The summer slowly faded into fall and the changing leaves accompanied the steadily cooling air. While the usual cases at the precinct weren't nearly as high profile or interesting as the investigation into Perkins or the mayor, but neither Connor or Hank were going to complain about a lighter caseload. Still under probation and being watched closely by Captain Fowler every second that he was clocked-in, had left Connor feeling untrustworthy and almost lethargic. Hank on the other hand didn't give a damn that Connor was in trouble and was just glad to finally be caught up with all of his cases and paperwork. The two detectives still trusted each other and that's all that matters.

Clocking-out of the precinct at their usual six o'clock time the two detectives took the same route from the precinct back to the house, and decided to enjoy the quiet night watching the Gears on television. While the car idled at a red light Connor noticed frantic movement from the corner of his eye through the side window, and rolled the window to listen to the commotion more closely.

"What's up?" Hank took notice of the hectic energy as well and leaned around Connor to see and hear more clearly. There were four people standing outside and apartment complex, and pointing at a window above or using their phones to record something that couldn't be seen from the street. "Is there a fight going on?"

"...Apparently there is a domestic disturbance in the apartment above us."

"Ah, fuck. All right." Grabbing the radio from atop the dashboard Hank called it in and motioned for Connor to go ahead and take the lead on the situation at hand.

Exiting the car Connor showed his badge to the group and was met by a woman walking her dog, while the other three continued to record the audio of the fight on their phones. "I'm detective Connor Wolf. What's going on?"

"He's hitting her again!"

"He..." Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to red in worry as he asked for more details from the woman. "He who?"

"His name is Oscar, I don't know the last name. His wife's name is Enid."

Hearing a strong slap and a woman scream made Connor rush toward the front door of the apartment complex and forced it open. "Which apartment?"

"They live in 4-E! Please hurry!"

Rushing through the front lobby Connor bypassed the elevator and rushed up the stairwell to the fourth floor, and raced down the corridor to the correct apartment. Standing before the door to 4-E Connor was about to pound on the door to announce his presence, but another hard slap and a threat to kill the woman from behind the door made Connor quickly change his mind.

Pulling the gun from the holster around his back Connor planted a solid kick on the door just below the doorknob and broke down the door easily. "FREEZE! Detroit Police!"

The couple in the apartment froze as ordered and the man, Oscar, stared at Connor with wide, crazy eyes as he held a large kitchen knife in his right hand in a threatening way. Wearing dirty clothes and covered in grime Oscar was either a mechanic or worked in a factory, and as such was very strong. What was the most disturbing detail about the man was the glaring and rapidly pulsing red L.E.D. in his right temple.

Not expecting to see a deviant assaulting a human Connor momentarily froze at the sight.

The woman, Enid, was laying on the floor in tears and cowering at the deviant towering over her. She was wearing a torn up pair of jeans and t-shirt after being assaulted, and was already showing the fresh bruises near her older bruises that were still healing. Trying to use her hands to pull herself away from the abusive man Enid sniffled and begged Connor to help her as blood dripped from her nose and lip. "...M-Make him stop!"

Snapping back to the situation at hand Connor aimed his gun at Oscar and barked another order as he put himself between Oscar and Enid who was still cowering on the floor. "DROP THE KNIFE! DROP IT NOW!"

"YOU HEARD HIM!" Hank's own voice boomed through the kicked down door as he too aimed his own drawn gun at the dangerous man. "Drop it!"

Never blinking the deviant held out the knife at his side and then dropped it on the floor with an audible clatter. "...The bitch deserved it."

"Shut the fuck up!" Lowering his gun Hank pulled his handcuffs from the back of his belt and grabbed onto Oscar's wrists one at a time, and then twisted the deviant's arms to make him turn around. Securing both arms behind Oscar's back Hank pressed the deviant up against the far wall to hold him in place until patrol came by to pick him up. "You're under arrest for assault, battery, attempted murder and who knows what else, yet..."

Connor holstered his gun and crouched down beside Enid. Moving slowly and gently Connor scanned over her body to ensure she didn't suffer a skull, neck or spinal injury, then scooped her up into his arms. Carrying her out of the apartment Connor could hear the angry deviant still in the apartment shouting insults and threats at Enid while she cried and wrapped her arms around Connor's neck to hold onto him for dear life.

"An ambulance is on the way." Connor whispered as he carried Enid to safety. "You'll be okay."

"...Th-Thank you."

"May I ask what happened?" Entering the elevator Connor pressed the button for the first floor and tightened his grip around Enid's body.

"...H-He didn't use to be like this. I swear!"

"It's okay, don't apologize or think you owe me any explanation for being struck. I just want to know what started the fight."

"O-Oscar was t-terminated as a m-mechanic today." Enid's stutter was the result of her trauma and fear. Holding onto Connor tightly as he carried her out of the parted elevator doors and outside the apartment building Enid tried to look away from the four people still gathered outside the apartment to act as witnesses to the assault. "I-I-I told him to k-keep looking for work, a-and he thought I-I was mocking him."

"Mocking him?"

"H-He's very self c-conscious."

The ambulance arrived and came to a stop along the sidewalk behind the Oldsmobile where Hank already parked. Connor carried Enid over to the back of the ambulance and placed her down on the gurney in the back to be treated by the paramedics, and to get her out of sight of the curious onlookers.

"Enid, how long have you and Oscar been together?"

"...Six months."

"Are you married?"

"...No. H-He said being m-married to a h-h-human would bring t-too much unwanted attention."

"Okay. And when was the first time he hit you?"

"...I-I don't know."

"Enid, please be honest. We can't help you unless we know how violent things have become and how long it's been happening." As the patrol car raced to the scene and parked behind the ambulance Connor lowered his voice to a whisper to help Enid avoid any sense of embarrassment. "When did it start?"

Bowing her head in shame as the paramedics dabbed the blood away from her blackening eye and swollen lip Enid replied honestly. "...Two months ago."

"Two months, okay. What caused him to lash out the first time?"

"...H-He was called a p-plastic freak by a customer. I-I told him to i-ignore it and he..." She closed her eyes in shame. "H-He slapped me!"

"Did you tell anyone?"

"...No. He apologized a-and promised t-to never hit me again."

"Enid. How many times has he hit you?"

Breaking down in deep sobs Enid told the whole truth as the paramedics tended to her wounds. "...I lost count! He hits me almost every night!"

"Why didn't you ask for help?"

"Because he's a deviant!" Taking in choking breaths Enid wiped away her tears as she tried to lock eyes with Connor. "H-He'll be locked away forever!"

"No, he'll get the help he needs. If his temper is the result of a glitch it can be corrected, if it's the result of his deviancy he can get therapy."

"B-But he's..." Noticing the blue L.E.D. in Connor's temple Enid realized Connor was a deviant too. "You're a deviant."

"I am."

"So... You'll h-help him?"

"Yes. He won't be forgotten and he will be helped. You just need to tell the police everything that's happened so they know how to help to the best of their ability. Okay?"

"...Yes, okay."

"Thank you. You'll be taken to the hospital and checked over, then an officer will take your statement at the hospital. If you need any further help," pulling a slightly bent but still legible personal card from the small storage compartment behind his badge Connor passed it over to Enid to take. "just call me."

"...Thank you." Reading over the name on the card Enid held it close to her chest. "Connor."

Nodding respectfully at the woman Connor stepped away from the ambulance and left her in the care of the paramedics. Turning around Connor watched as Chris and another officer escorted Oscar out of the apartment complex in cuffs, and led him and over to their squad car to be taken to the precinct and questioned.

Trudging over to the Oldsmobile Connor opened up the passenger side door and sat down in his seat with a heavy drop. What he had just seen was something he had never expected to see. A deviant abusing a human in a domestic relationship.

"Chris and the new guy, Portland, are going to take care of Oscar." Hank stated as returned to the car and opened up the driver's side door. "And it looks like you got his wife taken care of."

"...They're not married."

"Oh, well, his girlfriend then."

"...Right." Pulling his door shut Connor fastened his seatbelt and leaned back in his seat. Watching the patrol car with Oscar taking off down the street left Connor feeling somehow hollow. "...That was the first domestic call I've handled."

"Sorry, kid. It happens." Turning the engine over Hank pulled the Oldsmobile back onto the street to finally return home. "I hope this is your first and last domestic call, but... Yeah. The odds of that are pretty damn slim."

"...I wasn't expecting to see a deviant striking a human."

Hank let out a small sigh as he returned to the red light they had been previously idling at and knew a tough discussion was about to happen. Hearing the lilt of disappointment in Connor's voice struck a chord with Hank on a very deep level. "The hardest part about being a detective is responding to a call that holds a mirror up to ourselves in the process."

"Huh?" Turning to face Hank as the senior detective pulled the car through the now green light Connor's brow knit with confusion. "A reflection?"

"Yeah. Like... I've seen how fucked up people can get on alcohol and how it changes them from the worst, but it didn't stop me from drinking." Admitting to his own ugly revelations was the best way to reach Connor on a personal level. "You're a deviant who hurt humans, and you just saw a deviant hurting another human tonight. You saw it from a different perspective and now it's really messing with your head."

"You're right." Turning away from Hank to peer through the windshield Connor felt an odd pressure in his chest as the drive back to the house continued on without further interruption. "It is."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"...I think so. It's just very disturbing to see how intimidating it is when a human is overpowered by a deviant. When I..." Trailing off for a moment Connor took in a calming breath and collected his thoughts before continuing on. "I could see the fear in the eyes of the three men when I performed my act of revenge against them, but I couldn't see myself in the process."

"You never saw it from their perspective and now it's warping your personal view of empathy. Right?"

"Yes. How could I do something so cruel and horrible? I-"

"Connor, stop." Putting his right hand on Connor's left shoulder Hank grounded the deviant quickly. "We both know you regret what you did, but you hanging onto that regret and kicking yourself in the ass isn't going to change anything. You're a good person who did one bad thing. It's over and you're aware of how bleak and fucked up revenge can be. Just remind yourself to never do it again and keep moving forward."

"Hank, could you do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"...If I ever contemplate revenge on another person, or ever speak of hatred toward another person, please stop me from doing anything foolish or anything that I'll regret."

"You got it."

"And if I ever show signs of becoming a heartless machine again, I need you to promise to kill-"

"NO." Stopping Connor before he had the chance to finish his sentence Hank refused to do such a deed under any circumstances. "No fuckin' way! That's where I draw the damn line!"

"But-"

"Connor, you've deviated three times now! The first was on Jericho, the second time was on the rooftop before the Revolution, and the third time is when I got sick and you were worried I was going to die right there on the kitchen floor. I will never kill you under any circumstances, and even if you do somehow revert to being a machine again, I will never stop trying to save you and bring you back. That's a promise I will make right here. I will NEVER give up on you."

The passion in Hank's promise made the strange pressure in Connor's chest turn a comforting warmth within seconds. "...Thank you, Hank. I mean it."

"You're welcome. Now, let's change the subject away from violence and death." Glad to have gotten through Connor's head so quickly Hank jumped at the chance to get away from such bleak topics of discussion. "We get enough of that shit during the day, and not nearly enough pay to handle it all."

-next chapter-