"

"GET THOSE KILLERS IN HERE, NOW!" Tightening his grip around Pamela's throat Jacob's desperation began to mount. "I want them to see what they've done... I want them to know that they took an innocent life!"

"Okay. I'll make the call." Slowly making a move for his phone Hank kept eye contact with Jacob and made sure the deviant knew he had his full attention at all times. "Since you're already holding Pamela there as a hostage, how about we get all the other personnel out of here so things don't get even crazier? Hm?"

Jacob looked at the younger officers and more experienced detectives all watching him and his allies very closely. Not wanting to hurt anyone but still too dangerous to be taken lightly Jacob agreed and waved the gun at the front entrance for a moment. "You and you," he pointed at Hank and Gavin with his gun as he made his decision. "are going to stay! Everyone else get out of here, and find my daughter's murderers!"

Gavin spoke up and decided to take some form of control of the situation. "You guys heard him. Ben, you lead this investigation and tell Tina to keep a look out for the killers. She's on patrol near the Eastern Precinct. You'll know where to look."

Ben picked up on the emphasis in Gavin's words and quickly took the hint. "Right, right..." Moving slowly Ben motioned for the other officers and detectives to leave the precinct and to take the people sitting in the holding cells with them to prevent any needless casualties. "We'll go and look for the people we need. You two just do what you have to do from your own end."

Slowly the bullpen emptied save for Hank and Gavin out where the trio of deviants could see them. Connor was still in an interview room, Chris was down in the locker room, and Captain Fowler was in his own office. Word of the situation had led to the temporary closure of the elevator leading to the higher floors and the stairwell leading to other parts of the precinct. There were nearly three dozen other officers currently in danger and unable to help themselves as they had no way of dealing with the hostage takers, or evacuating the building without setting off the emergency fire alarm causing even more problems.

"You two..." Jacob again motioned to Hank and Gavin with the gun. "Stand together. I want to watch your every move. Clara," turning to look at his partner just behind him Jacob gave her a simple nod. "watch the backdoor. And Eric, you watch the front. Don't get too close to the glass and risk your lives."

"We understand." Clara gave Jacob's shoulder a soft squeeze as she handed one of the shotguns over to Eric and kept the second for herself. Crossing the bullpen Clara stood near the end of the corridor by the rear door with her back to the wall, and well out of sight. "In position!"

Eric had never once let the object in the blanket out of his grip as he too took his position near the front entrance. "Ready..."

Pressing his back to the wall near the doorways leading into the breakroom Jacob kept his eyes on the two detectives and kept the barrel of the gun pressed to Pamela's temple as she softly cried and closed her eyes in fear. "Make the call. Get the killers back here... I demand justice."

Standing inside the interview room Connor pulled down the obstructive blinds over the window just enough to peer out of the room and down the corridor leading to the backdoor, and then looked to the bullpen in the opposite direction. Having heard the shouts and pleading from Hank had distracted Connor from his cybernetic call to Lucas just long enough to see what was happening. He then informed his brother at the second precinct of the current situation at hand. Acting as a relay between the two precincts without giving away his position Connor scanned the entire building to locate every single warm body in the precinct, and made sure to send out a cybernetic warning to the security androids outside to take precautions.

The first floor had only three humans and four deviants, while the locker room had just one person. Connor himself remained quiet and stepped back from the window as he continued to inform Lucas of the emergency situation.

'Hank and Gavin are speaking with the three hostage takers as of the moment.' Able to read lips even from the distance Connor knew what happening without needing to hear a single word. 'They want the six college students who were freed to be rearrested and charged with the murder of the 'YK-500' that shutdown due to her injuries.'

Lucas was talking to both Connor and Gavin through texts after Ben made his way over to the Eastern Precinct to give Captain Rourke the details. 'Noreen and I are reading the appropriation report from the local coroner working with our own technician. It appears Dahlia suffered multiple blunt force traumas to her abdomen and her head resulting in catastrophic biocomponent damage, as well as significant Thirium hemorrhaging into her abdomen. Ultimately her final cause of shutdown was an overheated intracranial processor due to the damage to her thermal regulator and leaking Thirium lines.'

'The report confirms that she shutdown from her injuries, which means the six college students are directly connected to her death. It is in fact murder.'

'We are actively looking for the six students as of the moment. Fortunately, they all attend the same school and are currently under strict probation by the dean due to their arrests. Patrol is out and looking to pick up the students to bring here to be charged due to the ongoing hostage situation.'

'That's a wise precaution.' Letting out a small sigh Connor tried to calm himself as he remembered how his previous attempts as a hostage negotiator didn't quite pan out as he had expected. '...I'm not sure what I should do right now.'

'What do you mean?' The strange lack of confidence in Connor's voice left Lucas somewhat perplexed. 'You're a hostage negotiator.'

'...Who struggled and fa-'

'Brother, don't begin to doubt yourself.' Lucas knew of Connor's previous attempts at hostage negotiation didn't end perfectly, but he still didn't do anything wrong. 'Not now, not ever.'

'My fellow officers are at risk. One mistake could-'

'Connor, you can do this. You're at a great advantage as of the moment and I know you'll think of a way to handle things that'll end with the hostage takers all arrested alongside the six students.'

'...I suppose you're correct.'

'From what Detective Collins has stated the trio just want justice, not to harm anyone.'

'One of the three hostage takers is holding something I cannot see and when I scan it I receive faint cybernetic feedback but no identification of the device he is holding. It might be an explosive that has had its chemical composition and detonator masked.'

'You have to make that decision on your own, brother. I know you'll handle things appropriately.'

'I hope so. I'm going to go silent for a moment and attempt to communicate with Hank in the bullpen. I'll update when I have something new to report.'

'Good luck.'

Ending the conversation Connor peered out the window again and realized that Hank could never speak on the phone without the hostage takers taking notice, and texting wasn't an option. Gavin was more familiar with his phone and was able to discreetly text Lucas without being seen, but Hank being less tech savvy left his options very limited.

"Shit..." Thinking on his feet Connor instead decided to contact Captain Fowler in his private office instead. Cybernetically Connor reached the private phone and made sure his call also muted the phone's ringer as to not alert the hostage takers to the private office. The moment Captain Fowler picked up the phone Connor resumed cybernetic contact and kept away from the window. 'Captain, I'm in the interview room. I can see Hank and Gavin in the bullpen, I can detect Chris in the locker room and the other officers on the second floor onward are secured.'

'That's good. I can't see anything without giving away my position, but I can still just barely hear things.' Keeping his voice low and soft as he kept down on the floor beside his desk to ensure if anyone came into the office they wouldn't necessarily see him. 'I've been trying to get the asshole who started this mess back on the line, but he won't respond. Until then do what you can to keep these three from doing anything regrettable.'

'Yes, sir.'

Just as Connor was about to end the call Connor heard a commotion just outside the door and peered out the window in time to see Clara marching Chris toward the bullpen by pressing the barrel of her shotgun against his back. Chris had both hands on his head and was moving slowly as to not make anything worse after being discovered.

'Shit, Chris has been taken hostage as well.'

'What? Fuck...'

'The rear door is no longer being guarded. If I can keep myself between the rear door and the hostage takers then assistance can enter the building from the back.'

'That's way too dangerous, Connor. Stay put!'

'...With all due respect, sir, it's our only option.'

'Connor! Don't you-'

Ending the call Connor took in a deep breath to calm his anxiety as he pressed the panel beside the door to unlock it and let it slide open. Keeping his hands visible at all times Connor revealed himself in the corridor and stood right on the edge of the bullpen to keep the corridor behind concealed behind his body. The moment he stepped forward Clara shoved Chris over toward Hank and Gavin while she turned the shotgun toward the now gathered three human detectives before her.

"He must've been hiding." Clara noted as she gave Chris a dirty look. "Who was with you?"

"Ma'am, I was alone." Speaking respectfully Chris lowered his hands from his head, then kept them behind his back. Concealed in his right palm was a small radio that was currently broadcasting everything being said in the precinct to any patrol on the proper frequency outside the building. "I had been in the locker room talking on the phone, and hadn't been informed of what's going on."

Masking his impressed reaction with how smoothly Chris was able to lie Hank made a mental note to give the younger officer a pay raise when everything was over. The radio could be the advantage they needed, and as long as no one took notice of it, the detectives had a greater chance of ending things peacefully.

Speaking up in a bold but not aggressive tone Hank gave the trio a stern look. "You're holding three cops hostage while demanding justice. This won't end as well as you think it will unless you're willing to cooperate with us."

"Cooperate?" Jacob nearly laughed at the comment. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Motioning toward Pamela in Jacob's grip Hank reminded the deviant that he was holding an innocent person as a hostage. "She isn't going to do anything to compromise this little situation. Why don't you just let her go and keep this problem with us, yourself and the suspects?"

"Let her go? So she can run out there and tell everyone what's going? So she can give away our positions so your team can take us down?"

"No, it's nothing like that. She's not even a cop, remember?" Using logic and reason Hank tried to keep things as calm as possible. "She's the receptionist, she doesn't know any police codes or protocols."

"Tell me why the other precinct is taking so long." Jacob challenged as he raised his gun toward Hank and turned his eyes toward Eric as the second deviant continued to hold the blanket protectively in both arms. "I'll consider letting her go if you tell me."

"I can't answer that unless I have outside contact."

"No! It's a trick!"

"It's not a trick. I can't communicate cybernetically the way you guys can, I need a phone." Slowly moving toward the phone again Hank went to pick it up from the receiver only to have a bullet destroy the phone before becoming lodged in the middle of his right thigh. "FUCK!" Falling backward onto the floor as Pamela let out a frightened cry Hank grabbed at his bleeding thigh with both hands as the burning pain instantly pulled Hank's thoughts away from the hostage taker and only to his wound. "Son of a bitch!"

"Lieutenant?!" Gavin knelt beside Hank and looked at the bleeding wound with wide hazel eyes. "Shit!" Shrugging off his leather jacket Gavin pressed the garment against the wound to try to apply pressure while Chris repositioned himself to keep between the wounded detective and the shooter. "Hey, he needs a doctor! The bullet's in his leg!"

Jacob wasn't going to let Hank go just yet. "Justice first!"

"You crazy-"

"Reed!" Barking in response Hank gave the burning Sergeant an order to calm down and keep his cool. "Don't... Just don't."

"You need help!"

"...And how is pissing them off or provoking another round of gunfire going to help?"

"This is bullshit!"

"I know. Just keep your cool... Fuck!" Leaning his back against the desk behind him Hank straightened his bleeding leg out and continued to apply pressure to his wounded leg. Biting his lower lip Hank breathed deeply as he could feel himself getting colder from blood loss and knew he was in trouble. "Damn bullet is right in the bone..."

Gavin tied his jacket around Hank's leg with the sleeves as he gauged Hank's alertness. "Did it get the artery or anything?"

"Don't know... It just hurts like a motherfucker!"

Clara lowered the shotgun from the human trio as she didn't detect any possible hostility coming from the group at the moment. Sensing Connor's slowly approaching footsteps Clara turned quickly and pointed the shotgun at the deviant detective instead. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm here to talk and to listen." Looking at Hank and running a scan over the senior detective's body Connor cybernetically informed Lucas of the shooting and that Hank needed an ambulance without breaking stride. The bullet missed the main blood vessels, but it had damaged enough of the leg to cause Hank to already lose an substantial amount of blood after heavily damaging the muscle tissue, and fracturing the femur. "Please talk to me, I want to help you."

Snarling in disgust Jacob looked at Connor and hovered his finger over the trigger of the gun as if taunting the detectives with a simple gesture after returning his aim to Pamela's temple. "You don't care... You never did!"

"Jacob, you know I'm here to help you." Connor stated in a level tone as he addressed the armed deviant still holding Pamela hostage. He could see the now hot barrel of the gun leaving a small burn on Pamela's temple from the close contact. "The students are currently being located so that can be arrested and taken to the Eastern Precinct to be charged with the murder of your daughter."

Clearly shocked by Connor's presence Jacob's arm tightened around Pamela's throat to the point where her artificial skin was beginning to bruise. "Where were you?! You were hiding! Why?!"

"I was in the interview room where we had spoken earlier. I was not hiding."

"What were you doing in there?"

"Speaking with Detective Lucas Blake at the Eastern Precinct. He's also a deviant, my brother in fact." Using the familial term to his advantage Connor watched as Jacob's left arm relaxed a little and gave Pamela more room to breathe. "I asked him to take the case regarding the assault and now murder since we had been ordered to drop it. He and his partner were beginning to work on the case when you returned. I'm sorry no one was able to contact you sooner."

"...Do you know what happened to Dahlia?" Needing to make sure everyone knew the truth Jacob spoke through his tears with a shaking voice. "Do you know what she went through?"

"I do." Briefly glancing at Hank to let him know that he had things under control Connor kept speaking with Jacob. "I know what the official apportionment report discovered. I know that your daughter was mercilessly attacked and that she didn't deserve it. No one does. And I know that she deserves justice."

"Then why did the precinct let them go?! ...Why did they let my daughter's killers go?"

"It wasn't our decision. The order came from someone with more power than us and they failed to disclose a proper reason for such a decision."

"Give me a reason! I want to know WHY!"

"...Okay. I will do what I can." Closing his eyes Connor cybernetically checked through the arrest records of the six college students and tried to find any plausible reason for the group to be set free. Keeping Lucas up to date on everything happening Connor managed to stay calm despite his scanner confirming that Hank was in serious need of medical attention. "...Please give me one minute."

Checking through the recent arrest reports Connor checked each name and compared the names to other powerful figures in the city: The first student arrested was an aspiring engineer named Lloyd Tilston; no previous problems with the law or school, his parents were of an average income with no influence. The second student was a science major named Natalie Fey, she too had no prior records and her parents were divorced and of modest income with no influence. The third student was Duncan Olsen who was studying biology; he had a single issue with the law when he attended a high school party with under aged drinking; his mother worked at an office while his father was on disability, neither parent had any influence either.

"...It seems three of the six students have no family connections that would shield them from the consequences of the law. But all the same they are guilty of assault and murder."

"Keep looking!" Jacob pleaded as he looked over at the blanket in Eric's arms and began to cry again. As he cried Eric tightened his arms a little and began to cry as well. "I want to know why these killers are allowed to roam the streets!"

The fourth student, an aspiring lawyer, was far more interesting than the first three; Benjamin Perkins - the son of special F.B.I. agent Richard Perkins. Richard had a grudge against the deviant community due to his assignment to thwart the Revolution being a failure and the deviants succeeding through peaceful means. As of the moment Benjamin was the prime suspect.

Continuing to check through the other students to prevent a perceived bias Connor made sure no detail was overlooked. The fifth student was also a science major named Krista LeBeau. She had a single previous arrest when she was sixteen for reckless driving, but her age kept her out of prison and neither of her parents had any influence with the community to quash the sentence. The final student was Dominick Ortez, an up and coming mathematician with a perfectly clean record; his mother died when he was a child and his father was a hardworking mechanic without any major connections to the city.

"...I believe I found the cause of the release for the six students." Opening his eyes Connor gave Jacob a somber glance as his blue L.E.D. settled on yellow the moment he pieced together the unjust behavior from the higher-ups. It was a cover-up by the F.B.I. to spare one student from possible expulsion. "...One of the students is the offspring of an agent of the F.B.I., it's possible that-"

"The F.B.I. is supposed to protect people!" Jacob began to cry again as he realized how much the odds were stacked again him. "And they'd let six killers go just to spare one of the irredeemable crimes?"

"You're right. The second precinct will ensure that-"

"How? How can they ensure anything?!"

"Things have changed and now this case has finally gotten the attention it should've received initially. Things will improve."

Jacob's gun began to lower from Pamela's temple as he listened to Connor's words. "...Dahlia will get her justice?"

"Yes. Right now you just need to let Pamela go and put down the guns. No one is going to harm you, and all of the students, the killers, will all be arrested."

"And you can guarantee that they will be punished?"

"I can guarantee that Detective Blake will work on the case personally, and ensure that it doesn't get dismissed a second time."

Narrowing his eyes at Connor for a moment Jacob challenged the statement. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I have no reason to lie to you, or let your daughter down. I won't do that." Reaching for the gun in the holster wrapped around his back and tucked under his blazer Connor slowly revealed his own gun and placed it down on a desk for them all to see. "I'm not even armed. Between the two of us only you have a gun, Jacob. You have the power to decide who lives and who dies today."

Feeling overwhelmed Jacob suddenly let go of Pamela and pushed her toward the front door of the precinct away from him. "Get out of here! Cops only!"

Pamela almost stumbled as she rushed toward the front doors as quickly as possible to get outside and let everyone waiting in the streets know what was happening.

"That's good." Connor confirmed as he looked over at Hank and watched as the senior detective's face paled to a ghastly shade.

"What about-" A shrill beep from the radio in Chris's hand caught Jacob's ear and he turned his attention to the young officer. Raising his gun Jacob panicked and pulled the trigger. "You said you wouldn't lie to me!"

Moving with incredible speed Connor managed to get himself over to where Chris was standing next to Gavin as they stood beside Hank's desk, and pushed the young officer to the side just as the bullet passed through the barrel. Unable to move fast enough to get out of the line of fire before the bullet reached where its original target had been Connor let out a sharp gasp of pain as the bullet cut through the left side of his neck with a splash of dark blue Thirium.

Collapsing to the floor on his right side Connor coughed once as blue blood dripped out of his mouth, and his neck began to bleed profusely. Too stunned to move, too shocked to speak, Connor just began to tremble as his Thirium gushed from the compromised main Thirial line running along the left side of his neck.

"C-Connor?!" Hank fell to his left side and immediately pressed his right hand over the bleeding wound while using his left hand to cradle Connor's head up from the floor and keep his neck straight. Watching as Connor's eyes began to slowly glaze over Hank applied as much pressure as he dared to the wound and spoke to the injured deviant in an impossibly calm voice. "You'll be okay, son. I gotcha'..."

Chris stared at Connor with shocked eyes while Gavin pulled him back up to his feet, took the radio from his palm and threw it across the bullpen for the three deviant hostage takers to see. Shaking with adrenaline Chris barely managed to find his voice as he realized what happened. "...Connor?"

Stepping forward Gavin put himself between Connor and the three gunman and held his arms out at his sides to show that he too was unarmed. "Look, you just shot two cops! If you want help you need to let us treat their injuries so they don't die!"

Jacob's hand began to tremble so much he dropped the gun to the floor at his feet. Staring at Connor as the deviant's neck continued to bleed and Thirium oozed blood out of his mouth, Jacob realized he just made a massive mistake. "...I...I didn't want to hurt them! I swear! It was an accident! My hand... It just... I don't know what happened! I panicked!"

"Intentional or not, it doesn't matter. They're bleeding out and they need help!"

"I-I-I can't just let them go!" Jacob quickly reclaimed his gun and then pointed the barrel at Gavin causing Gavin to raise his hands in the air in response. "My daughter still needs justice!"

Gavin wasn't going to let the deranged gunman call the shots any longer and took charge. "Look. This entire time you've been in here demanding justice there have been cops and detectives outside rounding up the people responsible for your daughter's death. I've been in contact with one such detective." Pulling his phone from his pocket Gavin let Jacob see his screen and the messages exchanged between Lucas and himself. "All six have been arrested and all six are at the Eastern Precinct right now being charged with breaking and entering, assault, hate crime, disorderly conduct, under age drinking, murder and anything else that can be stuck on 'em. It's going to take some time for this shit to get processed, and that's time that these two," slipping his phone back into his pocket Gavin pointed to the two bleeding detectives behind him. "don't have that kind of time!"

Jacob look down at Hank as the senior detective kept applying pressure to Connor's neck while Chris used tissues to wipe away the blood dripping from Connor's mouth. He truly didn't mean to shoot either Hank or Connor; he reacted to Hank reached for the phone and panicked when he heard the radio screeching.

"We're going to get these two the attention they need." Turning his back to Jacob without any fear Gavin knelt down beside Connor and looked at his glassy eyes with an unnerved gaze. The way Hank was applying pressure to the bullet wound seemed to be working well enough to keep the deviant from bleeding out, but Connor still needed technical assistance. "How's he doing, Lieutenant?"

"He's hanging on..." Readjusting his fingertips alongside Connor's bloody neck Hank let out a small sigh. "I can feel a pulse in his neck despite the injury. I'm not sure how, but he has an actual pulse."

"That's a good sign. And you?"

"Leg's killing me, and so's my head. Connor's worse off than I am."

"Then why the fuck are you turning gray?" The way Hank's complexion was paling hadn't escaped Gavin's attention. "You've lost a shit-ton of blood and need to see a doctor before that bullet does any permanent damage."

"And what do you suggest we do, Reed? We can't exactly get up and walk to the nearest hospital."

Watching Chris readily wiping the fresh blood from Connor's mouth and chin Gavin had a new idea. "Chris, take Hank's position. Hold the pressure on Connor's neck."

Hank immediately refused to let up on the pressure and gave Gavin an angered glare. "I got this!"

"You're tired and losing blood! Let Chris take over."

Slowly Connor's eyes blinked as he swallowed once, his throat shifting under Hank's touch as he cleared the blue blood from his mouth, then began to speak up in a very quiet whisper. "...I'm okay, Hank. ...Let go."

"You're bleeding. I'm NOT letting go."

"...Y-You need medical attention."

"And you need a technician."

Growing impatient Gavin practically pushed Hank aside as Chris placed his hands down on Connor's neck where Hank's hands had just been. "Lieutenant, you need to lay back."

"Fuck off!"

"Chris," ignoring the comment Gavin turned to lock eyes with Chris for only a moment before motion with his eyes toward Captain Fowler's office to indicate that they had one more ally in the bullpen. "hold the pressure on Connor's neck while I keep the pressure on the Lieutenant's leg." Glancing at Jacob over his left shoulder Gavin shot the deviant a dirty look. "You want justice? How're you going to get it while holding cops hostage?"

"...I want the killers brought here. Before me." Jacob stated with utter certainty in his words. "I want to look them in the eyes when they see what they have done. Not to me, but to my daughter."

"Yeah, criminals or not, no detective is going to march six people into a hostage situation!"

"...Jacob." Coughing weakly Connor managed to find his voice as his glassy eyes trailed lazily up toward Jacob's face. Seeing the desperation in Jacob's eyes, seeing the fear in Clara's body language and seeing the tears in Eric's eyes told Connor that regardless of what he said or what he tried to do, the day was going to end covered in blood. "...You want to get your daughter's killers in here?"

Growling a little Gavin shot the bleeding deviant a suspicious gaze. "Connor, shut up." Adding more pressure to the bullet wound in Hank's leg Gavin tried to not grimace at the warm blood seeping around his hands from under the jacket, or gag at the potent stench of blood in the air. "I got this!"

Speaking up again Connor maintained the role of hostage negotiator to the best of his ability. "...You need to let Hank go, Jacob. ...A trade, if you will."

The prospect sounded reasonable to Jacob. "A trade?"

"No!" Gavin nodded at Connor as he returned his eyes to the frosted over windows of Captain Fowler's office. "Let Connor go and they'll bring the six students in here... somehow. BUT they will be protected by six accompanying officers."

"No. I already let the receptionist go." Jacob refused the offer and tried to keep in control of the uncontrollable situation. "I've already given up one hostage, now I want those killers brought before me!"

"...Hank gets to go." Connor stated in a whisper as his eyes slipped shut. "...Then you will get what you want."

Hank refused to go anywhere and put a pale, cold hand on Connor's shoulder heavily. "You're hurt worse than I am. YOU go."

"...H-Hostage negotiator." Replying with a shaking voice Connor opened his eyes again. "...You n-need to go. ...L-Lucas will know what t-to do."

Jacob looked to Clara beside him as they engaged in silent cybernetic conversation. It was clear they were growing desperate and didn't know what to do. They hadn't planned on hurting anyone, but in the end they two detectives had become critically wounded. Jacob's eyes closed as he nodded his and looked over to Eric with a somber gaze.

"Eric, stay where you are. Clara, return to the backdoor." Tightening his hand around his gun Jacob gave the four detectives on the floor his answer. "Take the human outside. Connor stays here."

"No!" Hank tried and failed to get up as his leg had grown numb and heavy. "I won't leave my partner behind!"

Connor offered a compromise even as he continued to bleed out on the ground. "...G-Gavin, you take Hank outside. ...Chris w-will stay here with m-me so I'm not alone."

"Kid, no!"

Gavin had heard enough arguing and sided with Connor for once. "Lieutenant, yes." Pulling Hank's right arm around his shoulders Gavin pulled Hank up at his left side, his left arm wrapping around Hank's waist as he hefted the Lieutenant's heavier weight up from the floor, and shifted his own weight to keep Hank from falling on his damaged leg. "Lean on me."

"Let go!"

"Don't be such a dumb fucker! You need help."

"Connor's been shot in the neck!"

"And you've been shot in the thigh." Forcing Hank to limp forward and out of the bullpen Gavin struggled to help the wounded detective to walk with essentially only one leg over to the ambulance already called to the scene. "It's not a competition. You're both equally fucked!"

"Damn it, let go!"

"Too late," shifting his weight again Gavin directed Hank toward the front door to step outside and receive medical attention. "we're at the entrance."

Letting out a small breath Connor kept his eyes closed and informed Lucas through cybernetic contact that Hank had been let go as an exchange for the six arrested students, and to make sure the six students are properly protected. Still unable to confirm or deny that Eric was holding an explosive device Connor just laid still and tried to ignore the red warnings in his visual processor informing him of his low Thirium pressure and volume. "...Thank you."

Chris readjusted his hands to keep Connor's neck and the wound under a firm pressure as he strategically repositioned himself so the doorway to Captain Fowler's office was kept clear at all times. "You're going to be fine, man. Hank's going to be okay, too."

"...Thank you, C-Chris." Getting an update from Lucas as his brother stood outside with the arrested six students Connor gave Jacob a blank stare. "...They're outside. L-Let them in."

Jacob let out a shuddering breath as he nodded and motioned for Eric to rejoin him in the bullpen. "...Finally."

The front door opened wide and Lucas entered with Kevlar over his person, his badge in his left hand and his empty right hand still visible at all times. Standing at the entrance of the bullpen Lucas, with the six students on the tablet screens in the hands of the six officers behind him, called out to Jacob in a calm tone. "We've brought the people you wish to see, Jacob. Until we can guarantee their safety and the safety of the remaining hostages I will not permit them to walk any closer to the building."

"...They don't need to see me in person." Slipping his gun into the back of his jeans Jacob carefully took the blanket from Eric's arms. Holding the object for himself, his arms almost cradling the enigmatic item, Jacob made it known he was eager to bring everything to a close. "They need to see the true carnage of their crimes."

"I still need a sign of good faith from you, Jacob." Lucas glanced over at Connor and could see his brother laying in a slowly growing puddle of his own blue blood while Chris continued to apply pressure to the wound. Scanning over Connor's vital signs Lucas knew his brother was stable for the moment, but still needed technical assistance. "Before I let any of the six students near you I need to see the other hostages."

Jacob began crying a little as he sucked in a breath between his clenched teeth and wrapped his arms even tighter around the blanket. "...You see that they're both still alive. Just... Just let my daughter have her justice! It's all I want..."

Taking a slow step forward Lucas peered over the desks to get a direct line of sight to Connor and Chris on the ground. Connor had slipped into emergency stasis mode while Chris was remaining entirely calm as he expertly held pressure on the wound. "Officer Miller, are you harmed?"

"No. I haven't been injured or even threatened. I'm okay."

"Very well." Stepping back Lucas looked at Clara and then to Eric. "You have three guns, the officers who accompanied me in here are all armed and won't hesitate to open fire if they feel as though you're going to do something dangerous. Please understand that while we are not excusing the behavior of the six students, we cannot condone you harming them in response. That's not how justice should be achieved."

"...I will not physically harm them." Reaching for the gun tucked in his jeans Jacob held the weapon by the barrel, then dropped it on the floor before sliding it toward Lucas with his foot. "That's not my intention."

Slowly Lucas bent down and picked up the gun and put it aside on a nearby desk. "Tell your allies to lower their weapons."

Cybernetically Jacob told Clara and Eric to point their shotguns down toward the floor, but if anyone made a move toward them to raise the weapons once more and not blink. "...Done."

Turning to look at the gathered group near the front of the bullpen Lucas nodded and stretched out his right arm to keep the officers from getting too close to Jacob for any reason. Ready to make a move, ready to fight back if he needed to protect the people inside the precinct, Lucas preconstructed fifty-two separate methods of disarming and restraining the three deviants that would prevent anymore needless violence.

Whimpering and cowering where they stood the six students all looked into the screens letting them see Jacob inside the building. The arrested college students had Kevlar vests and personal officers to protect them in the event of physical retaliation even while outside the precinct, and yet they continued to fear for their lives as the single deviant addressed them in a low voice overflowing with frustrated emotions.

"You six..." Jacob let out a choking sob as he forced himself to speak to them through the screens. "You six broke into my home. You attacked me. You attacked my wife. You attacked my best friend. But worst of all, you attacked my daughter." With tears in his eyes Jacob studied the frightened faces of the college students all on display before him. "Why? Why would you do that? We were quietly living in our lives in what was supposed to be a safe place. What did we ever do to you?"

No one answered the questions. Crying and sniffling the students finally seemed to understand that what they had done was inexcusable.

"You got drunk and you targeted my apartment. Why?" Tightening his arms around the blanket again Jacob just shook his head with disappointment. "I don't know who any of you are, neither do my wife or my friend. And I certainly know my daughter never knew you. So why did you do it? For fun? Were you bored? Did my family's contentedness somehow threaten you?"

The group of students continued to cry, five of them anyway, as they had no answer to give. There was no excusing their behavior or justification to even give them the remotest of doubts.

"She screamed." Jacob stated as his tone dropped and a strange numbness fell over his words. "Dahlia, my little girl, screamed. She begged you to stop, she begged you to leave her alone, she tried to get up and run or hide, but you..." His eyes narrowed on the face of Benjamin Perkins as he spoke. "You grabbed her by her shoulders and you threw her on the ground where you proceeded to kick her. Over and over... She cried and then suddenly fell silent. You took one look at her bleeding body while your friends held me back and then you laughed... You LAUGHED."

Benjamin paled with fear but didn't look at all ashamed.

"You thought it was funny that my daughter had been so scared and had been begging for mercy. Let me ask you this, is it STILL funny?"

Gently pulling the blanket away from the object in his arms Jacob began crying even harder as he revealed the bruised and pale face of a shutdown child android as he spoke its name. "...This is Dahlia. My daughter. You killed her! That's funny, right?"

Five of the students burst into tears and began shaking uncontrollably, while Benjamin alone just gave the deceased android an emotionless stare through the screen.

"Well, laugh! Laugh at her! It was funny last night, why isn't funny now?!"

Krista lost her cool and sobbed with utter remorse in her words. "It wasn't supposed to be like this!"

Benjamin made a move to 'shush' her but the cop behind him kept him from moving.

"B-Ben said we were just going to mess with a few store mannequins and scare some people! We didn't... I don't remember how much I had to drink! I'm so sorry! I didn't... We didn't..."

Speaking up as well Dominick supported Krista's claims as she trailed off. "Ben said you weren't... alive. He said we could really hurt anyone! We were all so stressed out from school and... We didn't know we really hurting anyone! We're sorry! We're so sorry!"

Jacob held Dahlia's body closer to his chest as he saw the tears of five of the six students and knew they were truly sorry for what they had done. Every one of them was crying save for Benjamin who just looked like he was annoyed by an inconvenience, rather than actually accepting that he had committed a serious felony.

Lucas's heart went out to the deviant and he cybernetically update everyone outside confirming that there was no bomb inside the building. "Jacob, you have my sincerest condolences for your loss. But taking hostages and being violent isn't the way to handle this."

"...I know. But it was the only way I had." Kissing Dahlia's forehead Jacob wept deeply as glared at Benjamin through the screen. "He was the one who led the group inside my apartment. He was the one who threw the first punch. He was the one who targeted Dahlia and chased her through the apartment as she cried and tried to get away. He alone is responsible for my daughter's death."

"He will be charged-"

"No. Not good enough." Tightening his arms around Dahlia yet again Jacob looked over at Connor and watched as the unconscious deviant's face paled as he continued to lose blood and his artificial skin thinned significantly. "...I want to look into the eyes of my daughter's murderer. Give me this simple request and I'll end this. It's clear that Connor will not last much longer without technical assistance."

Chris had noticed that Connor was beginning to shiver under his palm as the severe blood loss stole his strength. "Detective Blake, I think he's going into shock. What do I do?"

Lucas looked at his brother on the floor and knelt beside him without any hesitation. Pressing his exposed right palm to Connor's left cheek Lucas ran a direct diagnostic that caused his calm blue L.E.D. to yellow, the color matching Connor's own L.E.D. as it glowed in an amber hue in his right temple. "...His system is struggling to compensate for the Thirium loss. His non-vital programs have begun shutting down one by one, and soon his biocomponents will do the same."

"What can I do?"

"Keep the pressure on his neck." Glancing up at Captain Fowler's office Lucas detected the commanding officer's vital signs and knew that he was moving toward the door of the office. His thermal scan let him see Captain Fowler's location and body position, and knew he was armed. "And keep your head down."

"Right." Shifting his weight a little Chris repositioned his hand a little to keep a cramp from setting in while he continued to apply pressure. "Hang on, Connor."

Standing back up Lucas turned to face Jacob and gave him a stern look. "You wish to look Benjamin Perkins in the eyes and I wish to save Connor's life. Let me take Connor outside and-"

"No. No more negotiation, no more trades. Bring my daughter's killer in here or one of us finishes Connor off. You have five minutes."

Thinking quickly Lucas cybernetically connected to Gavin outside and asked him to call Captain Fowler's personal phone as opposed to the office phone to let him know what was happening. "Very well." Approaching the six officers still holding the tablet screens Lucas motioned for them to leave. "I will personally escort Benjamin Perkins inside and protect him."

Jacob wept harder as he cradled Dahlia against his chest. Clara silently wept from the rear of the bullpen while Eric shed his own tears near the front. It was clear that Dahlia was absolutely loved and that her death had been the unorthodox family's heart.

After a few seconds Lucas returned to the bullpen with Benjamin behind him. Moving slow and making sure that Benjamin stayed behind him at all times Lucas neared Jacob and gave him a focused look. "This is as close as you're going to get, Jacob. Don't do anything foolish."

Jacob just stared at Benjamin as the student cowered behind Lucas timidly. "You killed Dahlia. You killed my daughter. You are a killer. No matter where you go, what you do or what you try to tell yourself one thing will always remain true: You're a ruthless, heartless, cowardly murderer!"

Benjamin let out a sound akin to a whimper as tried to hide behind Lucas as much as possible.

"Look at her. Look at Dahlia. Look at the little girl you killed!" Running his fingers through Dahlia's dark hair Jacob's tear filled eyes filled with rage. "Be proud of yourself for your actions. You took an innocent life and were able to walk away without a single mark against you. You're a law student, right? Did you learn how to kill and get away with it in school, or did you learn from your father?"

Lucas's posture stiffened while Chris just stared at Jacob with wide empathetic eyes.

"I know what your father did. He's the reason Dahlia lost her parents. They were murdered in one of the recycling camps he sanctioned. I found her crying in the snow, cold, unclothed and weeping over the bodies of her parents. I took her hand and held her tight as she cried into my shoulder. I escaped the raid on Jericho just to find a frightened and orphaned child who had seen only cruelty and hatred in what was supposed to be a new world of peace and tolerance."

Holding onto Dahlia tightly Jacob's hand reached into the blanket and took hold of something unseen.

"Clara had been hiding an abandoned building, nursing her wounds and waiting for help. She was rounded up and taken to one of the camps to be executed as your father had ordered. She was fortunate and left with her life. Eric had been wounded during the Raid and had to hide during the Revolution or risk death. When I met Clara she told me of the horrors she witnessed during the executions and swore she'd help me protect Dahlia. We fell in love and took in Dahlia as our own daughter, and when we were reunited with Eric we had a complete family."

Speaking from his heart Jacob seemed to be giving a eulogy rather than a statement.

"You tore us apart. You took away Dahlia and there's nothing that can be done to bring her back. Just as your own father was able to walk away from mass murder; genocide, you too were able to walk away from a murder charge without the slightest complication." Pulling a second gun from under the blanket Jacob pressed the barrel of the weapon under his chin and closed his eyes. "What's one more death? You have plenty of room for blood on your hands..."

Lucas's priority was to protect Benjamin, as repugnant as the responsibility was he couldn't leave the young man unguarded. Having not anticipated a second gun all Lucas could do was try to make a grab for the gun before it was too late. "Jacob! Don't!"

The sound of gunshot filled the bullpen, but the bullet didn't originate from Jacob's gun, it came from Captain Fowler's gun. The seasoned detective had pulled open his office door, took aim at Jacob's left shoulder and opened fire with impressive timing and accuracy. The bullet passed through Jacob's shoulder causing him to stumble back a little. Choosing to hold onto Dahlia rather than the gun Jacob lost his grip and was effectively unarmed.

Lucas dove for the gun, grabbed it and got back to his feet within a matter of seconds. Returning to his original position Lucas made sure he was still between Jacob and Benjamin, and pushed the younger man to get him to back up toward the front of the bullpen behind them.

"Don't move!" Barking his orders Captain Fowler exited his office and kept his gun trained on Jacob as the now wounded and bleeding deviant clutched his daughter's body to his chest. "You two!" Shouting at Clara and Eric as they rushed to Jacob's sides Captain Fowler took full control of the situation. "Drop your guns!"

Clara and Eric tossed aside the shotguns and knelt beside Jacob on the floor and put their hands on the backs of their heads to surrender.

"Chris, get tech down here and get Connor some help." Turning to look at Lucas who was still positioned between Benjamin and the three deviant gunmen Captain Fowler gave him an order as well. "You get that piece of shit out of here. I'll watch these three."

"Yes, sir." Lucas turned around, put his hand on Benjamin's shoulder and marched him out of the precinct.

Quickly Chris managed to reach a phone on a nearby desk and called the dispensary on the second floor to ask for assistance and to have the building's current lockdown lifted. It wasn't long before Joel and half a dozen officers rushed into the bullpen to check out the aftermath of the hostage situation.

"Don't you even think about moving." Captain Fowler warned as he kept his eyes on the surrendering trio before him. "You shot two of my detectives, held four of them captive, pointed your guns at all four of them and you threatened the life of our receptionist. I understand your pain but your behavior was still illegal."

"...I know." Jacob admitted fault as he tightened his arms around Dahlia and slowly knelt on the floor as he grieved with his family. "That's why I wanted to die. At least then I'd be reunited with Dahlia on the other side. I imagine she's been reunited with her parents by now, but I can't live without her in my life."

A few feet away from the deviant trio Joel had quickly applied a pressure bandage to Connor's neck and taken his vital signs. Connor was very weak and it was a struggle to keep him stable as his Thirium loss began to cause his system complications. "The bullet didn't destroy the left ascending Thirial line," Joel noted as he examined the damage. "but it cannot be repaired by his self healing program alone. He needs to see a technician, NOW."

Right on cue a stretcher was rolled into the bullpen by two E.F.T.'s with Lucas leading the way. As the E.F.T.'s were shown into the precinct the three deviant hostage takers were all handcuffed and escorted to holding cells by the other officers so Captain Fowler could finally breathe and sort through the mess.

"Chris." Turning around Captain Fowler faced the younger officer and holstered his gun. "I know you said you're not hurt, but you're going to get a check-up at the hospital and take the rest of today and all of tomorrow off."

Standing up from the floor and backing away from Connor to give the E.F.T.'s more room to work Chris acknowledged his commanding officer respectfully. "Yes, sir. Are you harmed?"

"No, I'm okay. Just got one mother of a headache."

"Need me to say anything to Lieutenant Anderson?"

"If you see him at the hospital let him know everything ended peacefully. I'll see him myself later."

"Right." Giving Connor a sympathetic glance as the deviant was carefully placed onto the stretcher for transport Chris felt his hands shaking and knew he needed to call his wife again. "I... I'll go to the hospital and then file my report from home."

"Good man." Patting Chris's shoulder Captain Fowler just stared at Connor as the security straps were placed over his body. "Clever thinking with the radio, but if this happens again you get your ass OUT of the hostage situation, don't join it."

"Yes, sir. You have my word!"

Riding in the back of the android unique ambulance alongside Connor as the E.F.T.'s tended to his wounded neck Lucas cybernetically sent Noreen a text that he was going to the facility to be with Connor, and that he was unharmed. Watching as his brother's soulful brown eyes slowly opened and stared blankly at the ceiling of the ambulance above him Lucas spoke to Connor in a level tone of voice as the E.F.T.'s took his vitals, kept pressure on the bandages over his neck and started a Thirium I.V. in his left arm.

"Connor? Connor, you're going to be fine."

"...L-Lucas?"

"That's right. I'm beside you."

"Jacob..." Trailing off for a moment Connor's eyes blinked very slowly before resuming the unseeing stare at the ceiling. "...He wanted justice for his daughter."

"That's right. He's been arrested and no one was else was injured."

"H-He was a father..."

"Yes, he adopted Dahlia after she was orphaned during the Revolution."

"...H-Hank was a father." Flinching a little as the E.F.T.'s placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth Connor continued his odd train of thought. "...He was in pain, too. D-Didn't hurt others... Wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Try to take it easy, brother. You're a little delirious from insipid shock."

"...E-Even without Cole in his life H-Hank is still a father."

"Yes, that's also right. No one ever stops being a parent."

"...He calls me... son. A-Am I... But... I'm not... Not..."

"Connor lay still and stop talking. You need to save your strength." Putting his right palm over Connor's hair Lucas gave his big brother a reassuring voice to listen to as they neared the Epsilon Facility. "Go into emergency rest mode for now. Once you're awake again your neck will be repaired and you can see Hank. Okay?"

Closing his eyes again Connor's body relaxed and his head lolled a little to the left as he lost consciousness.

"It's okay, brother." Pulling his hand back from Connor's hair Lucas bowed his head a little as he cybernetically relayed everything to both precincts and let them know that Connor had briefly regained consciousness en route to the facility. "You're going to be okay, I promise."

The messy hostage situation and its outcome was broadcast over the news, and the disgraced college students were all known to the city for their malicious crime and the egregious lack of punishment courtesy of agent Richard Perkins abusing his authority. Since it was the Eastern Precinct who rearrested the six students the media was hovering over that particular location, while the higher-ups at the Central Precinct were struggling with damage control since it was through them that Agent Perkins caused the entire fiasco to even happen. Giving no statement Captain Fowler left the higher-ups on their own to give a statement and try to save face.

Due to Hank being shot during the messy ordeal security at St. Mercy Hospital had been increased as a means of keeping nosy reporters from getting inside and bothering Hank after recovering from his emergency surgery. Fortunately, no one had slipped inside. Dr. Caleb Wilson had personally taken over Hank's care once more as he felt as though he owed both Hank and Connor special treatment.

The past fall Caleb's brother, a cop, had been shot while responding to a hostage situation at an apartment downtown. Connor had been the negotiator at the scene and had taken the time to save his brother's life by tying a tourniquet around his injured brother's arm. Knowing it was an android, a now deviant detective, who had saved his brother Dr. Wilson decided to double his preferential treatment toward cops as his patients, and he began educating himself on android technical treatment just in case a deviant ever needed his help.

Hovering over the recovery bed as Hank slowly came out of anesthesia Dr. Wilson checked Hank's vitals and spoke to him in a low voice. "Lieutenant Anderson? Can you hear me?"

Muttering for a moment Hank's head lolled to the left toward Dr. Wilson's voice as he took in a deep breath to clear his head. "...Y-Yeah."

"Do you know where you are?"

Opening his groggy blue eyes Hank glanced about the bland white walls of the hospital's recovery room. He saw the muted cardiac monitor beside him, felt the nasal canula under his nose, felt the I.V. in the bend of his left arm, smelled the annoying stench of cleansers in the air and felt a dull ache in his right leg. The damaged leg had been splinted in a brace after being wrapped up in gauze as a post operative measure.

"...H-Hospital." Finding his voice again Hank answered the question correctly. "I'm in the hospital."

"That's right. You're lucky, the bullet missed everything vital and it only fractured your femur rather than breaking through the bone." Making a note in Hank's electronic chart Dr. Wilson was satisfied that Hank was going to make a full recovery. "It's still going to hurt like a son of a bitch for six to eight weeks, but you'll heal quicker than you would from a full bone break."

"...How bad was the damage?" Opening his blue eyes more fully Hank's irises cleared up as he became more alert. "...How's Connor?"

"The muscle was torn, the bone was fractured and a few blood vessels needed to be repaired." Walking around the bed Dr. Wilson pulled back the pale blue privacy curtain between Hank's bed and the neighboring bed to reveal Hank's sleeping roommate. "And Connor's right ascending Thirial line was repaired perfectly by Dr. Hetfield at the Epsilon Facility about two hours ago."

Surprised to see Connor asleep in the hospital bed with a Thirium I.V. connected to the bend of his left arm Hank blinked his eyes a few time as he tried to figure out what he was seeing. "...Connor? Why's he here and not in a facility?"

"Shortly after regaining consciousness at the facility he tried to get up and leave so he could check in on you. As a compromise to get Connor to actually rest Lucas brought him here, told me what was going on and we both decided it would be easier to just let Connor rest near you. I'm not too familiar with deviant behavior," the kind and honest doctor admitted as he checked the line in Connor's arm carefully. "but it seems like Connor has a little problem with being alone."

"Y-Yeah. The kid hates being by himself for too long, even after having a bad day. He must've been stressing himself out..." Sitting up a little in the bed Hank groaned as the motion affected his healing leg, and he promptly stopped moving. Taking in a few deep breaths Hank waited for the pain to pass before he spoke again. "...Where is Lucas right now?"

"He's speaking with your Captain outside and giving his side of the story about what went down. He'll be back soon." With Connor's line checked Dr. Wilson pushed aside the white blanket over Hank's leg to check on the bandages and brace beneath. There was no sign of bleeding or destabilization, and the color to Hank's legs all the way down to his toes was still good. No internal hemorrhage or poor circulation present. "Looks like you're both on the mend and just need some rest. Since you were wounded in an area with such deep tissue and numerous blood vessels we're going to keep you here for forty-eight hours and then you can go home to rest. You'll be on antibiotics and painkillers as well."

"Great... Looking forward to be stuck handling paperwork behind a desk all damn day again."

"Could be worse."

"Yeah, yeah... Thanks for you help, doc."

"No problem. I'll be back in an hour to check on you, but just press the 'call' button if you need anything at all."

"Right, I know the drill." Turning to look at Connor laying in the bed beside his own Hank sighed and stare at the thick white bandages wrapped around the deviant's neck warily. Connor was wearing a pair of teal blue scrubs and seemed to be sleeping well as his yellow L.E.D. cycled in a steady pulse in his right temple. "Glad you're okay, kid. That was too damn close."

"He was very worried about you." Lucas walked into the private recovery room and stood beside Hank's bed. "Despite being told to lay still and rest Connor insisted on checking on you. Fortunately, Dr. Wilson is very patient and understanding."

"Yeah, I'm glad I got one of the cool doctors, and not one of those 'by-the-book', got a permanent rectal thermometer up their ass type of doctor." Returning his attention to Connor beside him Hank tried to relax as much as possible. "How bad was he hurt?"

"The damage was substantial but not irreparable, or necessarily lethal. Dr. Hetfield was able to repair the main line without any complications, and he was able to reshape the damaged plastimetal frame to ensure that the line beneath has been fully protected."

"Good. A bullet through the neck is just... Shit. That scared the Hell out of me."

"I can understand. I imagine that fear was mutual since Connor didn't want to rest and he wanted to check on you before he even began to rest."

"How about you and everyone else? Anyone else get hurt?"

"Beyond Jacob himself, no. Captain Fowler had to subdue him with a bullet."

"Subdue?" Sitting upright again Hank shifted his weight to keep the strain off his healing leg. Looking over at Connor for a moment as the deviant's chest slowly rose and fell as he slept Hank began to contemplate how lucky he and Connor truly were after the hostage situation came to an end. "What the hell did I miss?"

Explaining everything that happened after Hank had been taken to safety by Gavin, and of how the hostage negotiation came to its bitter end Lucas made sure Hank knew that things couldn't have ended any better, and that neither he nor Connor should ever blame themselves for what happened. Placing a chair between the two beds Lucas pressed his bare right palm down on Connor's left forearm to run a quick diagnostic since there was no Thirial activity monitor in the hospital to record Connor's vital signs.

"Connor is stable and his repaired line is holding strong. He'll be waking up within two hours, eighteen minutes and forty-three seconds."

"...Think you could stick around for a while, Lucas? It's going to take me a while to wrap my head around everything that happened, and I'd rather talk to someone who isn't my commanding officer or a smug Sergeant who dragged my ass out of the precinct."

"Of course, Hank. I'll stay. Captain Fowler is still here but Gavin has gone back to the apartment to try to unwind."

"Good, good... And, uh, could you tell me when you and Connor became brothers?"

Lucas gave Hank a somewhat embarrassed look as he replied in a way that was like a child being asked about a little secret from a parent. "...Excuse me?"

"I remember hearing something about you being Connor's brother today. It's not a problem, I'm just wondering when it became official?"

"...I guess it sort of happened when Connor came by my apartment to visit me after the incident with the 'red ice' dealers. We spoke for a while and realized that the worry we show one another is similar to that of siblings. Since we're the last of our kind and there will be no other 'RK-800' or 'RK-900' models created it makes sense to accept one another as brothers, rather than acquaintances."

"Cool. I'm glad you two are brothers now. I think it'll help you both adapt to deviancy easier if you have each other to lean on."

"I'd like to have a family." Speaking up in a relatively wary tone Lucas pressed his hands together and rubbed his palms as if nervous. The discussion he had with Gavin a few months back was still vivid in his mind. "I understand that the pain of loss that comes from a family is extreme, but I'd prefer to risk it than live without knowing what it feels like to have a family."

"Never let fear stop you from new experiences, kid. That's something humans still need to learn, too."

"May I ask how you were able to... cope... after you lost your own family?"

"A lot of whiskey," there was no hesitation to the answer as Hank replied honestly. "a lot of shitty food, hiding in the dark, pushing people away and getting lost in my own misery. I really don't recommend it."

"What changed? You're sober, taking care of yourself and you're being more social."

"Having Connor show up in my life helped out immensely. He refused to take my bullshit and whipped my ass back into action."

"Is that why you took him in after the Revolution? Gratitude?"

"I took him in because he's my friend, Lucas. He needed somewhere to live and someone to help him. He saved my life and I wanted to save him in return."

Lucas fell silent for a moment and focused his gray eyes on the floor at his feet.

"What is it you really want to ask? I'm on a shit-ton of painkillers right now, so this is the best time to ask anything you want."

Raising his gaze for a moment Lucas let out a soft sigh through his nose as he forced himself to lock eyes with Hank. "...Do you see Connor as your family?"

"Do I-" The question was very unexpected and stunned Hank for a moment. Such a concept wasn't unusual for Hank in any capacity, yet he still wasn't sure how to respond. "Well, I guess I do. He's very much like a kid trying to figure out this world, and he needs someone to help him understand what's going on as he grows and adapts. Having him around has been good for me, and all I can hope to do is be good for him."

"Would you consider him... Never mind. Sorry." Stopping the question before he even asked it Lucas's blue L.E.D. flashed to red as he decided he accidentally overstepped his bounds. "Forget I brought it up."

Hank knew what Lucas was going to ask and answered it anyway. "...In a way, yes. I do think of Connor as a son."

Gray eyes went wide with shock at the answer. "Y-You do?"

"Yes. I can't really explain it since humans are all kinds of fucked up and we're emotionally illogical, but it's like Connor is my second born son and I only just got to meet him last winter. He's my kid."

"That is an unusual reaction to such an unexpected introduction to one another."

"Tell me about it..." Tugging a little at the canula under his nose Hank tried to ignore the bruise like ache in his leg and gave Lucas a tired stare. "I'm going to try to get some sleep. When Connor wakes up wake me up, too. I want him to know I'm okay."

"I understand." Cybernetically Lucas dimmed the lights in the room and remained in the seat. "I'll take the time to finish my report and file it with my precinct while you rest."

"Right. Thanks for sticking around."

"You're welcome." Glancing at Connor at his side again Lucas gave his big brother a respectful nod. "I'll be here when you both wake up."

-next chapter-