As August arrived with another round of scorching heat all of Detroit seemed to be getting smothered under the relentless warmth as summer itself thrived. While everyone else was going through their usual morning routine and getting ready for work Gavin found himself playing midwife to Lucky after she went into labor just after five o'clock that very morning. Sitting on the floor of the livingroom next to the laundry basket where the laboring cat was nesting Gavin sipped at his coffee slowly while Lucas downloaded information on assisting cats during labor and delivery.

Entirely calm but sleepy Gavin stayed beside the basket and patiently waited for progress to happen while Lucas reluctantly slipped on his black tie to prepare to leave for work at his usual time. Despite being enthusiastic about his job Lucas was more interested in the kittens than he was a case file that morning.

"When are ya' out of here?" Gavin asked as he sipped at his coffee again and gave his roommate an odd look over the purple mug.

"My usual time."

"Really? Figured you'd want to wait a while longer in case Lucky starts delivering."

"I would do so, however, it's difficult to cybernetically hail a taxi at this time of the morning."

"Dude, get a car! It'll save you a lot of money in the long run if you're not constantly paying for cabs."

"I will look into that." Peering at the metal case with the bionic arm that had been left on the coffee table for the past six days, Lucas dared to bring up the subject yet again with the stubborn detective. "It could be beneficial at the moment if you had two funct-"

"Hey! I tried that damn thing once already. It gave me a fuckin' migraine..."

"Yes, I recall. I'm the one who helped you put the arm on and I'm the one who brought you the medication after you nearly tore the arm from your shoulder in pain." Picking up the bionic arm with both hands, the arm having no skin generated over it at the moment made it as black and white as a chess board, Lucas carried it over to where Gavin was sitting. "The pain is normal. As I stated before, the bionic limb-"

"I know! Forgive me for not being excited about an excruciating headache while a monstrosity of an arm hangs from my shoulder..." As he spoke he heard Lucky let out an annoyed growl and promptly put aside his coffee mug to give her ears comforting rub as she laid in the basket. "Look, if I wear that damn thing for the day will you let up on me with getting used to the fuckin' thing?"

"Yes. I'll even preemptively give you some medication for your headache."

"That's a given you plastic asshole."

Walking down the hallway to get the bottle of aspirin from the bathroom medicine cabinet Lucas gave Gavin something odd to think about during his temporary absence. "I'm neither plastic nor do I have an asshole."

"Dude! Just... I didn't need to know that!"

Smirking a little as he knelt down beside Gavin's left side, opposite of the laundry basket, Lucas secured the bionic arm to Gavin's left remaining nub of an arm and to the shoulder. It didn't take long for the limb to be secured, but once the internal mechanisms recognized that the arm was attached to a host the small electrodes proceeded to strategically pierce into the muscles of Gavin's remaining organic arm to respond to the electrical signals from his brain telling the organic and bionic arm itself to move as a whole.

"MotherFUCK!" Hating how it felt like there were burning needles burrowing into his arm Gavin closed his eyes and breathed through his clenched teeth as he endured the pain. "Shit! That hurts..."

"The electrodes are sterilized and once they're secured the will emit an electrical pulse that'll reduce the pain in the affected muscle tissue with causing an infection."

"Doesn't change the fact that it fuckin' hurts every time they go in my arm!"

"Apologies." Offering Gavin two of the aspirin tablets Lucas waited for him to take the pills before placing the bottle down on the nearby coffee table.

"Don't be... You're not the one who made this damn thing." Looking down at the surprisingly heavy limb hanging off his arm - having lost his left arm entirely made him aware of how much a limb full of bone, muscle, blood and tissue really was, Gavin sighed and pressed his right palm over the limb right where his flesh met the plastimetal. "...Shit. It's not going to fall off is it?"

"No. A very simple surgical-"

"Nope."

"...procedure," Lucas continued in a somewhat annoyed voice. "will allow the arm to remain attached to your body at all times."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. It takes approximately one hour if you're interested."

"One damn thing at a time, all right?"

"Yes, very well." Quickly Lucas noted the time cybernetically and turned toward the apartment door. "I must leave. Please let me know when the kittens are born."

"Yeah, sure." Watching the new left hand laying limp on his lap twitch a little Gavin winced and sucked in another pained breath. "Just get outta' here and bring home a pizza tonight."

"I will do so." Opening the apartment door Lucas stepped through and prepared to go about his day. "See you this evening."

Wary of putting on his entire uniform as the intense heat had yet to dissipate or even lessen by any noticeable degree, Connor fixed his black tie around the collar of his white dress shirt then promptly sprinkled a few flakes into the aquarium to feed Baron. Despite his desire to look as professional as possible Connor decided that he didn't want to risk a potential second collapse from heatstroke, and resumed working in just the dress shirt, tie and jeans. Leaving the gray blazer and gray vest hung up neatly in his closet Connor walked down the hallway and met Hank in the livingroom just as the senior detective finished a whispered phone call, and slipped the phone into his pocket out of sight.

Seemingly paying no mind to the deviant's arrival Hank motioned toward the front door to indicate he was ready to go, and did so with a simple wave of his left hand. As he headed toward the door Hank's blue eyes temporarily drifted to the envelope concealed on the bookcase as he knew that what was tucked inside was very important for both Connor and himself to deal with later on.

"Today the heat index indicates a high temperature of one-hundred and two degrees by noon, and a low of eighty-nine degrees by evening." Cybernetically tapping into the weather reports Connor made a mental note to keep Hank away from coffee and directed toward water. Of the two detectives Hank was more likely to succumb to the heat before Connor, but Hank would deny it every step of the way. "We should stock up on water and Thirium today."

"Sure, no problem." Opening the door Hank stepped through first with Connor right behind him. "Pretty sure the precinct is going to be loaded up on water and other stuff to keep us from being melted by the heat. They don't won't a repeat of any officer going down."

Noticing the lack of response Hank walked around the front of the car to get to his door while the deviant detective followed after him. "What's wrong, kid? You suddenly went quiet."

"...There hasn't been any progress in locating the unknown knife wielding suspect targeting random strangers." Feeling glum about the incredibly stilted investigation, his collapse during the failed stakeout only rubbed salt into the wound, Connor opened the passenger side door of the Oldsmobile. The car was already running with the air conditioner cranked to the max as he sat down heavily in the seat. "Four more people have been attacked since the unsuccessful stakeout last week."

"I know it's hard to hear right now," joining Connor in the car and behind the steering wheel, Hank fastened his seatbelt and flashed Connor a knowing glance. "but stop putting so much damn pressure on yourself. You're not the only one working on this case."

"I'm aware. We're both taking the lead at the Central Precinct, while Lucas and Noreen are working on it from the Eastern Precinct."

"Don't forget Ben, Chris and Tina have been pitching in during their brief downtime, too." Backing the car down the driveway and onto the street Hank sounded almost obnoxiously calm about the whole ordeal. "Hell, even Fowler's been looking into the case from time to time. This afternoon Lucas and Noreen are going to drop by so we can work directly as a team and really start piecing this puzzle together."

"Even with two precincts working as one we're progressing-"

"Kid. Don't make me smack ya' in the back of the head."

Turning to face Hank as his brow scrunched in confusion Connor couldn't comprehend any reason for being struck. "Why would you strike me?"

"To get your attention when I say don't start obsessing over this case. We'll figure it out soon enough."

Feeling his jaw tic a little Connor carefully considered Hank's advice for a moment. "...Have you ever obsessed over a case?"

"A few times. It didn't solve it any faster, but I aged about five years in five weeks from the stress."

"Oh." Turning to face the windshield again Connor thought a little too much about what Hank had just said. "Based on your current appearance I'd estimate you've obsessed over at least twenty cases."

"Hey!" Giving the deviant a proud smirk Hank approved of the snarky comeback. "Don't you start callin' me old, young man. You're only a year old at this point."

"Not quite. In fourteen days will be the anniversary of my official date of activation, and effectively confirm myself to be one year of age."

"Good to know. Your birthday is officially August 15th then."

"...I don't have a birthday, Hank. Androids aren't born, they are created."

"You seriously think someone needs to give birth to you to have a birthday?"

"Yes. Hence the name of that particular anniversary."

"Yeah, yeah... You do realize that billions of forms of life are created and born through unconventional and even unnatural means every damn day, right?"

"Of course I know that."

"And you, and all of the others androids, get the same consideration. You're ALL born, or activated, and you ALL get a day to call your own."

"Why do humans focus so much on birthdays?"

"Beats me." Barely able to hide his sly smirk as he turned his face away from Connor to briefly look out his side window, Hank feigned innocence. "I was just makin' conversation..."

Clocking-in at his usual time Lucas greeted Noreen as his partner sipped at her morning cappuccino and stared at her terminal screen with an intense gaze. Focused on both the kittens being born back in the apartment, his unexpected phone call during his ride into the precinct, and now his search for a vehicle of his own, Lucas was evidently distracted as he sat down at his terminal screen to get to work. Keeping a close eye on the time while he checked over the active case with the unknown knife wielding suspect Lucas's blue L.E.D. flickered intermittently to yellow whenever he pushed his processors a little too hard. He was developing a nasty habit of trying to do too much too soon just like his big brother.

Setting aside her empty cup Noreen gave Lucas an odd look as she noticed the L.E.D. and the distant look in her partner's gray eyes. "Something wrong?"

"...What do you mean?" Unable to get the distant glaze out of his vision Lucas failed to deflect his partner's concern. "I'm fine."

"No, you're thinking about something." Too sharp to be fooled Noreen was getting a good read on her partner. "Is it the case?"

Admitting that he was a little preoccupied Lucas gave Noreen a small smile. "I'm of course focused on the case, but as of this morning my roommate's cat went into labor, and I'm waiting for an update on the kittens."

"Awwww! That's too cute!" As her warm cinnamon eyes lit up Noreen revealed that she was an animal lover and was apparently a cat person, too. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to get to play with a whole litter of kittens?"

"It simply never came up."

"How many is she supposed to have?"

"Four."

"That's a good number. Not too big to handle, and when it's time for the kittens to be put up for adoption it won't be such a shock when they get taken away."

"Do you wish to have a kitten?"

"I- Sure! I haven't had a pet in years, but now that I have an apartment that lets pets in the lease I'd love to give a furry little companion a home!"

"Then I'll be sure to let my roommate know."

"You gotta' let me see the pictures as soon as you can! Maybe I'll go ahead and get a puppy, too. That way they'll have a friend to play with while I'm working, and won't get lonely."

"That sounds like a good plan, Noreen. Thank you for volunteering to adopt one of the kittens." Returning his attention to the case Lucas opened up the file and noticed that Detective Edward Roscoe, one of the few officers to never say a single word to the deviant detective, was glaring at him as he crossed the bullpen. "Is there something else happening?"

"What do you mean?"

"It seems Detective Roscoe is very angry with my presence."

"Oh, that. Roscoe's just got a bug up his ass because Cap' didn't ask him to help with the case."

"...Between us and the Central Precinct's assistance there is no need for additional detectives to focus on it at the moment."

"Yeah, but Roscoe doesn't see it like that." Discreetly Noreen picked up a stubby little pencil from her desk, the tip of the pencil was touching the metal band securing the eraser to the end due how much it had been sharpened, and held it vertically between her index finger and thumb in a way that only Lucas could see it. "Roscoe is the type of guy who's insecure and thinks having a big case to solve is going to give him a big name and an even bigger 'reputation'."

Picking up on the metaphor perfectly Lucas did his best to hide his amused grin as Noreen tossed the pencil back into the small cup in the top right corner of her desk out of sight. "Now I understand."

"Don't let Roscoe try to weasel into our investigation. Too many cooks in the kitchen..."

Not wanting to deal with a testy detective first thing in the morning Lucas decided an early meeting at the Central Precinct was sorely needed. "Perhaps now is the time to meet with Lieutenant Anderson and Sergeant Wolf to compare notes."

"You read my mind." Grabbing her purse and car keys from the bottom right drawer of her desk Noreen gave Lucas a smug grin. "I'll drive."

Nearly rushing into the precinct through the front doors to escape the intense summer heat Connor and Hank stepped into the much cooler receptionist area, and passed through the security clearance to get to the bullpen as per usual. The moment Connor set foot in the opened work area he felt all eyes suddenly shift toward him while Hank took a casual step to the side as if he had been anticipating such a reaction. Unsure of what was happening, why it was happening or what he had done to elicit such a strange reaction from his colleagues and friends, Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to red with confusion and worry as he quickly began to over analyze the moment.

From behind the deviant detective Tina appeared and threw a handful of silver and gold confetti into the air around him in a celebratory style. "Happy birthday!"

"Happy... birthday?" Looking at the confetti drifting down from the air to the floor at his feet, and to the few strands that landed on his shoulder while being unable to see the bits that landed in his hair, Connor gave Tina a puzzled look while Chris and Ben placed a dark blue cake down on Connor's desk. The cake was small, round, had dark blue frosting and 'Happy Birthday Connor' written in white icing over the surface. "...Me?"

"Of course you!" Tina beamed as she pushed Connor toward his desk, the strays bits of confetti flying off his person as he abruptly moved. "We know you were first activated in August, and since we all could use a little cheering up these days, we decided to give you your first birthday party!"

"But my-"

Before Connor even had the chance to protest Hank put his left hand to Connor's right shoulder and brushed off the remaining shining confetti on the deviant's behalf. "I know that, and you know that, but they didn't know that. Besides, I'm the one who said your birthday was 'August-something' when Tina asked when your birthday was a few weeks back. I forgot the exact date until you reminded me this morning."

"...Oh."

"Kid, just enjoy your cake and try not worry too much about the small details."

"Small details?"

"Like the exact date for your birthday. We'll know the right date for next year. Not to mention," eyeing the blue Thirium cake and the single lit candle glowing atop of the frosting Hank used his eyes to motion to the treat just waiting for Connor's attention. "the best way to throw a surprise birthday party is by having the party way before the actual birthday itself."

"...I suppose so."

Tina practically dragged Connor over to the cake on his desk while the other officers briefly gathered around to see the display. Presenting the cake and the two small white gift bags on the desk in a theatrical manner Tina beamed and emphasized the big moment with a cheerful "Ta-da!" and then backed off. "This is all for you, Connor. Not only do we want to celebrate your birthday with you, but we want to show you how much we appreciate all the extra hard work you've been doing to help out since... you know."

"Yes." Understanding that Tina was referring to Gavin's accident Connor nodded and decided it'd be best to play the part of 'birthday boy' for everyone else's sake. As he settled into the role suddenly bestowed upon him Connor's L.E.D. cycled back to yellow and then to blue steadily. "I believe I understand."

"Great! Now make a wish and blow out the candle!"

"...A wish?"

"You know, something special that your heart wants." Sounding almost childlike in her explanation Tina was truly excited for the big moment on Connor's behalf. "You say it in your mind and blow out the candle."

"Why?"

"It's tradition! And if you blow out all the candles, or in your case, candle;" she pointed to the singular flame standing out against the dark blue frosting with a bright smile that rivaled the candle's glow. "your wish is guaranteed to come true!"

"...I'm not familiar with the custom of asking for wishes, but I doubt that's how it works."

"Only one way to find out!"

Hank agreed and gave Connor's shoulder a small pat again. "She's right, kid. Make your wish, blow out the candle and see what you got as gifts."

Pushing aside his anxiety induced discomfort Connor remained cooperative for the sake of the entire precinct. "...Very well."

Staring at the intensely bright orange flame for a moment longer Connor closed his eyes and tried to decide what he wanted to wish for. He didn't desire any monetary possessions, he had a safe home to live in, a motorcycle he was slowly modifying, a loyal dog and a calming fish, and he was currently resided with his best friend. The only other thing he even considered worthy of wanting seemed so farfetched and impossible, that in the end he decided that since wishing for anything was already so farfetched itself that he knew exactly what he should wish for.

Taking in a breath Connor opened his eyes and easily blew out the only candle as a round of applause sounded off in the bullpen. Glancing at the other officers Connor saw only smiles and a few eager eyes darting over to the breakroom where additional cake and a few other treats were also brought in for the humans to eat without getting sick.

There was only one angry face in the crowd and that belonged to Saxon as he sat at his desk alone and continued to work while everyone else enjoyed the small celebration. The brash officer was still in hot water due to his poor attitude and it appeared he had yet to make a proper attitude adjustment after being chewed up and spit out the week before.

"...Was that right?"

Shaking Connor's shoulder a little Hank gave the naive deviant a small smile. "Yes, son. That was right."

Appreciative of the positive affirmation Connor stood back and barely had time to react to Tina forcing the first gift bag into his hands. "All right, this is from me and unofficially Gavin."

"A gift? This is traditional as well?"

"You got it! Birthdays also mean the birthday honoree gets gifts alongside a cake. Go ahead! Check it out."

Wanting to continue to do things correctly for the sake of morale Connor took hold of the small paper bag and pushed aside the white tissue paper to peer inside the bag. Pulling out a small wooden box that had the name 'TESLA' carved into the lid Connor tilted his head curiously at the odd parcel until he heard a faint and rhythmic ticking inside.

"A clock?"

Opening the lid of the box Connor was greeted by a round analog clock face encircled with a wooden frame showing the current time. It was also encased in an aged gold square secured to the interior of the wooden box. A second smaller clock in the top left corner of the gold square ticked away the seconds while the first clock face showed the hour and the minutes. At the top of the aged gold were six small light bulbs designed to look like the tubes of older electronics. With the flick of a switch the time would be displayed in the six bulbs in orange digits that glowed brightly.

"This is... interesting. Thank you."

"I figured since you're such a punctual guy and you're sort of a man out of time, you know, being so advanced compared to us run-of-the-mill humans, that you'd like this piece of functioning contradiction. It's wooden, metal, analog and digital all at the same time!"

"I do like this, Tina. It's quite unique. I appreciate this."

"No problem! Now," pointing to Ben as the older detective passed over the second gift Tina gave Ben a nod and a grin. "open up Ben's gift so he can finally go get some cake out of the breakroom."

"Very well."

Putting aside his new clock Connor for a moment he accepted the second gift bag and peered down inside to view the second gift. Same as before he peeled back the tissue paper and saw a small white box tucked at the bottom of the bag. Picking the box out of the bag Connor opened the lid and eyed a silver coin encased in a round plastic protective shell. The coin itself was a minted 2017 Tuvalu Norse Goddesses Freya high relief coin. It was in pristine condition and gorgeous to behold.

"Detective Collins..." Impressed by the coin's condition and value Connor's L.E.D. flashed to yellow as he tried to return the generous gift to its giver. "I cannot possible accept this."

"Why not?" Holding up his right hand to keep Connor from passing it back over Ben chuckled a little. "Don't tell me you already got one!"

"No, I do not. The reason I cannot accept this is because of its rarity and value. It's far too generous for a birthday gift."

"Not at all."

"But..." The casual reaction truly perplexed Connor. "How?"

"A few years back I helped out a kind antique dealer when some punks broke into his store, smashed up the cases and tried to torch the place because he refused to haggle on the prices he had set. When I busted the punk and his former partner, who suggested the fire to not only cover the punks' tracks, but to claim insurance on the place, the owner promised to hook up me, and any cop in the city, with a good deal."

"And the coin?"

"I stopped by the other week, told him what I was doing and who I was looking to get a gift for, and he actually knew you."

All the more perplexed Connor didn't understand how that was possible. "...He did?"

"He said you were admiring his coins and the guitar up on the wall while looking for your brother last winter. It's kinda' rare these days to see anyone being so selfless like that, so you stuck out in his mind and he decided that this particular coin would be perfect for you."

Staring at the coin's face again Connor did a cybernetic search on Freya and her representation in Norse mythology. She was a goddess who represented love, war, beauty, gold, sex, fertility and a special magic that was supposed to tell and reshape the future. She was also someone who was bound to family and loyal to all of those she held dear. Freya was also a skilled warrior who often battled alongside her brother as she led the slain to paradise.

"...Thank you, Ben. This is exquisite."

"Don't mention it. Now if you'll excuse me. Tina's been taunting me with that chocolate cake the moment she brought it in from the bakery this morning, and I won't let her tease me a moment longer."

Truly grateful for both of his unexpected and very generous gifts Connor slipped his new coin into his right jean pocket for safekeeping, and placed the clock back into the gift bag to keep it out of sight until he could get it back to the house. As he placed the bag down in the bottom left drawer of his desk Connor noticed Lucas and Noreen heading his way and promptly greeted his little brother.

"Lucas, Noreen. I wasn't expecting to see you yet."

"It seemed more effective to stop by earlier than later anticipated due to a tense atmosphere." Remaining professional Lucas didn't name anyone or give away any details that would make a fellow officer look bad. "It appears we were a little too late to enjoy your birthday party, brother."

"You knew this was going to happen?"

"Hank called me this morning and told me what was going to happen. I was going to stop by the house later tonight to celebrate with you."

"At night? That seems rather late." Watching as Hank and the other officers converged on the breakroom seeking cake and other treats Connor tried to understand why Lucas would be stopping the house so late in the day. "Do you expect us to be working late into the night?"

"No, we plan on leaving at our usual time this evening unless we reach a breakthrough. This morning Lucky went into labor and I wish to see the kittens once I return to the apartment."

"Oh." Intrigued by the idea of a litter of kittens being born Connor's soulful brown eyes lit up a little. "That's good to know."

Hank returned to the desks with two plates of cake in his hands, one for himself and one for Noreen. "Kittens?" Handing over the second plate to Noreen as she stood beside Lucas, the senior detective gave Connor a stern glance. "Don't even think about bringing another pet into the house. I like cats just fine, but when they're little kittens and have a ton of energy they are exhausting to handle. Not to mention one might see Baron as a toy or a meal."

Happy to accept the cake Noreen took a bite and agreed with Hank entirely. "You're not wrong about that, but I haven't had a pet in so long I'm actually looking forward to dealing with a little furry monster attacking my toes when I'm trying sleep. It's hard to get annoyed with a kitten."

"You're taking one of the kittens from Gavin?"

"I'd love to! First I need to see the adorable little ones before I make my final decision. I'll do my best to avoid scooping up the whole litter and running of with them."

"Cool." Taking a bite of the cake Hank relished in the rich chocolatey goodness, then pointed at the Thirium cake still sitting on Connor's desk with a clean knife he took from the breakroom in his right hand. "Why don't you two boys try that special android cake? Maybe the sugar rush will help us solve the case a little faster."

Connor just gave Lucas an odd look before he accepted the offered knife and began slicing up the cake to finally taste it. Neither deviant needed to top off their Thirium reserves, but due to the special occasion they both decided to be polite and at least try to eat some of the blue tinted cake. After all, it wasn't the same deviant's birthday every day.

It was just before eleven in the morning when Lucky delivered her first kitten, and the second soon followed. Gavin was relieved to see Lucky quickly taking to her maternal instincts and taking care of the kittens by cleaning them up and chewing through their cords, while the two kittens squeaked rather loudly and sought milk while cuddling up in Lucky's warm soft fur. Subconsciously Gavin's left hand flexed nervously a few times as he anxiously waited for Lucky to deliver her final two kittens before he moved away from her sight. He used his right hand to text Aaron at the fire station to let him know that the kittens were on their way, and promised to send pictures soon.

The first kitten was a golden tabby with two white socks on its front paws, a white tip on its tail and a bright pink nose. The second kitten was a calico with an equally pink bright nose. It was difficult to tell with the kittens being so young, but Gavin was certain the golden tabby was a boy and the calico was a girl.

"Good girl, Lucky. You're almost done."

Just as he was about to text Lucas about the kittens Lucky delivered the third kitten, and noticed that it wasn't quite as lively as its siblings. The third kitten had a mostly black body with white socks on all four paws and a white patch of fur over its left eye. Sporting the same pink bright nose as its siblings the newest kitten had a malformation on its right front leg that made it look withered and incomplete.

"Oh, no... I hope this little guy isn't sick!"

When Lucky just chewed off the cord and started ignoring the little kitten Gavin quickly responded by using a clean white washcloth in his right hand to very gently pick the kitten up and very carefully clean it off and rub its chest and belly to get it to respond. As the kitten was warmed up slowly under Gavin's touch it began to squirm and squeak like its siblings, but Lucky still didn't pay it any mind.

"Shit. I don't know what to do for a sick little guy like this."

Placing the kitten back down with its siblings in hope that Lucky would change her mind and start tending to it Gavin called Aaron, and breathed a small sigh of relief when the final kitten was delivered. The fourth kitten was a maine coon like Lucky, and was completely healthy like the two firstborn kittens. This one Lucky was interested in tending to and nursing, while the third kitten was still being ignored.

"...Aaron, uh, the kittens are here. Y-Yeah, they're all alive but we might have a problem."

Seeing the little kitten being ignored and neglected broke Gavin's heart and he was suddenly determined to defy the odds and keep it alive.

"Could you pick up a few things and swing by my place real quick? Consider this an emergency call!"

With very little progress still being made on the case of the unknown suspect with the knife, the four investigating detectives worked in the quiet of a vacant interview room to try to make some form of breakthrough. While Connor, Hank and Lucas poured over the very sparse evidence that had been collected at each attack and read over the very limited witness statements for the umpteenth time, Noreen had gone out on a coffee run to get a pick-me-up for everyone. It was also pretty clear that Noreen just wanted an excuse to stretch her legs and clear her mind, which of course Hank had no objections to. Things were tense and the heat was making everything worse.

Connor leaned back in his chair and pulled the gifted antique coin from his jean pocket to examine the aged coin with a curious eye for a temporary distraction. It was such an odd gift and one that Connor truly did appreciate in a way he couldn't quite explain. Nervously rocking the coin back and forth over his index and middle knuckles of his right hand the deviant detective glanced up at Hank, who looked exhausted, and then to Lucas, who looked worried.

"Lucas?" Putting the coin back into his pocket Connor studied his brother's face curiously as the deviant's L.E.D. settled on yellow. "Is something wrong?"

"...I just received a text from Gavin." Confirming that he too had been distracted Lucas shared a bit of unfortunate news from Gavin. "The four kittens have all been born, but one of the kittens is unwell."

"Unwell how?" As he asked the question Connor noticed that Hank was now paying attention to the conversation as he too needed a break from the case for a minute.

"...It apparently has a malformed foreleg and Lucky is rejecting it."

Hank closed his tired eyes and let a low sigh from his nose as he rubbed his right hand over his forehead. "Shit, that's rough. It's nature, son." Resting his chin in his right palm as he leaned his elbow on the table Hank gave Lucas a sympathetic glance. "Sometimes one or two don't make it, sometimes it's an entire litter that doesn't make it, but it happens. It sucks all the same."

"Gavin is determined to help the kitten survive." Lucas stated as Noreen returned to the interview room with a recyclable cardboard carrier holding four freshly brewed drinks to be shared. She had a digital magazine tucked under her left arm and a scowl on her face. "He asked Aaron to bring him special items to ensure that he can assist the kitten and help it gain strength."

Noreen passed out the four drinks; two coffees for Hank and herself, and two Thirium-based smoothies for Connor and Lucas. Hearing the conversation only made her scowl deepen with worry. "Please don't tell me the litter didn't make it."

"Three of the kittens are thriving, whereas the fourth kitten is apparently struggling."

"Oh, no." Sitting down beside Lucas again as he confirmed the status of the kittens Noreen sighed and gave her partner a sympathetic look. "I hope it'll be okay."

"I'm sure it will. Gavin is far too determined to let the kitten perish."

"Yeah? That's good." Placing the magazine down on the table Noreen passed it over for the other detectives to see. "It's probably the only good news we'll hear all evening."

Hank took a look at the magazine article and sighed. "Ah, fuck. The press is naming this asshole with the knife 'The Shadow Blade'. The last thing we need is the media glorifying this sick-fuck."

"I showed it to Captain Fowler on my way back and he quickly made a phone call."

"Good ol' Jeffrey... He's even less tolerate of this type of shit than I am."

Connor's posture slumped as he realized that their lack of progress was beginning to get noticed by the city, and now the media was reporting it on every news broadcast and promoting it on the daily magazines. Whenever a serial killer or attacker gets any form of celebrity status it made tracking them down all the more difficult as many copy-cats seeking attention and people giving false confessions slowed progress even further.

Staring at the news article for a moment longer Hank pushed it aside and swore loudly. "Fuck it. Let's give the media something worth reporting and bust this case wide open."

Glancing over at his partner Connor arched his brow and asked Hank a simple question. "Overtime?"

"Overtime." Confirming the question in a bold tone Hank knew that time was of the essence. "Sorry about taking up your night on your 'practice birthday', son."

"I'm okay with this." Ever humble and eager to help people Connor wasn't upset by the sudden change in plans. "I'd rather spend my time focusing on this case rather than a night of self indulgence."

"Good answer." Turning to Lucas and Noreen across from the table Hank gave them both a questioning glance to see how they felt about the situation. "Are you two in?"

Lucas nodded as he sent a text to Gavin to inform him that he'd be returning to the apartment much later than he had anticipated. "Yes. I'm sure Gavin and Aaron will be able to handle the situation with the kittens without my assistance."

"I'm in, too." Noreen picked up her coffee and pointed to the contained caffeine with a smirk on her face. "Let's see if this coffee is worth the price and can keep me up all night on this damn case."

Busy with his own late night task back at the apartment Gavin informed Aaron of the situation, let him take as many pictures of the kittens as his phone could hold, gave him a grateful kiss and then promptly sorted through the supplies Aaron picked up during his emergency errands. While Lucky tended to her other three kittens without any complication after the rather quick delivery after a prolonged labor, Gavin sat on the floor beside the laundry basket with the rejected kitten carefully bundled up in a soft, clean white towel as he offered it a small bottle full of kitten formula. Being rejected or forgotten was something Gavin often took personally, and was determined to change for the better.

Struggling to feed the kitten with only one hand Gavin readjusted the towel to rest over his bionic left arm while awkwardly bending his right hand to support the bottle. The kitten was so small and weak that it couldn't find the bottle and suckle on the much needed formula.

"Hold on, little guy. I'll figure this shit out..."

Peering down at Lucky as she napped with the three kittens nursing easily at her side Gavin contemplated putting the kitten back with the rest of the litter, but was worried Lucky would become aggressive and might actually kill the kitten to keep it away. If Gavin couldn't find a way to feed the kitten it would starve.

"...Fuck it, fine."

Readjusting his posture as he leaned against the livingroom wall Gavin used his strong right hand to hold the kitten in the towel as he forced his bionic left hand to grip the bottle, and slowly lower it to the kitten's nose and mouth. After gently pressing the tip of the formula filled and warmed bottle to the kitten's nose and mouth the kitten finally latched on and began to reflexively suckle.

"That's it! There ya' go... Keep drinking just like that."

Through the towel Gavin could feel the kitten's normal and healthy left paw flexing and kneading against the material as the kitten instinctively nursed from the bottle and responded accordingly.

"Good, keep that up for about five minutes then you'll take a little break."

Looking at his phone sitting on the floor beside him Gavin sighed and knew he needed to set the alarm to go off hourly so he could check on the kitten, feed it and make sure it wasn't struggling to digest the formula. In that moment he really wished that Lucas was at the apartment since the deviant would be able to keep to a feeding schedule easier than a human, but until Lucas returned it was strictly Gavin's responsibility to keep the helpless kitten alive.

"Listen up, little guy. Tonight it's you and me against the whole world. The odds aren't great, but I think we can take 'em."

Keeping the bottle tilted at an appropriate angle Gavin made sure the formula continued to flow and that the kitten didn't struggle to nurse. It was a strange sight seeing the bionic arm responding to his every signal and behaving as his own true arm, but for now the abnormal sight would have to go unspoken as there was a far more pressing matter to be handled at the moment.

"...If I can overcome dealing with a fucked up arm then I know you can too, all right? You'll be okay as long as you got someone to look after ya', and right now I got nowhere else to be."

-next chapter-