Staying beside Connor as the deviant laid unconscious on the kitchen floor Hank put his phone aside and carefully pulled the damaged jacket off of Connor's body, then did the same with the hoodie and the t-shirt beneath. Completely exposing Connor's bleeding back Hank took in the gruesome sight and instantly recognized the wounds as the result of buckshot. Completely unsure of how Connor could've been shot in such a manner the senior detective checked through the deviant's hoodie and found nothing of interest, and then checked through the jacket pockets where he found the bloodstained hunting knife and a mask. Holding the knife by the handle with his fingertips Hank held it very carefully and away from himself as he knew that the knife needed to be cleaned up if not disposed of, FAST.

Patting Connor's left shoulder lightly Hank rose to his feet and deposited the knife in the kitchen sink and began running steaming hot water over the knife's blade to wash off the blood as much as possible. Pulling up the plug in the sink Hank let it fill up with the scalding hot water then reached under the sink to bring up the bottle of bleach and pour a respectable amount into the water to kill any traces of blood.

"I don't know what the hell you did tonight, kid." Returning the bleach under the sink Hank sighed and turned off the water after the knife was completely submerged. "You and I need to have a nice, long talk about this..."

Grabbing Connor's bloodied jacket from the floor Hank checked through the pockets again and located the illegal refractory mask that the deviant somehow had gotten a hold of. Recognizing the illegal item Hank paled a little then quickly tucked it into his own jean pocket to ensure it didn't get lost, or end up in the wrong hands. Draping the jacket over the back of the nearest kitchen chair Hank decided the best thing he could do for Connor at the moment would be basic and common sense technical assistance.

Picking up the hoodie Hank folded it neatly and tucked it under Connor's head to act as a makeshift pillow while Hank himself wandered down the hallway to get some supplies out of the bathroom. Flipping on the overhead light Hank glanced about the small space and tried to think as logically and calmly as possible.

Connor was currently unconscious and bleeding from nearly a dozen small bullet wounds in his back courtesy of a well aimed blast of buckshot. Help was on its way but until Abby actually arrived Hank still needed to be the one in charge and keep things under control. Looking at the mirror over the sink that had been slowly cleared of the dozens of sticky notes full of the bizarre sentiments of a broken old detective, Hank sighed and crouched down to get to the haphazardly put together android first aid kit stored below.

"All right... Let's grab this just in case Abby needs extra bandages or something. And some towels. Probably gonna' need a washcloth or two well I'm at it..."

As he gathered up his supplies in his arms Hank peered out of the bathroom and through the opened door of Connor's bedroom across the way. Sumo was sprawled out over the deviant's bed taking full advantage of the vacant spot. Taking up a majority of the bed with very little effort Sumo looked as content as he could be.

"Don't stay too comfortable for too long, Sumo. Connor needs that bed more than you do."

Stepping out of the bathroom Hank made his way back into the kitchen to tend to the deviant in need. Placing the kit down on the kitchen table Hank resumed kneeling beside Connor despite his knees protesting at the motion and the weight being applied to them, and placed a towel on the floor alongside Connor's still bleeding back. With a gentle motion Hank used the washcloth to mop up the weeping Thirium from the wounds, and get a closer look at the buckshot embedded throughout Connor's back from his shoulders down toward his hips.

"Shit, kid..." The painful looking wounds made Hank flinch as he carefully cleaned up the bullet holes without causing further trauma. "As much as I want to know what you were doing tonight, I think I'd be better off not knowing!"

Feeling absolutely disgusted with himself as the vivid memories of his actions replayed over and over again in his mind Markus returned to the mansion, deactivated the canary that was flitting around and promptly made his way to the master bathroom on the second floor to shower off. Standing in the large glass shower under the pouring water that was steaming hot Markus closed his mismatched eyes as he contemplated the ramifications of his actions, and of how he had purposely disfigured three men to make them appear as abhorrent as the very crimes they committed.

Reminding himself that the men brought the act of vengeance upon themselves, and that he and Connor had only attacked them because the law wouldn't touch them, did very little to calm Markus's racing thoughts and guilt filled heart. He was simply making sure that the men who hurt North and seven other deviant refugees would never hurt anyone else for the remainder of their lives.

Opening his tired eyes Markus lifted his up his shaking hands and looked down at his palms as his artificial skin retracted from over his blood stained plastimetal beneath. Letting the shower wash the blood from his palms and fingertips Markus watched the red tinted water swirl down the drain and out of sight. Even after the pure white of his hands was restored by the water Markus swore he could still feel the sticky, warm blood staining his hands.

"...I assaulted three humans. I sought them out, recruited help and tied them up before I dragged a sharp knife over their flesh. I scarred them for life."

The way the men begged for mercy and screamed in pain was eerily reminiscent of the cries for help of the very victims that inspired the act of revenge. Justice was about harmony and balance, not vengeance. And yet the idea of a person suffering a punishment that matches the crime seemed to be the purest and most logical form of harmony and balance that anyone could ever hope for.

"...North is safe."

Turning off the water Markus grabbed a clean blue towel and wrapped it around his waist as he stepped out of the shower, and stood before the mirror over the sink. The mismatched irises looking back at Markus seemed to be lost and full of pain. A true reflection of the deviant's conflicted soul.

"She's safe. They're all safe. Those men will live the rest of their miserable lives in shame and isolation."

Bowing his head as he leaned against the pristine white and gray marble sink Markus let out a deep breath as he tried to steady his nerves.

"...We protected innocent deviants. Nothing more, nothing less."

Too shaken to really move or do anything else Markus lowered himself to the floor in front of the sink and pulled his knees up toward his chest as he sat on the floor, and took the time to think and relax.

"...No regrets. We did what he had to do, and sometimes what's necessary isn't pleasant. The men were punished and deservedly so."

Tossing the two Thirium soaked washcloths into the washing machine in the laundry room Hank grabbed two more from the dryer, thankful that he didn't bother to fold and put away the laundry earlier that evening, and returned to Connor's side to resume cleaning up the wounds. Aware of a car slowly pulling into the driveway beside the house Hank sighed in relief, and patted Connor's left shoulder again. As his palm pressed down against Connor's artificial skin Hank was aware that Connor was beginning to steadily overheat and hoped that the buckshot hadn't somehow struck the deviant's thermal regulator causing internal damage.

The front door opened up very slowly as Abby appeared in the doorway and glanced about the livingroom. Spotting Connor and Hank on the floor in the kitchen Abby promptly closed the door behind herself and jogged toward the kitchen with her technician's satchel slung over her right shoulder ready to go.

"Good timing, Abby." Watching as the technician knelt down in front of the deviant and began checking through her satchel Hank brought Abby up to speed on what was happening. "He came home just after midnight, tried to tell me something and then passed out. I called you a few minutes after he went down and I've been trying to clean up his wounds as much as I can without accidentally making shit worse."

"Let me see his back."

Working with Abby across from him Hank gently rolled Connor from his side and onto his chest so Abby could see the damage herself. "He's been bleeding and only just beginning to overheat."

"Shit." Slipping a pair of purple tinted latex gloves over her hands Abby gently pressed her palms over Connor's bloodied back and counted the bullet holes in the deviant's body. "...Eleven different wounds. What are these?"

"Looks like buckshot to me."

"Buckshot? It's not even deer season!"

"You're going to have to wait for him to tell you what the fuck happened 'cuz I don't have a damn clue."

"Okay... It appears as though the beads or whatever you want to call them cut through his artificial skin and became embedded in the plastimetal frame. It doesn't look like any of it got inside his body."

"Well, I suppose that's a good thing."

"I'm going to check his vitals. Could you keep mopping up the blood so I can get a clean surface to work with?"

"Yeah, sure."

Lightly Hank used the washcloth to clean up the leaking Thirium around the eleven bullet wounds and watched as Abby wrapped a Thirium pressure cuff around Connor's left bicep to check his Thirium pressure and volume. She then pulled out her audioscope to listen to Connor's breathing and heartbeat. As the metal bell carefully moved from one side of Connor's upper and middle back to the other Abby listened very closely to the internal biocomponents functioning while under high stress.

"...Normal ventilation rate. Thirium pump is going strong and normal."

"Is he overheating to a dangerous degree?"

Pressing her right palm over Connor's forehead Abby shook her head a little. "No. He's a little warm but it isn't dangerous."

"That's good."

"Roll him onto his right side again." Helping Hank reposition Connor on the floor Abby pressed the bell of the audioscope against Connor's chest for good measure, then moved the bell down over Connor's stomach. There was no sign or sound of internal bleeding which was a very good thing, but the fact that Connor had been forced into emergency stasis mode was still alarming. "Okay, he's in stable condition." Checking the reading on the cuff Abby was satisfied that Connor would tolerate the removal of the buckshot without needing a Thirium transfusion. "I'm going to need some help with this."

"Help with what?"

"I'm going to have to essentially dig the buckshot out of his back and even if he's unconscious he still might physically fight back once the pain amplifies."

"Right," helping to roll Connor onto his chest again Hank readied himself to help in any way he could. "no problem."

Pulling out an in-field emergency repair kit from the satchel Abby flipped open the lid of the case, and pulled out what looked like a very narrow tipped pair of needle nose pliers. The flawless stainless steel tool glistened in the overhead light of the kitchen as Abby neared the first wound and hovered the nose of the pliers over the bead of buckshot.

"Now here comes the fun part..."

Hank put his left palm just under the wound itself and his right down between Connor's shoulder blades to hold the deviant down if it became necessary. "Do what you gotta' do."

"Right. Let's do this."

Using the delicate tool to grab onto the first intrusive bead Abby took a firm grip around the projectile and pulled hard to remove it from the wound, and extracted it from Connor's back. As much as it pained her Abby had to ignore the small groan of pain from her patient as the first wound was taken care of, while she tended to the other wounds.

"One down," dropping the metal sphere down on the kitchen floor beside the satchel Abby sighed to steady her nerve. "ten to go."

"I would've brought him to a facility myself, but you know... Bullet wounds legally require a call to the cops."

"I understand. I also trust you both enough to know that whatever this is," extracting the second bead of buckshot and receiving another groan of pain from Connor in return, Abby focused on the third bead next. "is something I need to not ask too many questions about. I'm sure Connor has a very good reason for coming back to the house like this." Dropping the third bead down on the floor Abby checked over the fourth wound and repeated the process. "Or at the very least a very interesting reason for coming back to the house like this."

Laying in his bed but unable to sleep Markus neatly folded his hands beneath his head as he stared blankly at the ceiling above him and thought about the horrible screams of pain the men uttered as the knife cut into their flesh. Worried that the men might be left prone to predators in the forest or that they woke up and went to the police Markus tapped into the news broadcasts to check for any sign of a story regarding three hunters in the forest just outside of the city, but fortunately everything was still quiet. Whether that was because the men were still unconscious in the forest, or because they had wised up and didn't go to the police to file a complaint, only time would tell.

Tempted to contact Connor and ask how he was doing after being shot Markus told himself that it'd be best to leave the deviant detective alone, and to never mention that particular night ever again. Seeing Connor bleeding from the wounds in his back but not complaining once as he expertly navigated the forest to dispose of the darts, and get back to the road, was a sight to behold.

It was then Markus thought about how gentle Connor had been when he freed the trapped doe and of how contrastingly dark and cruel he became when dealing with the three hunters. The shift in Connor's emotions was truly frightening, but not unexpected. After all, Connor was a detective and had to have expert control over his emotions at all times, and only emote when absolutely necessary.

Wondering how North was faring while alone in the tower Markus wanted to contact her as well, but decided it'd be best to wait until morning to check in with her. Sleep was crucial for any and all trauma, and he had no desire to risk interrupting her much needed sleep.

"...At dawn I'm going to return to the tower and check in with North. She doesn't need to know what happened tonight."

Turning his head to look out the large window overlooking the mansion's backyard Markus stared at the black night sky and wished he still could've seen the stars without needing to use his filters to cut through the light pollution. The tiny dots of lights perpetually burning countless light years away were comforting and a wondrous reminder that no matter how dark life seemed to get there would always be a shining light somewhere in the darkness.

"I want her to know that the men who hurt her will never hurt another person, but I can't tell her what happened, either. I suppose this is what it means to trapped between a rock and hard place."

Closing his mismatched eyes only to open them back up as he couldn't quite drift off to sleep Markus looked at his clean palms to make sure the blood was truly washed away.

"...I really wish you were still with me, Carl. You always knew what to say and what to do no matter how tough things got."

Awkwardly but carefully Hank hefted Connor's unconscious body up from the floor and over his shoulder to carry the deviant down the hallway, and into Connor's bedroom. Abby had taken the time to sterilize each wound and place white gauze bandages over the wounds in Connor's back; the bandages being lined with incrassation compound would ensure the bleeding would stop sooner rather than later, and then wrapped a roll of gauze around Connor's chest and upper torso to hold the bandages in place. It seemed excessive in appearance but the heavy gauze would ensure that the wounds would be kept sterile while the self healing program mended the damage.

Shooing Sumo aside and off the bed Hank pulled back the heavy blanket and sheet then gently placed Connor down on the middle of the mattress, sitting him upright. Using his hands to guide Connor down to his left side slowly Hank then rolled Connor to lay him down over his chest and stomach again as a means of keeping the pressure off his healing back as much as possible.

Abby promptly pulled off Connor's boots and helped Hank place the sheet up and over Connor's back, while keeping the weighted blanket down over Connor's legs as he rested. Petting Sumo's ears as she walked over to the side of the bed Abby looked down at Connor's sleeping face and then gently ran her fingers through his thick dark locks of hair.

"It's almost one in the morning." Hank sighed as he straightened up a little and leaned back to crack his tightening back. "The kid's exhausted and I have no idea what's going on with him right now."

"Do you have to go to work tomorrow?"

"Yup. I don't know what kind of excuse I can give for him calling off in a few hours, so that'll be a fun problem to solve."

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Yeah, maybe." Rubbing his right palm over the back of his gray hair Hank tried to think of something clever to say to get out of work. "Hopefully the answer will come to me in a dream or something..."

"Want me to write him a technician's note to get him off the hook?"

"Nah, he wouldn't go for that."

"Well, if you change your mind just call me back." Straightening up herself Abby dragged her left fingers over her tired eyes as she took a step away from the bed and toward the doorway. "I'm going to pack up my satchel and head back home for the night. Fortunately, I have the day off tomorrow, so I'll be back if you need help."

"Yeah, thanks." Accompanying the young technician back to the kitchen Hank helped her pack-up her satchel and escorted her to the front door. "When should his bandages get changed?"

"When he wakes up. By the time he regains consciousness his self healing program should've done its job, and his strength will have returned."

"All right, I can do that." Opening the door politely Hank watched as Abby walked over to her car and sat down behind the steering wheel to take her leave. The sight of the small blue car backing down the driveway and turning down the street made Hank feel like he did the right thing by asking for her help. "Glad to know that the kid isn't any danger."

Closing the door and locking it behind himself Hank turned off all the lights in the house, locked the backdoor and walked back into Connor's bedroom to check on the deviant one more time before going to bed himself. Stepping back into the bedroom Hank smirked at the sight of Connor soundly asleep with Sumo sprawled over his legs and keeping the deviant safe.

"At least he won't be alone."

Lightly pressing the back of his left hand to the side of Connor's neck Hank was satisfied that he wasn't overheating, then turned his hand around to press his fingertips down to check for a pulse. Normal. By all account Connor was just fine, even his L.E.D. was cycling at a slow yellow pulse instead of in red.

"Good boy, Sumo."

Rubbing the Saint Bernard's ears Hank took his leave of the bedroom but kept the door partially opened just in case Connor woke up and needed help. It was an odd reflex thanks to Hank's paternal instincts to always put a kid's needs before his own.

"You take the night shift and I'll relieve ya' in the morning, boy."

Entering his own bedroom Hank pulled off his t-shirt and replaced his jeans with a pair of gray sweatpants, then pulled on a faded D.P.D. t-shirt to sleep in. As he plopped down on his bed Hank reluctantly made sure his alarm was ready to off at its usual time and grimaced at the early morning hour. Grabbing onto his quilt Hank pulled it over his head to hide away from the world for as long as possible until he actually needed to wake up again.

"Can't figure out what's worse. Having my partner showing up and collapsing from bullet wounds, or having a kid I'm responsible for being too damn stubborn for his own good!"

Before the sun even had the chance to break through the horizon Markus was wide awake and ready to begin his day. Markus had changed into his normal attire, replaced his muddy boots with normal tennis shoes and locked the gun and the mask up in the metal lock box before hiding it in the back of Carl's old closet to ensure it was hidden away from any possible prying eyes. Cybernetically hailing an autonomous taxi to the mansion to take him out to New Jericho Tower on the other side of town Markus quickly walked down the staircase, through the foyer and right out the front door.

As he turned to lock the door behind himself Markus carefully examined the door and the door handle to make sure he didn't accidentally leave bloody hand prints over anything when he returned to the mansion the night before. The door was clean.

"I think I'm getting paranoid."

Embarrassed by his own actions Markus walked down to the street just as the cab pulled up in front of the mansion and climbed inside to take his leave. Eager to see North and check in on her with his own eyes the kind deviant put in the tower's address to the cab's G.P.S., and sank back in the seat to stare out the side window to watch the tower slowly come into view in the distance.

"...As long as North and the other victims don't get dragged into anything new I think I'll be able to rest easy."

The news broadcast still didn't mention anything about three hunters being assaulted in the forest, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to be reported soon.

"I swear from this day onward I will never intentionally harm another person for any reason. If I do draw blood," staring at his right palm as if expecting to see blood still staining his skin Markus curled his fingers around his palm and created a tight fist. "it'll be in defense. Never offense."

The sun began slowly rising over the city in the East with a brilliant amber hue that pierced through the lingering gray fog from the night before. It was oddly calm and peaceful to see the natural light penetrating the curtain of mist. The neighborhood was quiet as many people were still asleep, while others were just waking up to get ready for work.

It seemed like any other morning in Detroit and Markus hoped that things would remain just as routine until the sun set at the end of the day.

"If there's any mercy in this world those hunters will leave the area and never show their faces in Detroit for the rest of their lives. It'd be best for everyone."

Grumbling at the intrusive sound of his alarm blaring in his ear Hank's left hand shot out from under the quilt and practically smashed the poor clock down through the nightstand as he aggressively turned it off. Sitting upright in the bed and blinking a few times Hank quickly remembered the night before and grabbed his jeans from the floor to pull his phone and the mask from the pockets. Unsure of what to do with the illegal mask Hank just opened his closet and tossed the damn thing into the now empty lock box that once held his revolver, and then checked the battery life on his phone. He still had a good charge and an hour before he needed to clock-in for work.

Slipping his phone into his pocket Hank made his way down the hallway to check on Connor in his bedroom and was surprised to see the bed curiously void of both deviant and dog. Running his fingers through his hair in a confused manner Hank tried to figure out where Connor had gone but soon as his answer as the smell of fresh coffee flowed through the house from the kitchen.

"Connor?" Walking down the hallway and into the kitchen Hank was relieved to see Connor up and about but that relief was quickly replaced with worry as the abundance of bandages wrapped around Connor's back all the way down to his torso reminded Hank that the deviant was in fact hurt. Hearing Sumo crunching his kibble away in the bowl on the other side of the kitchen gave Hank a sense of normalcy after enduring an abnormal night. "Connor, what're you doing?"

Without missing a beat Connor answered the question as he kept his back presented to Hank. "Preparing your breakfast."

"I can see that." Approaching the deviant just as Connor finished pouring Hank a mug of free coffee Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and got his attention enough for the deviant to turn around and face him. "I want to know why you're walking around when you need to rest."

"The damage I sustained has been repaired up to eighty-percent, and I'm able to function normally."

"Son, you need to rest. I'm going to call Fowler and tell him you're sick."

"No, don't do that."

"You're hurt."

"As is Gavin." Speaking honestly Connor made it clear he wasn't going to stay home that day. "He lost his arm while I sustained noncritical damage to my dorsal plastimetal plating."

Hank couldn't damn Connor for his loyalty, sympathy or empathy to the world around him. While those were all admirable traits to develop and hone Connor still needed to understand that his life, his comfort and his health were all equally important.

"Hank, we have to go to work." Handing Hank the mug of coffee Connor refused to admit he was in pain and exhausted. "Gavin's down, Tina's exhausted and Gavin's replacement can't possibly pick up all the slack during his potentially indefinite absence."

"...All right." Accepting the coffee Hank sighed, took a sip and then pointed at Connor before pointing to the kitchen table. "But you're going to tell me what the fuck happened last night before we go anywhere."

"I..." Pausing for a moment as his yellow L.E.D. flickered in red once Connor gave the senior detective a somber glance. "I don't want to disappoint you."

Almost chuckling at the naive and innocent remark Hank returned his hand to Connor's shoulder and shook once. "Son, you'd only disappoint me if you lie. Just tell me the truth."

Knowing that he owed Hank the truth and knowing that Hank would never betray him Connor nodded a little as he slowly walked over to the kitchen to sit down as he had been instructed. Sitting in the chair that still had his jacket draped over the back of it Connor rested his forearms atop the kitchen table to lean forward while Hank sat down in the chair across from him.

"Talk to me, kid." Sipping at his coffee again to not only wake up, but to stave off an impending headache due to his poor previous night's sleep, Hank patiently waited for Connor to open and begin speaking. "Remember, I don't judge."

"...I remember."

Flexing his right hand a few times as he became anxious Connor lowered his eyes to the kitchen table as he began telling Hank about his act of revenge in the forest, and of how he and Markus worked together out of a mutual interest for vengeance. Keeping Skye and North's names out of the details for the sake of their privacy Connor explained how he and Markus went after the three hunters because they were cowering behind the mayor, and had been let off the hook before, and that they did what they did to ensure that the deviant refugees still lurking in the forest would be able to move about safely. Not wanting to keep anything back Connor even told Hank about the branding and castration after he and Markus found the three repugnant men at their campsite.

When Connor mentioned how he had been shot when attempting to leave the deviant's left hand absentmindedly pressed against his right side to reach toward his healing back, and confirmed that he had been shot from behind after everything was said in done. Connor went into detail about how Markus helped him to leave the forest and catch up to the moving hacked cab to return to the city, and of how he and Markus swore to never speak of that night to anyone for any reason.

Hank was silent as he listened to the intense story and processed what Connor had done. Finishing off his coffee Hank put the empty mug aside, patted his hands rhythmically over his knees and then let out a soft chuckle.

Confused by the reaction Connor looked up at Hank and arched his brow with utter puzzlement as his yellow L.E.D. flashed to red once. "...Hank?"

Dragging his left hand over his bearded chin Hank finally broke the silence with an apt response. "Damn, son."

Looking away from Hank in shame Connor shook his head a little and closed his eyes. "...I'm sorry."

"Don't be!"

Stunned and confused for a second time Connor's eyes returned to Hank as his L.E.D. resumed its cycle from yellow to red. "...What?"

"Son, you guys took down three dangerous men to protect eight deviants that had been violated and assaulted. While I can't exactly condone you or anyone else doing what you did, I'm not going to condemn you either. Those men were... Just... Fuck!"

"...But I used a knife to-"

"Connor, people like that can be put on a damn list IF the court decides they need to be registered as offenders, but it rarely does any good. And that type of shame is going to send even the ballsiest of idiots running to the hills and away from the public."

"...We also chemically castrated them."

"And how did you get the chemicals to do that?"

"They were already at the campsite in their hunting gear."

"Sounds like Karma to me. They never should've had those chemicals to begin with."

"...Karma?"

"You know. What goes around comes around."

Adding that particular term to his memorybank Connor just took Hank's word for it for the time being. "...Oh."

"Also," rising from the table Hank poured himself a second cup of coffee and took another generous sip of the caffeinated elixir. "you still feel bad despite those men, those assholes," he corrected his chosen statement with a low growl. "doing what they did. The fact that you actually feel sorry for those worthless pieces of shit says a hell of a lot more about your character than theirs."

Still feeling ashamed Connor looked away from Hank and flexed his hand a few more times. "Will the guilt go away?"

"In time. It'll linger for a while, I won't lie about it, but you'll be able to function and move on with your life in time."

"...That's good."

"Yeah, it is. We have..." Glancing at the time on the microwave's clock Hank sighed and did some quick math. "Forty-five minutes to get ready and go to the precinct before we're late. Are you sure you want to go to work?"

"Yes. The precinct needs us."

"Okay. Let's just refrain from going out into the field until you're back to one-hundred percent. Or at least for today."

"That is acceptable."

"Cool." Finishing off the coffee Hank rinsed out the mug in the sink and looked at the now ruined hunting knife sitting in the bleach filled water. The evidence had been surely destroyed and now the knife just needed to be disposed of. "Go get dressed and I'll make my own breakfast this morning. I promise I won't just fry up a bunch of bacon and call it a meal."

"Right. Of course."

Watching as Connor stood up from the chair and walked with a faint limp down the hallway Hank crossed his arms over his chest and sighed again. "That kid has too much heart in him, I swear..."

As expected North was still holed up in her private quarters near the top of the tower, and didn't want to socialize with anyone whatsoever. Only letting Markus into her quarters as he had been a rock for her to lean on, and had been more worried about her well being emotionally rather than physically, North remained curled up on her left side in her bed even as her dearest friend entered the quarters to visit with her. Jumping a little when she felt the mattress dip under Markus's steadily added weight North otherwise didn't move, and only closed her eyes when she felt Markus's strong, warm and soft palm rest lightly atop her right forearm.

Staying quiet and moving slowly Markus stayed beside North and slowly laid down beside her to make her feel less frightened and far more secure. It was a simple gesture and very effective as it was seen and felt as a gesture utter compassion and kindness. His presence was very welcome in that trying moment.

"Good morning, North."

Responding in a small whisper North acknowledged Markus's arrival. "...Hey."

"I know you don't feel well and you won't for a while, so don't worry about doing anything or speaking to anyone. You do what you want when you're ready to do anything at all."

"...Thanks."

Rubbing his thumb along her bicep in slow circles Markus offered her only a modicum of comfort. "Did you sleep okay?"

"...It was all right."

"Same." Slowly rubbing his entire palm along her bicep in a soothing manner Markus confessed that he had been up all night thinking. "Kind of hard to sleep when you have the atrocities of violence on your mind."

Turning her head a little North managed to catch a glimpse of Markus's somber expression as he laid beside her on the bed. "What's going on?"

Not wanting to lie to North for any reason Markus spoke up in a soft voice as he told her the truth. "The men who harmed you have been... punished."

"Punished?" The answer was as unexpected as it was unlikely. "What do you mean?"

"They have been labeled as the monsters they are and they had their own illegal weapons used against them to ensure they can never harm another person for as long as they live their miserable lives."

Rolling from her left side and onto her back North studied Markus's mismatched eyes carefully. "How do you know?"

"Because... I'm the one who punished them." There was no need to mention Connor's name as they were equally guilty of the crime. "I found them in the forest and I attacked them last night. I didn't kill them, even when I threatened them and cut them with a knife I resisted the urge to drag it over their throats, but I wanted to do it. I wanted to kill them, but I left them alive in a pool of their own blood and piss."

"Markus, you can get arrested for doing that type of thing!"

"Not likely." Remaining calm and composed where he laid Markus showed no fear for his actions. "Those assholes are friends with the mayor and have been hiding behind him for years. If they try to press charges against me then they'll have to explain to their buddy why they were attacked, try to figure out who attacked them, and I know even their most 'clever' of lies won't be able to deny the label carved into their flesh."

"Label? How did you label them?"

"They've been identified as the monsters they are. It'd be very hard to try to convince people that they're innocent when their punishment is befitting of their crimes." Pointing to his own forehead to identify where the men had been branded Markus never blinked or show any doubt. "It'll be the first thing people see and read as they pass those poor excuses for men walking along the street."

"...You did that for us?"

"Yes. I know we're not as close as we once were, but I promised you I'd always be here for you." Lightly Markus wove his right fingers through North's limp right fingers and held her hand in a reassuring grip. "I wanted to protect you and the other deviants who were assaulted. If that means taking drastic steps to ensure a form of justice is found, then so be it. I won't ever back down when your or my people need me the most."

With her cinnamon brown eyes finally lighting up with some form of life since the night she stumbled back to the tower as a traumatized mess North rolled onto her right side so she could face Markus entirely as she scooted closer to him so he could hold her in his arms again. Burying her face against Markus's chest North softly wept as she finally felt safe for the first time in over twelve fear filled days.

"It'll be okay, North." Holding her tightly against his chest Markus kissed North's short cut hair and swore he'd never let her go. He'd never lose her again. "It won't be easy moving on, but I promise you that you will be okay in time. Everything will be all right."

-next chapter-