Standing before his people in the lobby of New Jericho Tower, standing atop a bench so he could see the entire crowd of deviants gathered around him, Markus spoke loud and clear for everyone to hear. The urge to quell the rumors and stop a violent frenzy before it started had given Markus the courage to stand before his people and speak the truth. The night of the assaults in the forest wasn't an ugly rumor or a cruel attempt to slander his name, it was the truth. Telling the story without mentioning any names beyond his own, Markus confirmed that he was one of the two people who assaulted the three hunters in the forest on that fateful summer night.
The crowd of deviants was seemingly an even blend of disgusted and proud as they learned that Markus attacked three humans who had harmed eight of their deviant allies. A debate began to settle over the crowd as the deviants argued whether or not Markus did the right thing by bringing their people justice, while others argued that he had no right to take matters into his own hands as he had done.
"Who gave you the power to decide justice like that?" A male voice from the crowd blurted in anger toward Markus as he stood tall and silent. "I thought you weren't going to decide how to punish other people after you were called out for what you did at the church!"
"He protected us!" A female voice responded from somewhere in the depths of the crowd. "He knew those men would never be punished for what they did! They're friends with the mayor and they hurt people before!"
"He didn't know that!" A second female voice shouted over the building murmur of voices in the lobby. "He got lucky!"
"He needs to be punished!" The first voice growled and was rewarded with a cacophony of agreement from those who believed he did something wrong. "He already got away with murder once! If he gets away with this, then it's just a matter of time before he kills us all!"
Bickering, arguments and debates filled the lobby with a loud raucous of various voices. Markus knew he had lost control and there was nothing he could do to get any of it back. The die had been cast, and the truth had been exposed. There was no point in trying to change the opinions of his people as they were free thinking and free feeling individuals with every right to believe whatever was right in their hearts.
"Please! Listen to me!" Shouting over the voices Markus tried to get the bickering to end. "STOP! Everyone be quiet!"
Bitterly the group silenced themselves and turned their attention back to Markus with stern glares. The judgmental eyes of those who saw Markus as a criminal were righteously disgusted, while the more sympathetic gazes were full of fear and confusion.
"What's done is done. I'm not proud of what I did, but I'd do it again if it meant keeping our people safe!"
A different male voice yelled from the back of the crowd in a rage. "That's what you said when you killed Connor!"
"And I'll have to live with that regret for the rest of my life!" Responding in turn without any hesitation Markus didn't shy away from the discussion. "I can't undo the past, all I can do is strive for a better future. You don't have to agree with what I had done, in fact, it's good that so many of you are disgusted by my choice. I won't stand up here and act like I deserve forgiveness or even understanding, all I ask is that you decide if you want me to be in the tower or not."
From behind the bench North, Josh and Simon had all gathered to offer Markus moral support, but were now shocked by his comments. They had remained silent as they knew Markus would be able to speak for himself. Yet now the trio were entirely speechless.
"If you want me to leave this tower and never return, then I will." Holding up his hands as if surrendering Markus remained fearless. "You deserve to follow leaders you can trust and rely on. If that means I must leave so that you can follow North, Simon and Josh, then I will accept your decision and I will go."
There was a silent but swift vote as the deviants cybernetically weighed the pros and cons of letting someone like Markus remain their leader. He may have been the leader during the Revolution, but it didn't mean he was the right man to lead the deviants now that they had their freedom. His emotional outbursts and inability to pass judgment without harming another person made him seem dangerous and unpredictable.
The final vote was cast and the decision was made.
"Markus," Simon spoke up as he, Josh and North all received the final votes. "you've been... exiled."
Being so quickly judged and sentenced by his own peers was incredibly humbling. The isolation, the uncertainty, the overall fear that comes from being singled out in such a way affected Markus on a level he hadn't felt before.
He had been condemned.
Feeling his heart sink Markus's mismatched eyes darkened and his shoulders slumped. Tightening his hands into fists at his sides he let out a deep breath and nodded his head in acknowledgment. "...Then it's time I go."
Stepping down from the bench Markus passed through the rapidly parting crowd as he walked toward the front entrance with sluggish movements. The very weight of his heavy heart kept his pace slow and clumsy as he failed to hold his head high as he accepted his fate. Stopping at the glass doors of the tower Markus pressed his right palm against the glass for moment and looked back at the staring cold eyes of his people for one final time.
"...Goodbye."
Passing through the parted doors Markus set foot outside and began his slow trek from Belle Isle and back to the city.
Alone.
Enraged at the deviants who so readily turned their backs on Markus, who cast him aside within seconds of discussion, North tried to take a stand and speak up on his behalf. Josh grabbed onto her arms and held her back as he shook his head solemnly telling her to not make things worse.
"That's it?!" The first masculine voice snarled as the crowd turned to look at him. "He kills one of our own and then her attacks three humans, and his only punishment is walking free of the tower?!"
"Yeah!" Another male voice chimed in from somewhere near the front of the crowd. "He needs to be punished! Exile isn't a punishment, it's a loophole! If he doesn't face the law like any other human would do, then we're not equals at all!"
The crowd began murmuring and debating again as they tried to decide Markus's ultimate fate.
Breaking away from Josh's grip North walked around the crowd and rushed through the front doors in an attempt to catch Markus before he disappeared entirely. Looking down the drive she saw Markus as he walked away from the tower and never once looked back as she watched him from afar.
Speaking in a soft whisper North let tears form in her eyes as she watched her dearest friend slowly disappear from sight. "Markus, please don't go..."
Enjoying the bright and sunny morning with true enthusiasm, everything had been rather routine for Lucas. After he tended to the kittens and drove to the precinct as per usual, Lucas couldn't help but notice that there was a strange energy in the air. It was almost like a dark rain cloud was hanging somewhere over the city, and he couldn't figure out where it was or why it was there. Joining his partner at her desk Lucas dismissed the odd feeling and readily awaited Noreen's answer in regard to her final decision about the kitten's adoption.
As he sat down and clocked-in for his shift Lucas looked at Noreen expectantly. The gleam in her warm eyes told him that she had finally made her choice and was excited to bring her kitten back to her apartment in just two days.
"Well?" Lucas asked in a somewhat playful manner. He was almost excited for Noreen as she made her choice. "Which kitten?"
"The calico!" Noreen was grinning and eager to meet her new companion. "She's so pretty and I can't wait to play with her!"
"Then I'll drop her off at your apartment in two days. Thank you for taking her."
"Oh, it's no problem! I just wish I could take both of the kittens."
"Don't worry about the last kitten, I'll find her a home. Have you chosen your kitten's name yet?"
"I like the name... Patches! She's got so many patches of color in her fur. It may be cliche, but it's also fitting."
"Patches it is."
"Last evening I went out and bought her a litter box, bowls, some toys, a scratching tower that'll look out from my livingroom window, and soft pet bed."
"I'm sure Patches will appreciate it."
"She better!" Flashing a cheesy grin Noreen sipped her coffee and twirled a red inked pen through her right fingers. "I dropped a hundred bucks on the damn scratching tower."
A presence beside the two desks brought the detectives out of their discussion and back to the bullpen. Roscoe was standing beside the desks and giving Lucas a smarmy glare as he handed a tablet over to the deviant to take. As he accepted the tablet Lucas scanned over the details and felt his heart skip a beat while his blue L.E.D. flashed to red with shock.
"What's going on?" Taking the tablet from Lucas's hand Noreen read over the details and felt a strange knot tie in her stomach. Putting the tablet down on her desk Noreen shot Roscoe a nasty glare as she dropped her pen. "Are you trying to fuck with him, or something?"
"It's coming directly from Rourke," Roscoe sneered as he watched Lucas's reactions with a cruel amusement. "not me. You're the two who handle deviant cases, so you two need to handle this one, too."
"Maybe show a little professionalism." Noreen snarked as she rose to her feet and gave Roscoe an unimpressed glare. "This isn't something you should be smiling about. If you grow up a little and recognize serious situations as they are, then maybe next time you won't be dismissed for a promotion."
Roscoe's grin slowly faded as he realized he was the only one who found the situation laughable. "You mocking me, Kayda?"
"Not worth my time to mock you, Roscoe. I'm just stating facts."
"Hey! The only reason you got to where you are is because your daddy-"
"Enough!" Lucas stood up quickly and towered over Roscoe causing the arrogant man to cower and back down quickly. "You've delivered the assignment and now your task is done. Go report to Rourke like the good little boy you are, so he can give you a treat for playing fetch."
Noreen was impressed by Lucas's comment and just barely managed to withhold her amused grin as Roscoe blushed with embarrassment. Unable to defend himself since he started the confrontation all because he needed to feed his delicate ego, Roscoe stood defeated. Turning away from the two detectives like an indignant aristocrat Roscoe stomped off across the bullpen and disappeared from their sight.
"Let's go." Walking away from the bullpen Lucas's terse demeanor didn't fade even as he and Noreen exited the precinct to head out to the parking garage next door. Despite their current assignment being less than desirable Lucas was going see it through to the end. "...I apologize if what I said was out of line or needlessly crass."
"Are you kidding? I'm glad you stood up to Roscoe. He's an anti-android bigot but knows not to openly flaunt it. That's the only reason he hasn't been fired."
"I was referring to stepping in when he tried to insinuate that you only have your current career because of your father's influence."
"I'm used to it." Approaching Lucas's truck side by side Noreen easily brushed off the unfounded insult like a true pro. "Most of it stems from my father being a high profile F.B.I. agent, and then there's the group of idiots who still think that, somehow, women are incapable of solving cases or arresting suspects. I'm used to dealing with discriminatory accusations."
Cybernetically filing a complaint with Captain Rourke regarding Roscoe's behavior, Lucas unlocked his truck to begin their assignment. "You shouldn't be used to something like that."
"You're right, but until things change..." Opening the passenger side door of the truck Noreen sat down next to her partner and never broke her stride or lost her smile. "I'll just roll with the punches and get in a few right hooks while I'm at it."
Filing away the latest witness statement from a deviant who had been attacked by her paranoid neighbor, Connor handed Chris the arrest warrant and returned to his desk to await his next assignment. It had been a long time since he had a particularly taxing challenge to overcome, and with the new bland routine now dulling his senses Connor found himself dancing his coin over the back of his right knuckles as he cybernetically went through all of the necessary paperwork downtown to begin construction on the house. Deciding to add two additional rooms to the house; one room would connect from the side of the kitchen to create a gym for Hank to use, and the second room would take the form of a second floor loft resting above the livingroom, Connor confirmed the blueprints and set up a date for the contractors to inspect the house.
Catching the coin between index and middle knuckles Connor looked over at Hank and told him about the blueprints being approved. With Hank's own opinion on the matter weighed carefully the two detectives decided that keeping a guest room on the second floor would be the best way to keep space on the small property as open as possible.
"Man, I wish I could get through all that red-tape and bullshit as easily as you can, kid." Genuinely impressed with Connor's diligence and patience Hank leaned back in his chair and turned slowly from side to side to crack his tight back. "I'm actually looking forward to having a small gym in the house to keep my body from breaking down any worse than it has. It'll be nice to have Lucas around more often, too."
"Yes. This arrangement could prove beneficial to everyone involved."
"Since we're going to have a second floor on the house now, why not put on a third room for a study?"
"I'll keep that in mind once construction has been finished. I'd like to see how well the construction crew works before asking for further service."
"Smart move, son."
"A contractor will be by the house this coming Thursday at two o'clock to begin inspection."
"Cool. That's our day off."
The door to Captain Fowler's office opened up and the commanding officer called out to the two detectives in a level tone. "Hank, Connor. In my office."
Exchanging silent looks of confusion the duo ventured into their Captain's office as requested. Once inside the office Connor closed the door behind Hank and himself before sitting down beside Hank in the chairs on the opposite side Captain Fowler's desk. The stern focus on the commanding officer's eyes told Connor that he had something unfortunate that he needed to tell the duo. Sitting still and waiting for the seasoned detective to speak Connor didn't even want to hazard a guess regarding the unexpected meeting.
"I got a message from Captain Rourke over at the Eastern Precinct about five minutes ago." Speaking calmly Captain Fowler locked eyes with his two trusted detectives. His body language was tense but not hostile or guarded in any way. "This morning a tip was given to the police that required Lucas's attention. I feel as though it's my responsibility to keep you aware of what's happening right now to avoid nasty rumors or speculation later on."
Sitting alone in the untouched art studio near the back of the mansion Markus eyed the unfinished works left behind by Carl with a somber gaze. Even after three months he still missed Carl like the man had just passed away in his arms that same morning. Lost, alone and ostracized Markus let the tears flow freely from his darkened mismatched eyes, and onto the floor at his feet. The pain that stemmed from prolonged loneliness and a sense of defeat had left Markus nothing more than a broken shell of who he had once been.
Feeling a persistent ache in his heart Markus pressed his right hand over his chest as if he could somehow quell the pain he was feeling with each beat of his miserable pump. Now knowing exactly what Connor felt when he was dismissed so easily, left without a say in the matter and gunned down for his very existence, Markus understood why Connor was unable to ever forgive him.
"Carl, I need you right now. I need my father's advice.
Bowing his head in shame Markus began to softly weep as realized how far he had fallen from his original role as a passive leader. It all ended that night in the church when he pulled the trigger and passed judgment on Connor. Every moment that followed had just been a delay in the inevitable dismissal of Markus as the leader of New Jericho.
"There's nothing I can do to make amends for my horrible decisions. Killing one of my own people was the worst decision I've ever made, and despite feeling the ramifications of such a drastic decision from the past, I still made another horrible choice. Revenge is not the way to handle any problem."
Bits and pieces of Markus's heart began to break away like shards of a broken stain glass window.
"I failed. I failed my people, I failed my friends, I failed myself and I failed my father! There's no way to atone for my errors, I have to spend the rest of my life in seclusion and misery. It's all I deserve."
Pressing his hands to his weeping eyes Markus stayed in the studio as the full weight of reality pressed down on him in a drowning tide of misfortune. Choking on his sobs Markus barely heard the doorbell ring from the foyer entryway. Dragging the collar of his t-shirt up and over his face Markus wiped away his tears, though his mismatched eyes remained a pale blue tinted bloodshot.
Walking like a convict toward death row Markus left the studio, passed by the eerily quiet sitting room and crossed the foyer to answer the door. Pulling the door open Markus's eyes went wide for a moment as he came face to face with the deviant he had once killed, only to realize he was facing Lucas instead.
"...Lucas?"
"Markus." Holding up his right palm Lucas brought up a holographic projection of a city issued arrest warrant with Markus's name on it. "I have a warrant for your arrest."
"...A-Arrest?" Peering past Lucas and toward the street Markus saw a single patrol car parked behind a red pick-up truck along the street, and three other officers all standing back and watching the arrest from afar. "F-For what?"
"This morning forty-six anonymous tips came into the precinct accusing you of assault against three humans. Due to the abundance of the tips with consistent details that connect you to a case of interest, I must bring you in for questioning. Please step outside."
"I... I understand." Exiting the house Markus pulled the door shut behind him and cybernetically locked the door's electronic lock to keep the mansion safe. "I won't resist and I'll cooperate fully."
"Turn around and put your hands on the back of your head." Pulling his handcuffs from the back of his belt Lucas secured the cuffs one at a time to Markus's wrists as he pulled the deviant's arm behind his back to ensure the deviant was sufficiently secured. "Remember, you do have the right to remain silent, and to ask for a lawyer."
"...I know."
"Okay." Putting his right hand to Markus's left shoulder Lucas led the deviant over to the patrol car and put him in the backseat. Slamming the door shut Lucas gave the two patrol officers stern but simple instructions. "Take him directly to interrogation room two and don't let anyone but myself or Captain Rourke speak to him. If he asks for a lawyer back off immediately."
"Can do, Sergeant."
Walking away from the patrol car and over to his truck parked in front of the car Markus looked to Noreen as she leaned against the closed passenger side door with a blank expression on her face. "I know I'm doing the right thing, but I feel like a traitor."
"Lucas, you're a detective doing your job. We're the only two detectives in the Eastern Precinct's deviant division, and the mansion is just within our jurisdiction. We had to be the ones to bring him in."
"It still feels wrong."
"I can assure you it wasn't. You're a good detective with a true sense of fairness and justice, you're not doing anything detrimental to Markus that he didn't already do to himself."
"Yeah, you're right."
"We need to investigate the mansion and get back to the precinct so you can interrogate him." Watching the patrol car speed away from the mansion with the lone suspect in the backseat was as hard for Noreen as it was for Lucas. "It'll be better if you lead the questions since you're not one of his friends, and I damn well know you're not an anti-android bigot."
Unsure of how to feel, if anything at all, Connor sat behind his desk with his L.E.D. pulsing in an anxious yellow that matched the beat of his distressed heart. Knowing that his own brother was going to interrogate Markus, the very deviant who had murdered him almost a full year prior, was a strangely cathartic moment that filled Connor's heart with heavy conflict and persistent dread. Discovering that the deviant leader had been cast out by his own people and was now being questioned after his own people figured out what he had done, was an oddly twisted feeling of justice.
Rolling his coin on its side across his desk with his right index fingertip to guide it, Connor stared blankly at his desk as he sat slumped in his seat. It was a contradicting sight to see Connor wearing such a sharp blazer, vest and dress shirt, only to sit in a slovenly posture in the chair. The yellow L.E.D. and nervous movement of the coin explained why the deviant looked so out of place.
"Fowler says- Sorry." Hank's voice was always deep but in that moment it made Connor jump in surprise when Hank walked over to the desks. "We can't go to the Eastern Precinct to participate in the interrogation since, you know, you're a little too close to things with New Jericho."
Speaking in a near whisper Connor never took his eyes off the coin. "...Does Captain Fowler know what happened on the night of the Revolution?"
"Only that you were there and alongside Markus." Remaining calm and level headed Hank explained things to his partner. "Since Lucas was activated much later than the Revolution, the entire interrogation falls onto his shoulders."
"Good. I'm still alive, him being charged with... that," dancing around the word 'murder' Connor expressed his concerns logically. "would be more problematic for myself than it would be for Markus."
"Yeah, it would be pretty damn weird telling Fowler about you being able to pull a 'Quantum Leap' and leave one of your bodies and jump into another one during emergency situations. It'd be even weirder to tell him about that secret grave hidden up at the cabin."
"Do we know who gave the precinct the tips against Markus?"
"No. Apparently there were forty-six different, and anonymous, tipsters who all gave the precinct very unsettling details regarding the assaults."
"...All the details?"
"Only Markus's name was brought up. Try not to worry, son."
"It's hard not to." Rolling the coin listlessly over the surface of his desk Connor let out a small sigh of disappointment. "I've finally been able to make peace with what I've done, and now that horrible night is coming back to haunt Markus."
"Want my honest opinion on the matter?"
Stopping the coin under his finger Connor looked up at his partner and gave him a focused glance. "...Yes."
"It's good that Markus is being brought in and questioned. He got away with what he did to you, and seeing you nearly self destruct because of the guilt because of that night makes me want to see that 'infallible' bastard squirm, too."
"He's been falsely accused before, and walked away."
"Yeah, and any good lawyer would use that to build a pretty solid case in his defense." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank sat down on Connor's desk and glanced about the bullpen to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "Knowing you and how detail oriented you are, there's no way there's anything left at the campsite that'll condemn or tie either of you to that night."
"I imagine the weather also destroyed anything that may have been overlooked."
"See? No sweat."
"I'm not worried about myself, Hank." Turning to coin to its broad side Connor slid the coin off the desk and into his vest pocket. "I'm worried about how this makes the entire deviant community look."
"It's not your job to worry about the community's appearance. Your job is to keep the community safe."
"Yes... You're right."
"Why don't we head out and get some lunch? We don't have any cases anyway, and I know you could use some fresh air."
Nodding in agreement Connor stood up from his chair and smoothed out his vest. As he stepped away from the desks Connor's L.E.D. cycled in red and yellow rapidly unexpectedly.
"Kid?" Standing beside the deviant Hank noticed that Connor seemed suddenly overwhelmed. "What's wrong?"
Pressing his right fingertips to his glowing L.E.D. Connor responded in a low tone. "...Lucas is letting me see the interrogation through his own eyes."
"Interview room. Go."
Grabbing onto Connor's shoulder Hank directed the deviant to interview room 'D' since it was the furthest away from the bullpen so they could watching things in private. Sitting Connor down in a chair Hank put his phone on the table and watched as Connor used his exposed hand to connect the cybernetic relay to the device so Hank could see and hear the interrogation for himself. Holding his phone in hands Hank hovered over the device while Connor closed his eyes to view and hear every detail of the interrogation as it happened.
Remaining professional Lucas entered the interrogation room and sat down in the chair across from Markus as he sat cuffed to the desk with only an unknown officer to keep him company. Markus hadn't said a word since he was arrested and he had fresh tears welling up in his mismatched eyes. The deviant that had once been a figure of intimidation because of his courage and determination was now a defeated and hollowed out deviant. Sitting with his hands atop the desk and the handcuffs glistening in the overhead light, Markus showed no sign of a fighting spirit whatsoever.
Lucas could feel Captain Rourke's eyes watching him through the observation window and he knew he needed to keep himself professional and distance for the betterment of everyone involved. Placing an electronic tablet down on the table to his left Lucas nodded at the officer to silently dismiss him from the room.
"Markus," speaking only after the officer left the room Lucas began the interrogation. "do you know why you're here?"
The answer that followed was so ashamed and low that Markus was barely audible. "...No."
"Nine weeks prior there was an assault in the forest area outside of the city. Three human hunters were bound, tortured and branded for crimes that they later confessed to participating in. The men claim that two unknown assailants were responsible for the attacks, and numerous tips came in stating that you were responsible for said attack this morning." Pushing the tablet forward Lucas showed Markus the three statements taken from the three men. "Who helped you?"
"No one." Refusing to drag Connor's name through the mud Markus lied about working with a partner. Deep down inside his heart he knew Connor suffered enough, and he knew that no good would come from the deviant detective losing his career. "I was alone."
"You admit to the attacks." Lucas sounded disappointed but kept the questions going. "Why are you contradicting the three statements?"
"Because I was in fact alone. The men are mistaken."
"It's entirely plausible that one of the men could've been mistaken since the provided photographs of the scene of the assault," showing Markus the photos that the men had provided earlier when the came to the Central Precinct to file the assault charges, Lucas gauged the deviant's reaction very carefully. "show numerous empty beer cans all around the area. A drunk stupor could potentially discredit one of the statements on that night, but all three? Very unlikely."
"I was alone. I attacked the men in the forest that night." Looking up at Lucas across from him Markus prepared to give a statement. "I tracked them through the forest to their campsite. I waited in the treeline around the campsite until they fell asleep. I then crept into their campsite to use their own tranquilizers against the three men. I bound them to their chairs and I slapped them awake. After I threatened them and taunted them, I used one of their hunting knives to carve the word 'rapist' into their foreheads."
Lucas withheld his flinch as Markus spoke of the key detail left out of the news. No one knew that the three men had that particular word carved into their skin, and only someone who was at the campsite during the assault would've known about it.
"I tore apart their campsite." Markus continued with a distant gaze in his eyes. "I destroyed their weapons, their knives, their tent and I destroyed the tranquilizer darts I used on them to hide the evidence. I went there alone and I left alone, but only after the three men understood the pain they put their victims through."
"...Why did you do it? Why did you attack them?"
"Those three men assaulted and raped eight deviant refugees when they were using the forest to navigate back to the city. Eight innocent deviants were attacked, held down, hit, slapped, spit on and then raped by those three men!" Speaking with a passion Markus's hands tightened into fists atop the desk as he told the truth at long last. "They begged for mercy, they begged to be let go, but those men just laughed at them and used their bodies for their own selfish sexual gratification. Those men would never see justice because no one would've taken the word of deviants who were once enslaved in the 'Eden Club' seriously."
"How do you know that?" Despite knowing that Markus was telling the truth Lucas needed to keep asking questions. "Were the rapes reported to anyone?"
"...No. The victims were all too scared to say anything."
"Were their assaults documented?"
"No! Their memories are all the proof they need to confirm that the rape was in fact rape, but no one would listen or see the images. Humans never listen to deviants."
"I would have listened. Many other officers would've listened as well." Needing to remain objective Lucas stated the obvious in regarding Markus's decision. "If you knew of what happened why didn't you tell the police yourself?"
"...Because I didn't want to lose the trust of the deviants by telling other people what they went through. They were already so traumatized."
"Markus, you assaulted these three men and then returned to the city, correct?"
"That's right."
"According to your mansion's own security records you were walking around the mansion during the time of the attacks." Providing the additional evidence that had been collected during his investigation Lucas began to push Markus harder. "You have a solid alibi for that night, but numerous people have accused you of the crime you've now openly admitted to. Can you explain this?"
"...My security program must been experiencing an error."
"Or you're innocent and covering for someone else. The sudden surge of tips all coming out of the blue stinks of a conspiracy, and the fact that two men were at the campsite tells me that all of the details of that night aren't being told. Who are you protecting? Who are the real assailants?"
Not wanting to give up Connor's name or throw anyone else under the bus, Markus played the only decent card in his hand. "...I want a lawyer."
Legally required to stop the interrogation Lucas sighed and rose from the table and tucked the tablet under his arm. "That is your right. A lawyer will be provided for you."
Taking his leave of the interrogation room Lucas ended his cybernetic transmission to Connor and promptly reported to his Captain. As he stepped through the doorway Lucas gave Markus a sympathetic look over his shoulder, but didn't say another word.
Unable to see anything further Hank pocketed his now blank phone and watched as Connor opened his worried brown eyes. The interrogation was short but intense, and it had evidently rocked Connor to his core. Putting his right hand to the deviant's left shoulder Hank silently reassured Connor that his name was still clean and that Markus wasn't going to give Connor up to protect himself.
"It'll be okay, kid." Shaking Connor's shoulder lightly Hank remained a grounding presence. "Just breathe."
"...Markus is taking the full responsibility of what happened." The sacrificial gesture was completely unexpected. "He could simply state that he's being set up and that the other deviants are conspiring against him, but he isn't doing it. Why isn't he doing anything protect himself?"
"Remember how you were trying to take the full force of the crime on your own shoulders because you felt like you needed to be punished? He's experiencing the same type of guilt."
"Something happened at New Jericho Tower today." Connor sounded so sure. "I can feel it."
"Keep your head down and let Lucas handle this. We'll figure out what happened soon enough."
"I hope you're right."
"I am. We need to go take our lunchbreak and clear our heads." Standing up from his chair Hank offered Connor his hand to pull him up and to his feet. "Just be patient and everything will work itself out."
Accepting Hank's hand Connor stood up as well and let out a soft breath. "I'll try to be patient. I really will."
-next chapter-