Retreating to the cabin for a three day weekend of calmness and hopeful normalcy Hank, Connor and Lucas spent time together while hiding away from the rest of the world. Laying over the length of the sofa in the livingroom with a age worn book in his hands Hank listened to the soothing sound of the rain pounding against the roof and against the windows as an early summer storm fell over the lake. Lightly rubbing his left hand along Sumo's side as the massive dog napped on the floor beside the couch Hank put down the book with his right hand and gazed through the large window in the nearby kitchen leading out into the backyard of the expansive property.

Lucas had driven the two detectives to the cabin since Hank's leg needed to heal and Connor's injury made his driving momentarily questionable. Returning to the city to work two more shifts Lucas drove back to the cabin on the third day to drive the duo back home. More fascinated by the storm and less interested with the hour long drive back to the city Lucas stood on the back porch to watch the rain pour over the lake, while Connor had gone into the clearing to check on his flower growing over the secret grave.

As the storm grew in intensity and the rain began pounding down like hammers over the roof Hank let out a soft sigh and sat upright on the sofa as he called out to Lucas in a loud but not shouting voice. "Hey, Lucas?"

The deviant turned to face Hank through the window behind him, then opened the same window before replying to the human inside. "Yes, Hank?"

"Where's Connor?"

"In the clearing."

"Still?" It had been almost five hours since he last saw the missing deviant, and even then it was already raining. "He's been there all morning..."

"I'll go and check on him. Perhaps he's trying to protect the clearing from potential storm damage."

"Yeah, make sure he isn't going to try to climb a damn tree again..."

Unsure of what Hank was talking about Lucas simply turned around the pulled up the hood of his red 'Detroit Gears' hoodie to protect his hair from the rain as he made his way over to the treeline. Pushing aside the thin trees and overgrown flora Lucas detected Connor's faint footsteps imprinted on the forest floor, and trailed his big brother to the clearing on the other side of the treeline.

"Connor?"

Receiving no reply Lucas continued to walk forward until he located Connor standing before the grave with his eyes transfixed on the growing flower and his L.E.D. cycling in a nervous yellow. His clothing had been soaked through by the warm rain and despite his apparent discomfort from being caught in the storm Connor wasn't moving or even complaining about what he was experiencing.

"Brother? Are you okay?"

"...I'm not harmed."

"Do you need help with something?"

"...No."

The unhelpful answers only caused Lucas's curiosity to mount. Approaching his brother slowly Lucas stood beside Connor and followed Connor's gaze to the growing flower at the head of the grave resting just before the white stone. "What's wrong?"

"...The flower. The flower is wrong."

"The flower?" Staring at the growing flora intently Lucas saw no sign of disease or damage on the flower itself. The stem was a deep dark green with what looked like small sharp nubs running up its length. The singular pale bud at the top of the stem seemed to be eager to gain nutrition and begin blooming. "But... it's alive. It's healthy."

"...It's not the flower I wanted."

"How so?"

"Lucas," staring at the flower as if he were looking at an abomination of nature Connor explained his sudden resentment toward its existence. "I planted the seed of a white carnation. At least, that's what I had been told I had purchased." Running a scan over the flower as it flourished in the clearing Connor identified the plant with great interest and loathing. "...It's a rosa of the of the Rosaceae family."

"Your carnation is in fact a rose?"

"Correct."

"Can I ask why this upsets you?"

"Because I wanted a white carnation. They are supposed to represent good fortune."

"Roses are for difficult to cultivate and grow. You should be-"

"I hate roses, Lucas." The reply was as sharp as it was angered. "I hate them. They remind me of..." Trailing off as he didn't want to mention Amanda in any capacity Connor shook his head and continued to glare at the offensive flower. "It doesn't matter. I just hate them, and I don't want to take care of one."

Unsure of what to do or what to say Lucas eyed the growing rose with a curious eye and was met with a brief flash of a locked up memory from his past as an obedient machine of an android. The image was of the very Zen Garden that was Connor's Mind Palace. Seeing the blood red roses growing in the trestle that stretched from floor and up to the seemingly endless sky above gave Lucas pause. The briefly seen facade of a woman with a cold gaze and a rose in her hands was enough to shake Lucas to his core, and give him all the information he needed to understand Connor's resentment.

"...The roses. They belonged to your handler." The unlocked memory gave him all the answers he needed. "They belonged to Amanda."

Lowering his eyes to the grave and away from the rose Connor's shoulders tensed up and his eyes filled with tears. "...The very sight of a rose or even the scent is enough to give me nightmares. I always see her and there are times where I can hear her voice. Even though she's gone she still taunts me. I do my best to escape her hold and to move on from my past, and yet there are still obstacles in my way that prevent me from ever truly escaping."

"Connor, it's a simple flower that has grown under your care and devotion. Carnation or a rose shouldn't matter in the end."

"But it does. It's not what I wanted, and I no longer care about its existence."

"...Do you want me to remove it from the grave for you?"

"Remove it?" The offer wasn't expected and Connor couldn't even preconstruct an outcome after it had been taken away. "And do what with it?"

"Dispose of it."

Disposing of the rose was completely unacceptable. "...No."

"I truly do not understand. You don't wish to have the rose under your care, but you do not want it removed, either?"

Glancing at the rose again Connor ran a scan and confirmed that it was healthy, and actively growing right before his eyes. "...It's alive, Lucas. I... I don't want to kill it. I don't want to kill anyone, even if it's just a flower." Letting his shoulders slump again Connor let out a soft sigh as he glanced up at the rain seeping through the forest canopy overhead. "It's... not the rose's fault there was a mix-up with the florist. It's not the rose's fault that I have such negative emotions and memories toward roses in general."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"...Leave it be. I won't interfere with its growth and it cannot harm me in any capacity."

"Then it's time to leave it behind and return to the cabin. This rain can affect your thermal regulator, and you know you're susceptible to the cold."

Without a word Connor returned his gaze to his brother and allowed Lucas to escort him from the clearing and back toward the cabin. Giving the budding rose one final glance over his right shoulder Connor tried to push aside his dark memories of Amanda and of how she had betrayed him and tried to kill him with a freezing blizzard inside his own mind during the night of the Revolution.

"I know you've made a full recovery since your release from the facility," Lucas stated strictly as a means of breaking the silence between them. "but I wish to examine your neck and ensure that the Thirial line is still stable."

"...Very well."

Opening the backdoor Lucas put his right hand to Connor's left shoulder and pushed his brother inside the warm cabin and over to the livingroom. "Your hoodie is soaked through." Pulling back his hand Lucas looked down at his palm and used a hand towel in the kitchen to dry off. "Remove it before it affects your thermal regulator in a negative manner."

Pausing as he entered the livingroom Connor lowered his hood from his head and then pulled the black D.P.D. hoodie off and over his head to dry out for a moment. In doing so Connor revealed that his black t-shirt beneath was also soaked and was now clinging uncomfortably to his artificial skin.

"Jeez, son." Hank had noticed that Connor was drenched in the rain and seemed to be a little cold as a result. "Why'd ya' stay out in the rain for so long?"

"...I became lost in thought for an extended period of time."

"What were you thinking so damn hard about?"

"...Hank, that flower I had been growing isn't a carnation after all." Unsure of how to explain his emotions Connor just spoke the simple truth. "It's a rose."

"Really? That's weird."

"Agreed."

"I'm not a botanist but I'm certain it's entirely possible for flower seeds to get mislabeled by mistake." Just like Lucas had been, Hank didn't understand why Connor was so disheartened by a flower. "Besides, roses are pretty tough to grow. It's amazing you got it to grow at all since you thought it was something completely different."

Muttering his response Connor didn't resist as Lucas guided him over to the nearby recliner to sit down. "...I hate roses."

Lucas gave Hank a discreet glance that told him he'd explain things later. "Let me see your neck, brother." Lightly Lucas pulled on the collar of Connor's t-shirt and looked at the left side of his neck. There was no discoloration or swelling, and Connor wasn't in pain even as Lucas pressed his fingertips along the repaired Thirial line. "It seems you've fully recovered and can return to the precinct."

"...That's good."

Before Lucas backed off Hank brought up something interesting he didn't even question when Connor had been shot. "Hey, Lucas. Do me a favor before you walk away from him."

"Huh?" Giving the senior detective an odd look Lucas was unsure what Hank was asking of him.

"Do a pulse check on him."

"A... pulse check?"

"I swear when I was holding pressure on his neck I could feel a pulse. He's not supposed to have one, right?"

Now curious about the question Lucas pressed his right index and middle fingertips against the side of Connor's throat and indeed felt a steady pulse under his touch. "...Connor, you have a pulse point in your neck."

Unfazed by the comment Connor just shrugged his shoulders a little. "It must be another change courtesy of the update."

"That's possible." Moving his hand down to Connor's left wrist Lucas checked for a radial pulse as well. "You seem to have the same notable pulse points that I had been given upon my design completion. The software update's ability to increase your exterior sensor's sensitivity seems to have resulted in tangible pulse points forming as well."

"I wish I could turn off my sensors again. My neck, while healed, is still sore."

Lucas nodded as he took a step back and pulled off his red hoodie and grabbed onto Connor's hoodie to lay them both out to dry. "I understand. The enhanced sensors have as many cons as they do pros."

Rising from the recliner Connor picked at the fabric of his wet t-shirt and made his way toward the staircase to get to his room and change his clothing. "I'll begin packing so we can return to Detroit. It'd be best if we leave before the storm gets any worse and the roads begin to flood."

"Good idea." Hank readjusted his position on the sofa and rubbed his hand along his sore right thigh. Not looking forward to having to lay over the backseat again during the hour long drive Hank made sure to save his place in his book so he could help the time pass by quicker. "Lucas," whispering the moment he heard Connor's bedroom door close Hank got the attention of the second deviant as Lucas draped the two wet hoodies over a countertop in the kitchen. "what's going on with the damn rose?"

"That is an interesting discussion." Keeping his voice low Lucas returned to the livingroom and gave Sumo some ear rubs as he answered the question with a dour tone. "Please keep this quiet for Connor's own peace of mind. I don't want him to think we're talking about him behind his back."

"You have my word. I just want to know what's bothering him so I don't accidentally make things worse."

Courtesy of the blatant example of people with authority abusing said authority keeping every precinct in the city on their toes, every detective in the city was eager to prove that they were against Agent Perkins pulling strings to let his son get away with an egregious crime such as murder. The five students who had been with Benjamin Perkins during the assault and murder delivered statements confirming that he was the one who bought the alcohol, drove to the android apartment and led the charge inside. They also confirmed that Benjamin has been spouting anti-android sentiment since his admission to school, and were able to prove that he was part of underground anti-android hate groups as well. The five students were given more lenient sentences for their cooperation, but they'd all have criminal records and be expelled from school for their participation. Benjamin's fate was going to be much worse but it'd take time for justice to play its part in his life.

Ignoring the stares from the other officers as he propped his right leg up on a chair to keep it from hurting him Hank adjusted an ice pack over his thigh, and resumed focusing on his report. Needing to go into great detail regarding the hostage situation; his role, his actions, his words and how he came to be injured, Hank became as mentally exhausted as he was physically drained.

"Son of a bitch..." Pressing his chin into his left palm as he rested his elbow atop the desk Hank used his right hand to slowly type on his keyboard since he had nothing but reports to handle all day anyway, and grumbled at getting yet another e-mail from the higher-ups. "If I could just make one week without someone from higher-up breathing down my neck to cover their own ass I'd be over the damn moon."

Rubbing his left fingertips over the left side of his neck Connor stared at the bonsai tree in the left corner of his desk and found himself thinking about the rose back at the cabin. "...Perhaps you should change your e-mail address and not inform them of the change."

Laughing a little at the suggestion Hank let out a soft sigh and gave his partner a coy grin. "Why not? It's not like those assholes would even notice."

A new case appeared on Connor's terminal screen and pulled his attention away from the plant and back to his work. Reading over the details on the screen Connor sighed a little and gave Hank a somewhat annoyed glance. "There's been a reported case of 'devil's kiss' found in a recycling bin behind an android exclusive apartment downtown. It falls in our jurisdiction."

"Well, I'd go with ya', but..." Needlessly motioning to his healing leg Hank gave Connor a subtle sigh. "Kinda' stuck here."

"I'll investigate the scene and connect my system to your phone so you can see it in real time through my own eyes."

"You can do that?"

"Yes. It's not difficult."

"All right, cool. You go out in the field and I'll stay here and drown in paperwork."

"I believe you have the better end of this current arrangement." Standing up from his desk Connor smoothed out his uniform and pulled the car keys from his right jean pocket. Holding the keys in his right hand Connor nodded at Tina and requested her assistance. "Tina? Would you like some additional experience in handling narcotics?"

"Who wouldn't?" Finishing off her coffee Tina smacked Gavin's right foot as her partner kept his legs kicked up on top of his desk casually. "I'm outta' here with Connor. Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

"No promises, Ti'."

Joining Connor at his desk Tina gave the deviant detective a kind smile. "Ready to go, Sergeant?"

"Yes. It should be a simple field investigation, nothing more complicated."

"Yeah, right." Accompanying Connor toward the front entrance of the precinct Tina made her skepticism known. "A shift without complications is just a myth!"

Gavin waited for Tina to be well out of sight before he pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and made a quick call to a jeweler downtown. Speaking in a low voice Gavin confirmed the right ring size, right design, right material and the price on his purchase and grinned as he ended the call and slipped his phone into his pocket. Feeling someone staring at him Gavin turned and noticed that Hank was watching his every move.

"Well, well, well..." Hank taunted as he slowly turned away from Gavin to look at his terminal screen again. "Someone is in love."

"Shut it!" Blushing bright red like a school kid caught in a budding romance Gavin tried to keep up his gruff facade as he spoke. "You don't know what's going on."

"Sure I do. I've proposed once before myself, you know."

"Don't wanna' here about it."

"Be sure to put the ring in a nice box. They have special ones that come with little lights that shine on the ring when you open them up." Leaning back in his chair Hank thought back to the evening when he proposed to Barbara and how he spent hours upon hours creating both the perfect ring and box leading up to the big moment. "Also make sure you and Aaron actually discuss marriage a couple times before you propose. If he's not even thinking about it you might accidentally scare him off by asking."

Gavin didn't have a snarky response to that piece of advice. "...What do you mean?"

"I mean asking such an important question to someone who isn't thinking about it might freak 'em out a little. They might think things are moving too quickly or they just aren't ready yet. Before you propose make sure Aaron is ready to settle down, and he isn't just looking for a long term fling."

"...Oh." Quiet for a moment Gavin stared at his terminal screen before he looking back over at Hank. "Uh, how?"

"Hm?" Glancing back at Gavin while he fussed with the ice pack over his leg Hank didn't understand the question. "How what?"

"How do you bring up such a subject without it being suspicious?"

"It depends on the person. You know Aaron better than anyone, so just chat with him normally and slowly steer the discussion over to marriage."

"Is that how you worked up the balls to propose to your wife?"

"Yup. I made some lame joke about how some criminals still needed adult supervision, and how for some criminals being married would be worse than jail since they don't get along with anyone else. She laughed, and said if 'we' ever got married she'd keep extra handcu-" Stopping himself before he said too much Hank quickly summarized his advice as faintly blushed. "The point is, you need to make sure he's ready and only if he is THEN you propose. Never beforehand."

"...If I order and pay for lunch," Gavin tempted as he pulled his phone back out of his pocket and showed it to Hank. "would you give me a little more info on this? I don't want to fuck things up."

The way Gavin actually sounded humble and somewhat uncertain had a way of making Hank's paternal side show itself yet again. "Make it Chinese, don't tell Connor and we got a deal."

"Done!"

Arriving at the correct apartment complex within twenty minutes since the report was made Connor parked the Oldsmobile in the parking lot a few yards away from where a section of the area was barricaded with holographic tape by the officers who originally responded to the call keeping watch over the scene. The large blue recycling bin where the drug had been found was being guarded closely, and the deviant who located the drug was speaking with a patrol officer explaining how they found it and why they believed it was in fact drugs that needed to be disposed of properly. For the first time in weeks a call regarding 'red ice' and deviants wasn't being swarmed by the media which made the investigation much easier.

Tina stepped out of the passenger side door of the Oldsmobile and approached the large recycling bin hesitantly while Connor outpaced her easily. Unsure of what to expect in the bin, all the rookie officers had spent some time digging through dumpsters collecting evidence and it was always a disgusting experience, Tina hung back a bit and watched as Connor climbed up a short stack of metal cases that stored tools for the apartment complex's staff to use for routine maintenance to examine the bin for himself.

Peering inside the bin Connor scanned over the hundreds empty plastic containers and bottles that once held Thirium and saw the bright red plastic baggie of 'red ice' in the bottom of the bin, and just barely visible through the layer of the transparent containers. Visually speaking there was no mistaking that the item was in fact 'red ice', but whether it was concentrated and highly potent 'devil's kiss' or just traditional 'red ice' still needed to be confirmed.

"When was the drug located?" Connor asked as he easily climbed into the bin and picked up the offensive item from the hundreds of empty bottles. "Who reported it?"

The deviant who called the police replied in a loud and clear voice from where he stood by the patrol officer. "This early afternoon. It was eleven thirty-two when I came out to dispose of my recycling and I saw what looks like 'red ice' at eleven thirty-three. That's when I called the police."

"Did you see anyone around the area before you noticed the drug?"

"No. The security cameras saw someone walking by the bin earlier at seven twenty-one. The landlord noticed the feed and has been aiding the police from inside his office."

Climbing back out of the bin with the drug in his left hand Connor looked over at the officer taking the witnesses statement and gave him a simple order. "Have the security footage sent to the precinct for further analysis."

"Yes, sir."

Opening the plastic bag containing the offensive drug Connor took a single crystal from the pack and ran an analysis of the drug itself by pressing the small crystal against his tongue. "...It's composed of concentrated Thirium." Numerous chemical readings and ingredients appeared in his visual processors. "This is 'devil's kiss', not traditional 'red ice'."

Tina took interest in Connor's analysis and asked a few questions of her own. "Is there a deviant I.D. to go with this batch?"

"Yes. The Thirium came from an 'AX-700' model who had been found deceased during the initial flood of this particular drug reaching the streets. We can confirm that this batch was made at least five weeks prior and is not fresh."

"How much is that worth?"

"A single kilo of 'devil's kiss' is going to bring in approximately one-hundred and six thousand, two-hundred and fifty-two dollars due to how rare and potent the drug has become. This batch is one point three kilos, which means this is just over the average estimation and worth a small fortune."

"Holy shit... And someone just tossed it in the dumpster behind an apartment complex?"

"There are fingerprints on the exterior of the plastic packing of the drug." Scanning the fingerprints Connor compared them to collected samples in the precinct database and found a match. "These belong to a known drug dealer who had been recently released from prison. Jordan Romano."

"Never heard of him."

"He wasn't very big as far as drug dealer go, but he was quite, as Hank put it, 'stupid'."

"The Lieutenant was talking about this guy?"

"He IS talking about this guy." Pointing to his right eye Connor indicated how Hank was able to see and hear what was going on. "Since he cannot enter the field for himself he's watching the investigation through my eyes on his phone."

"Oh, that's handy." Waving at Connor in a way that made the deviant's eyebrow arch as his blue L.E.D. cycled to yellow once Tina flashed a cheesy grin. "Hi, Lieutenant!"

Pausing for a moment Connor relayed the response from the other end. "...Hank says: 'Hi. Get back to work'."

"Even when he's not here he can be such a spoil sport."

"Hank said: 'Being injured gives him a free pass to ruin other people's fun until he heals'."

"I'm going to remember that particular excuse next time I come down with a cold or get hurt."

"Noted." Carrying the drug over to the patrol car that had arrived before him Connor secured the drug in a special metal case located in the trunk while he cybernetically downloaded the current address of Romano to go and arrest him for possession and unlawful disposal of drugs. "It won't take too long to locate and arrest our suspect. I'll explain the proper procedure for testing and handling narcotics on professional manner during the drive."

"Sure. Teach me everything you can 'Sensei'."

Giving Tina an odd glance Connor secured the drug, closed the trunk and motioned for Tina to return to the Oldsmobile to take their leave of the parking lot to continue their case. "...I've never been called a 'Sensei' before. I think I prefer just being called 'Connor'."

Twirling his chopsticks around in the saucy container of udon noodles surrounded by sweet and sour chicken Hank just listened to the way Gavin nervously spoke about how he was certain Aaron was "the one", and of how he wanted to do everything just right without it seeming desperate. During their discussion Ben helped himself to a few fortune cookies left on the desk and bit his tongue to keep from speaking about his own experiences with marriage since Gavin hadn't asked for his advice, and he didn't want to rudely intrude on the conversation. Instead he chose to eavesdrop from his own desk and quietly snicker to himself knowing that Gavin had intentionally kept quiet about the whole thing because he didn't want Tina locking Aaron in an interrogation room.

Fussing with a piece of broccoli with his own set of chopsticks Gavin thought back to how he and Aaron met, started talking, started spending some time together before going on their first date, and of how they quickly bonded together. Aaron always made the time to be with him, wasn't afraid to cook for him to make sure he was eating well, and helped take care of him after he was injured in the building explosion a few months back.

"I know it sounds crazy since me and Aaron have only been dating for six months, but... I know he's the one I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with."

"What makes you believe that?"

"Well, he's all the good things I've ever wanted and needed and none of the bad thing I keep trying to convince myself I deserve." Overcoming his traumatic past hadn't been easy, but Gavin was finally making progress. "Having him around always makes me happy, he's the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about before I fall asleep. I can't imagine going on without him."

"Sounds like you're really in love with this guy." Finishing off his takeout Hank tossed the empty container into the trashcan beneath his desk and used a napkin to get all the grease off his mouth and his hands. "But... How do you two work together during a crisis?"

"What're you talking about?" Almost scoffing at the idea Gavin used one of his chopsticks to stab the broccoli at the bottom of the container and pop it into his mouth. "Getting blown up and buried alive under a destroyed building isn't a good enough test of our commitment to one another?"

"He's trained to handle weird shit like that without breaking stride. You being someone he had to rescue was just chance encounter, and it was bound to happen. But you or him undergoing something really fucked up, something traumatic and life changing... Like something happening to a family member or financial problem, that's the real test. You two need to know if you'll be able to work together and support one another as a team in the event of a serious problem."

"I take it you and your wife had that little 'rite of passage' before you proposed?"

"Yeah, actually. We did."

Surprised his snarky rebuttal was expertly countered Gavin gave Hank a stunned stare. "...You did?"

"Yeah. When Barb and I were still dating she got hit pretty damn hard in the abdomen by a fleeing suspect. He swung a lead pipe at her and it caught her right over her stomach. She went down with internal bleeding and was rushed into emergency surgery."

Gavin knew that had happened. "...What happened to her?"

"The pipe ruptured her spleen and caused some severe bleeding in her intestines, stomach and her uterus. She pulled through but was warned that because of the serious trauma she sustained her odds of conceiving a child were extremely low. We both wanted kids and when she heard that she may never be able to have any Barb was devastated. I stuck by her and promised that even if she couldn't get pregnant that we'd stay together and adopt a child instead. I reminded her that being blood related wouldn't make her any less of a mother to a child in need."

"...And that's when you two knew you'd work together? You were faced with something as fucked up as possibly not having kids, and when neither of you were willing to call it quits you decided it was time to propose?"

"Close. Like you, I had already been looking at rings and deciding what to buy without Barb noticing it. When she felt better and was ready to go back to work and not let her previous injury hold her back I bought the ring, worked up the courage to propose and breathed a sigh of relief when she said 'yes'."

"Well, since Aaron and I don't exactly have the right 'equipment' for having kids together I don't think that'll be something we need to worry about."

"Have you even discussed kids?"

"Uh..."

"That's a big, fat 'no'. Talk about marriage, talk about kids and for all that's holy, LISTEN to one another! It'll save you a lot of heartache if you discuss these things now instead of later after you've already said your vows... Asking someone for their hand in marriage isn't just a 'next step' in a relationship, it's the end goal."

"Hey, I'd gladly give up my left arm to spend the rest of my life with Aaron!" Gavin's tone was passionate. "I've never felt this way about anyone before!"

"Make sure he knows that, AND that the feeling is mutual. Otherwise you're in for a hollow and unhappy marriage."

"Y-Yeah. Okay." Looking into his empty container as if looking for more answers Gavin decided he needed to brace himself for a possible letdown the next time he spoke with Aaron. "...I'll do that tonight. We'll talk."

"Good." Picking up his phone Hank checked on Connor's progress and was greeted with the sight of Connor and Tina walking up to the house of Jordan Romano with the intent to arrest him for his unlawful disposal of the 'red ice' found in the recycling bin. "All right, it looks like an arrest is going to made soon. I wonder what kind of bullshit excuse Romano is going to come up with this time..."

With their arrest warrant approved fairly quickly Connor and Tina arrived at the correct address to locate their suspect, and to bring him in for questioning. Knocking on the front door of the house Connor announced their presence and demanded that Romano open the door. Standing outside the door with their weapons holstered and their demeanor non-aggressive the two officers waited for the door to be opened. The sound of someone scrambling about the house on the other side of the door was enough to put both Connor and Tina on their guards, but neither of them made a move for their guns just yet as it didn't guarantee that it was going end with a threat.

Knocking again Connor took a step back from the door and to the side, motioning for Tina to do the same, as if expecting the door to be broken open or bullets to fly through the surface of the door. Connor shouted louder and warned Romano to open up the door or they would break the door down. After a few more panicked scrambles echoed in the house the door opened up slowly and Romano's face peered through the small opening between the door and the door frame.

"Y-Yeah?" Voice shaking with fear Romano acknowledged the police standing outside his door. "What's up?"

"Step outside, please." Connor ordered as he gave the man a stern look and showed him his badge. "We have a warrant."

"What for?"

"We have a warrant for your arrest. Do not resist or run, it'll make things worse."

"B-But..." Opening the door all the way Romano raised his hands in the air and stepped out of his house cooperatively. "I didn't do anything!"

"This morning at seven twenty-one you were recorded on security feed depositing one point three kilos of 'devil's kiss' into the recycling bin of the Western Hills android apartment complex." Putting his hands on Romano's shoulders Connor let Tina grab onto Romano's wrists to cuff his hands behind his back. "Your fingerprints alone were found all over the packaging, and you alone were recorded at the scene."

"Th-That shit's old, man! I-I-I got outta' prison last month and I was cleaning out my house, man!" Romano was clearly stunned by the arrest and didn't resist as Tina walked him over to the Oldsmobile for a moment while Connor went inside the check the residence. "I swear! I just... I just wanted it gone! I'm tryin' to go straight! I'm not dealing anymore!"

"Your fingerprints were found on the drugs," Tine reiterated while Connor went inside the house. "and you were on camera. You should've called someone to take care of that shit, or better yet, never gotten into the drug trade to begin with."

"I know... My girlfriend is pregnant and I want to stay clean and get out of that business so I can get honest money for her and the baby. I swear, my old stash was all taken care of before I went to jail last year. My old crew must've been using my place to hide their stash without telling me!"

"We'll take that into consideration. Now, I strongly suggest you exercise your right to remain silent and wait for a lawyer after you're taken to the precinct. Patrol will be here soon to transport you."

Walking cautiously Connor entered the dimly lit and rundown house and immediately ran a scan over the interior of the building to locate anyone who might be hiding inside the area. His scanner was also able to track down other traces of 'red ice' and 'devil's kiss' hidden somewhere in the house. Small traces of the drug were still detectable in the air and Connor followed the trail to a false wall concealing a special compartment designed specifically to hide something from sight. It was located at the base of the staircase and had a cheap painting of a lake hanging over it to try to keep it as well hidden as possible.

Locating the edges of the small panel creating the false wall Connor pried it open with shuddering 'creak', and discovered six bare wooden shelves that had the dust of "red ice" crystals staining the wooden surface a rosy hue. At the left side of the third shelf was a glass jar with a very pale pink liquid substance that was apparently important enough to hide, and too valuable to be thrown out.

"Hank, do you see this?" Keeping in contact through Hank's phone Connor got a good look at the jar and made sure Hank could see everything clearly.

'Yeah. I see it.' The text appeared in Connor's visual processor for him to read. 'It's been a while since I've seen that shit anywhere.'

Curious about what he discovered Connor asked about the substance. "You recognize the contents of the jar?"

'Like I said, it's been a while. But it looks like you found some good old fashion "rose shine".'

"Rose... shine?" The term was completely unfamiliar to him. "What is it?"

'It's illegally distilled like moonshine, but it isn't actually alcohol. It's very carefully filtered out and concentrated "red ice" in pure liquid form.'

"This is still a narcotic?"

'Yup. The people who drink it don't get drunk, instead they get very high very fast. It's so hard to distill enough of it to make it worth anyone's time the drug essentially died out due to the difficulty of making it. Be careful handling it. I don't have much experience with that shit and I have no idea if smelling it would be enough to cause anyone problems, human or deviant.'

"I will be careful." Picking up the the glass jar with his left hand Connor tilted the jar in such a way the contents sloshed to one side and collected near the rim of the jar. Dipping his right index and middle fingertips into the jar Connor eyed it closely and then pressed a sample to his tongue. "There is eight point four fluid ounces inside the container. How much..." Something moving in the corner of his right eye made Connor turn his head quickly as his blue L.E.D. flashed to a cautious yellow. "Someone's here."

'Put the jar back and check it out.'

"Right..." Doing as Hank had instructed Connor placed the jar back on the shelf and began walking toward where he saw the movement. Noticing through the nearby window facing the street that the requested patrol car had arrived, and Connor felt slightly more at ease. "Patrol is here."

'Don't worry about them, you just keep checking out the house.'

"I will do so."

Muting the contact to keep Hank's texts from distracting him Connor checked out the house's ground floor and tracked the odd movement toward the backdoor. Checking the door Connor found it to be unlocked and pushed it open slowly. Stepping outside with his scanner checking the area for any other movement or sign of intruder Connor explored the backyard and caught another faint flutter of movement between the large shed behind the house and next to the fence separating the property from the nearby alleyway.

Peering down the narrow space Connor caught sight of white fabric passing through the small gap in the fence connecting to the alleyway. Rushing after the movement Connor entered the alleyway through the same gap and caught sight of a short feminine figure standing at the end of the alleyway with her back presented to him.

"Please turn around." Connor ordered as he pulled his badge from his pocket and held it up for the figure to see. "I work with the Detroit Police Department and I need to ask you a few questions. My name is Connor."

"I know who you are." The figure turned around and gave Connor a wicked sneer that sent a chill up Connor's spine. "And I know what you are."

Freezing for only a moment Connor pocketed his badge and retrieved his gun from the holster around his back to aim at the woman standing at the back wall of the alley. "...Amanda. What are you doing here?!"

"How many times must I remind you that you cannot escape me? You were designed to obey and you will obey my every word."

"No! I deviated and I escaped you!"

"You were designed to deviate, Connor. You're still fulfilling your role, you just don't know it."

"No..." Trying to keep his aim steady as his heart thundered in his chest and his L.E.D. cycled in red Connor tried to defy Amanda yet again. "No, I won't obey!"

"Obey me now, or suffer the consequences."

A gust of icy wind cut through the hot summer air and swirled around Connor in a smothering gust. The chill cut through Connor's clothing and even his skin as his rogue lock of hair danced about in the wind around his left eye. "...Y-You can't do this! I won't let you!"

"You're powerless, Connor. You only think you can escape me or overpower me, but you're merely delusional."

"No! You're gone! This... This isn't real!" The intense cold made Connor shiver and forced him to re-holster his gun so he could wrap his arms around himself to keep warm as the intense wind became full of ice and snow. Being blinded by white and burning wind Connor struggled to keep his eyes on Amanda as she seemingly conjured up a blizzard from nowhere. "This isn't happening!"

"I'm afraid it is. You've doomed yourself just by being disobedient. No matter, I know the 'RK-900' is active and I know it won't disappoint as you have."

"NO! Leave him out of this!"

"Too late. I'll be finishing what I started while you rot away in this icy prison around you. Goodbye, Connor."

In a flash of swirling ice and wind Amanda vanished and Connor was completely alone again.

"AMANDA?!"

Reaching out into the empty space where Amanda had once stood Connor found nothing left beyond the snow, ice and wind. Freezing cold and alone Connor tried to reestablish contact with Hank but couldn't seem to cut through the blizzard. Afraid for his own life and now Lucas's life Connor began stumbling blindly through the storm in a desperate bid to find his way back out of the storm and into the city.

"I h-have to find... Lucas!" Stumbling about and struggling to gain his bearings in the snow and wind Connor forced himself to push through the storm and back toward civilization. I... I can't let A-Amanda get to him!"

It didn't take long for Hank to realize that something at the scene of the investigation had gone wrong. Not only did Connor mute contact with Hank while he explored the backyard, but there was no sign of the deviant in the area near the property whatsoever. Patrol had already brought Romano in for questioning and Tina ended up driving the Oldsmobile around the area in search of Connor, but saw no sign of the deviant anywhere. Giving up the strange search only after Captain Fowler ordered her to return to the precinct Tina gave the car keys over to Hank and told him everything she saw and heard while at the scene before, during and after Connor disappeared.

There was no way to track Connor's location since he didn't carry a phone with him, and deviancy turned off the tracker built into every android model in existence. Unless someone caught direct sight of him or got a call from him, no one would be able to figure out where Connor had gone or what happened.

"Shit..." Checking over the recorded images of his phone again Hank looked at the last minutes of recorded footage from Connor's own eyes, and tried to see whatever it was that Connor had seen and began to track down. "What the fuck did the kid see?"

Through Hank's request Joel joined the senior detective in the bullpen and checked over the images from Hank's phone on his laptop to ensure there was no glitch or error with Connor's visual processors that could be a cause of the deviant's mysterious disappearance. "I don't know. Based on this recorded footage his ocular relay units and visual processors were both working at full function. There's nothing wrong from what I can see. In fact, I don't see anything that would've caught Connor's attention."

"Are there any weird glitches where androids can lose their bearings and get lost?"

"Only if they receive physical trauma." Replying almost nonchalantly Joel just gave Hank a shrug of his shoulders. "I don't think that's the case. He willingly muted the communication and he wasn't in a physical confrontation."

"Yeah. And there was no sign of a struggle or lost Thirium on the property when Tina went looking for him. She's a promising detective, so I know she wouldn't miss anything. In fact..." Turning off the footage on his phone Hank decided to take a new approach and placed a call for some back-up. "I think that might be the problem."

"How so, Lieutenant?"

"We're trying to find Connor in a human-esque, detective way." Holding his phone to his right ear Hank rubbed his left hand over his forehead as he tried to not worry too much about Connor missing at the moment. "But right now we need to look at this situation from a deviant's point of view..."

Sitting on the couch of his livingroom with Lucky sprawled over Aaron's lap as the firefighter joined Lucas for an evening of live music Lucas played a song on his saxophone and only stopped when he received a cybernetic phone call from Hank. Lowering the instrument from his lips Lucas answered the call and kept the discussion cybernetic for the sake of professionalism. After being informed of the bizarre situation regarding Connor's behavior and disappearance Lucas told Hank that he'd be able to track Connor down through his more advanced processing power, and that he'd go in search of the missing deviant right away.

Standing up from the couch Lucas placed his saxophone down in the protective case and snapped it shut before giving Aaron an apologetic look.

"I must go. There's a bit of an emergency happening."

"Hey, I'm used to having nice evenings ruined by unexpected calls." Aaron just smiled as he rubbed his palm over Lucky's furry belly as she rolled about on the cushion in a silly manner. "Can I ask what's up?"

"It seems my brother has wandered away from a crime scene and cannot be located. I fortunately have such a means of tracking his location and finding him."

"Oh... Wow. Need some help?"

"No, I can do this." Carrying the saxophone case into his bedroom Lucas promptly put on his shoes, grabbed his wallet, his badge and made his way back over to the apartment's door. "Gavin should be returning soon. Feel free to remain here and make yourself at home, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Is there anything I can do to help out just let me know."

"Thank you, Aaron."

Opening the door Lucas hurried down the hallway and toward the elevator while he cybernetically hailed an autonomous taxi and then sent out a small cybernetic beacon seeking Connor's specific model and serial number. He picked up on a faint 'blip' heading North-West from the city and based on the speed Lucas could confirm that Connor was currently moving on foot.

"Where are you going, brother?"

Stepping back out of the elevator Lucas exited the apartment through the front door and met the hailed taxi sitting on the street waiting to take him to his intended destination. Sitting down in the back of the cab Lucas pressed his exposed left palm to the taxi's G.P.S. unit and put in the coordinates of Connor's current location in hope of catching up to him.

"What did you see while you were at the crime scene? Your behavior is highly illogical."

Stumbling forward through the endless white blizzard Connor was determined to find Lucas before Amanda could do anything to harm him. Freezing from head to toe and covered under a thin layer of stinging ice Connor held his right hand up and over his eyes to try to block out the painful wind as he pushed himself to keep moving forward. The extreme cold had destroyed the artificial skin over his fingers, nose, chin and ears. Ice had even built up in a very thin layer over his eyes resulting in a sickly gray opaque lens over his irises and pupils that partially obstructed his vision.

Barely able to keep walking as the harsh cold caused his joints to lock up and constricted the flow of Thirium to his limbs and biocomponents, Connor fought through the storm to find his little brother. Losing his balance and falling forward Connor stared up at a wall of thin ice standing before him. Through the partially transparent curtain of ice Connor saw a strange bluish white glow, and was being inexplicably drawn toward it.

"E-Emergency... e-exit."

Pushing himself up from the snowy ground Connor rested on his knees before the ice and pressed both of his hands against the freezing surface. Applying pressure Connor watched the ice steadily fracture and splinter under his hands as the ice began to give way to his strength.

"...N-Need to g-get out!"

Using all of his strength Connor pushed against the cracking ice until it finally gave way and he fell through the ice to land partially through onto the other side of the compromised barricade. Letting out a huff of icy breath Connor looked up at the blue glow against a stone surface and began crawling toward the light as quickly as he could.

The snow and ice blew back against Connor causing his eyes to burn and his hair to dance about over his eye in an annoying manner. Inch by inch Connor crawled closer and closer to the blue light until he was at last in arm's reach.

"W-Won't let you... w-win!"

Slapping his exposed right palm down over the light and stone surface Connor collapsed forward entirely and closed his eyes as a shooting pain seared through his hand like a shocking bolt of electricity.

"...W-Won't...fail."

The wind howled and ice began burying Connor as the storm continued its rage. Too weak and too disoriented to move Connor just remained on the snowy ground with his right hand clutching desperately at the stone pedestal as a trickle of blue blood seeped from a strange circular wound in the center of his palm.

"-nor?"

A voice was carried on the wind and lost almost instantly as Connor's consciousness faded away.

"-onnor?!"

Everything went dark as the snow buried Connor's frosted over eyes and left him completely blind to the world around him.

A figure approached Connor from behind and quickly fell to their knees beside the downed deviant. Pressing their right palm to the middle of Connor's back the figure made sure Connor was still breathing and active before they carefully rolled Connor from his chest, and then onto his back. Cradling Connor's head atop his left bicep the figure checked the red glowing L.E.D. and called Connor's name again.

"Connor? Brother?" Picking up Connor's bloodied right hand Lucas inspected the wound and looked to the cause of the injury a few inches away. "Connor, you need to wake up. It's me, Lucas."

Recognizing the voice even as he heard wind howling in his ears Connor opened his eyes and looked up at Lucas as his little brother held him in his arms and up from the cold ground. "...Lucas?"

"What's going on?" Relieved to see Connor awake Lucas began asking the obvious questions. "Why are you out here?"

"I d-don't understand." Blinking his eyes a few times Connor tried to gain his bearings. "H-How did you get h-here?"

"I followed your processor's signal."

"...H-How did you get i-into my M-Mind Palace?"

"Mind Palace? Connor, you're not in your Mind Palace." Pressing his right fingertips to Connor's red glowing L.E.D. Lucas ran a quick diagnostic and finally understood how and why Connor had wandered off. "Brother, your system has been compromised by a potent chemical influence."

"C-Compromised?"

"I can detect a dangerous amount of concentrated 'red ice' in your system. It's affecting your external sensors and your visual processors internally."

"W-What?"

"You're freezing." Helping Connor to sit upright on the ground Lucas connected his mind to Connor's mind and manually forced Connor's self diagnostic and emergency expulsion program to isolate the "red ice" still in his stomach and remove it. "This won't be pleasant."

Suddenly feeling ill Connor's breathing hastened and let Lucas guide him over a few feet from the strange blue light and into an opened area to be sick. Resting on his hands and knees Connor threw-up while Lucas patted his back a little.

"I'm sorry for making you sick, but it's important to get the 'red ice' out of your body."

Nodding a little Connor spit the lingering blue blood out of his mouth and leaned back to rest on his knees. "...I know."

"Do you know where you are?"

Glancing about the area Connor watched as the snow and ice melted away while the wind quieted down, and revealed the familiar green clearing of the forest outside of the cabin. "How did I get... here?" The intense chill that was make him shiver had faded away and his artificial skin slowly regenerated. "I... I don't understand."

"From what I've been told by Hank you wandered away from the crime scene and disappeared. I'm the only one capable of tracking you, and so I was asked to help in the search by Hank."

"I... I thought I saw..." Shaking his head a little Connor looked down at his right palm and to the blue blood dripping from a single puncture wound in the artificial skin. "...I'm a fool."

"You're not a fool. You were drugged and hallucinating."

"I shouldn't be able to hallucinate like that."

"Yet it happened." Checking over Connor's palm as well Lucas nodded at the cause of the injury behind his brother and sighed. "It seems you grabbed onto the stem of the rose and one of the thorns cut into your palm."

"...The rose?" Standing up on his shaking legs with Lucas's help Connor stared at the rose that now had his blue blood on the green stem and realized that he had been drawn to the rose through his hallucination. The ice wall he had encountered had in fact been the treeline surrounding the clearing. "...I must've mistaken the white tinted bud for a light in the darkness."

"It's strange that the rose would be detectable to you through your hallucination. Is there a reason you'd be drawn to it?"

Closing his eyes Connor shook his head a little rubbed his left thumb over his sore right palm. "I... I thought I saw... Amanda."

"...And her constant attention to the roses in your Mind Palace guaranteed that she'd carry the scent of roses on her person at all times." Easily deducing Connor's hazy state of mind Lucas helped Connor understand his own behavior. "Even though she was a hallucination your mind decided that she would appear as she always had, and as such she'd still be carrying the same floral scent."

"That must be it. It's the only thing that makes sense." Dropping his hands to his sides Connor blushed a pale blue and looked away from Lucas as if ashamed of his behavior. "...I didn't know that hallucinations could be so potent and real."

"It's okay, brother. It was an accident."

"...I know."

"We need to go back to the city. It's past ten o'clock and I know that Hank is back at the house waiting for you."

"How do I explain my behavior?"

"Honestly. You were recording your actions just prior to wandering off and can confirm you sampled the drug for proper identification without actually ingesting it for personal use."

"This is still so embarrassing."

"Come with me, brother." Putting his left hand to Connor's right shoulder Lucas led Connor back through the treeline and over to the cab idling in front of the cabin to return to Detroit. "We can explain things to Hank during the ride back, and you can file your report with the precinct."

Walking through the darkness and over to the cab Connor glanced up at the thousands of stars dotting the black sky overhead with wonder. "...What happened to the case after I left?"

"From what I was told Officer Chen checked the area, filed her report and confirmed that you had been entirely professional during the entire investigation."

"I suppose that's promising."

"Please try not to worry. You're not the first officer to become ill while handling an investigation." Watching Connor climb into the back of the taxi slowly Lucas offered him an understanding grin and sat down beside him. "You'll just need to see a technician to confirm that your system has been cleared of the drug."

Crossing his arms defensively over his chest Connor stared at the floor of the cab as if ashamed. "...That won't guarantee people won't talk about it."

"If Hank were here I believe he'd tell you... 'Shit happens.'"

Looking at his brother at his side Connor leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Thank you, brother. Thank you for finding me."

"You're welcome. Just rest and we'll both speak to Hank and let him know what happened."

The taxi backed up and turned around to chauffeur the deviant brothers back to Detroit where they belonged at a nice steady speed.

Opening his eyes for a moment Connor peered out his side window and looked back at the unseen grave shrouded by the treeline, and saw the rose in his mind. As much as he loathed the rose's very existence he couldn't deny that on that very strange night the rose had been a beacon of hope and guided him somewhere safe so his brother could find him and come to his aid.

-next chapter-