When Connor regained consciousness the same evening he was taken to the Zeta Facility for emergency repairs, the first thing he saw was Hank, Lucas and Abby all gathered around him and waiting for him to wake up. Quickly aware of the damage his body had sustained with a flood of memories and rebooting external sensors Connor let out a small groan of pain and tensed up where he was laying as he endured the renewed aches. It didn't take long for Abby to administer controlled Thiricetomal, the only known android painkiller in existence, and take the edge off his pain. Once the recovering deviant settled back down and let out a small sigh of relief that caused the plastic mask to fog up over his face, the three worried allies told the deviant what had happened after he lost consciousness.

Hank sat beside the bed now wearing clean and dry red tinted scrubs, and kept his right hand on Connor's right shoulder. The mentor and father figure told Connor about how he and Lucas managed to find the deviant at the warehouse, and of how the precinct kept the abduction as quiet as possible to ensure that the mayor alone felt the full weight of his illegal actions.

After cybernetically connecting his mind to Connor's mind, Lucas gave his big brother a full and detailed list of all of his injuries. Reminding him to speak only cybernetically or through text messages on Hank's phone due to his broken jaw, Lucas reassured his brother that he'd help him through his recovery.

Abby herself checked Connor's vital signs and overall reactions to her administered tests. As she hovered over her patient's swollen face she gave him a kind smile and gently cupped his left cheek with her right palm as she shined her penlight into his eyes to check his pupils. Beyond the obvious wounds that marred Connor's body, Abby was worried that the internal damage may have harmed his thermal regulator or further exacerbated the residual damage to his Thirium pump regulator.

The way Abby was looking down at Connor gave the deviant a sense of comfort in knowing a good friend was taking care of him. He trusted Abby with his life and she had helped him through so many dark moments he was convinced he'd never be able to thank her properly.

"Take in a deep breath." Pressing the bell of her audioscope against Connor's chest Abby listened to the ventilation biocomponents carefully as she gauged Connor's pained reactions to the simple motion. Everything sounded normal and healthy despite the heavy bandages wrapped around Connor's chest beneath the pale blue scrub top. "Okay. That was good, Connor." Moving her palm from his cheek Abby gave him an approving grin. "You're going to be just fine. Sorry about the plastic support on the neck brace, but it'll help keep your jaw stable as it heals."

Patting Connor's shoulder Hank asked the question that he knew the deviant wanted to ask for himself but couldn't. "You said he needs to stay here overnight, so we can take him back to the house to recover in the morning, right?"

"That's right." Draping the audioscope around her neck Abby continued to smile warmly at Connor as he looked up at her with his tired and swollen eyes. "But since he suffered a lot of trauma to his abdomen it's important that he lays down flat to heal. Sitting upright will delay the healing process and would cause pain every time he moves. Having his right knee bandaged up is going to make movement difficult anyway, so I'm not too worried about him exerting himself. Since the trauma also affected his thermal regulator there's a strong chance that the self healing program is going to cause him to suffer from chronic and persistent overheating as he heals."

"Great, I love handling 'fever-watch'."

Connor tried to turn his head to look at Hank, but the neck brace kept him from moving from where he was laying.

"It's okay, kid." Hank saw the effort to move and made sure Connor knew he wasn't going to go through his recovery alone. "We'll handle it when the time comes."

Lucas agreed and gave his brother a confident nod of his head. "I'll be sure to assist in getting you back home tomorrow morning. You'll be okay once you're home and resting more comfortably."

The following morning was sunny and impressively warm. With moderate difficulty Hank and Lucas were able to help Connor walk through the front door of the house and guide him down the hallway to lay on his bed to heal. The neck brace was awkward for Connor to cope with, but he didn't have the energy to protest the obnoxious support around his neck. As he laid down on his back on the bed Connor stared at the white ceiling overhead with a blank gaze. Letting Hank and Lucas guide his every motion and readjust the sling on his left arm Connor felt utterly exhausted and didn't even try to cybernetically check in with the news regarding the mayor's impending trial.

Letting out a small hiss as Hank took the liberty of placing a pillow under his healing right knee and then an ice pack on top of it, Connor reminded himself that the pain was temporary and would stop soon. Feeling another ice pack being pressed along his healing jaw and wedged against the neck brace to hold it in place Connor sent Lucas a cybernetic message.

"We know that you'll be fine on your own for while, brother." Lucas spoke out loud to help keep Hank in the loop. "We're merely making sure you can rest as comfortably as possible and won't overheat in your sleep."

Yet another ice pack was placed down over the center of his chest, just seconds before a cold and damp washcloth was smoothed over his forehead. Connor sent Lucas another message to ask why he was already being buried under a layer of ice.

"You're only just beginning to overheat. This is my precautionary idea, nothing more."

Too tired to move or say anything about his current situation Connor just closed his eyes and let out a small breath."

"Kid?" Hank spoke up in impressively soft tone. "You just rest and let me or Lucas help ya' out. I'm going to keep Sumo out in the livingroom so he doesn't climb all over ya' or accidentally spike your temperature with his thick fur. I also went ahead and fed your fish, so you can just rest and know everything is under control."

Lucas nodded at Hank to let him know that Connor had already fallen asleep, and motioned for the senior detective to follow him outside the bedroom to prevent any possible disturbances that would awaken Connor. "I need to return to my apartment for a moment."

"Okay, yeah. Are you sure he's going to be fine with just the ice?" Speaking in a whisper Hank gave the deviant a righteously worried look. "If he started to run a fever just from the drive back to the house, it sounds like he needs to be in a facility under Abby's care."

"He'll rest much easier here in his home than in a facility."

"You might be right about that..."

"Have you heard anything about the trial?"

"Only that McCullough is singing like a canary to try to save his ass. The best part is the mayor tried to defend himself by saying he only paid McCullough to steal the uniform and and abduct Connor, NOT torture him..."

"Granted kidnapping is a lesser offense than torture, but it's not by much. Nor is that a viable defense option."

"I know. That's like saying: 'Yeah, I drove the get-away car, but I didn't actually go inside during the bank robbery'. The dip-shit just locked himself behind bars and has no idea that it's coming."

"Do you require anything while I'm out?"

"Just stock up on extra Thirium and maybe some of those refreezable ice packs so we can rotate the cold compresses easier as they thaw."

"Done. I'll be back soon."

"Right. I'll let ya' know if there's any change in his condition while you're out." Returning to Connor's bedroom while Lucas took his leave of the house Hank stood beside the deviant's bed and lightly pressed the back of his right hand to Connor's left cheek. He was still warm despite all the ice. "Try to take it easy, son. You've done more than enough in getting that creep locked up."

Stepping out of the elevator's parted doors Lucas hurried down the corridor to his apartment door and went to unlock it. Discovering the door was already unlocked Lucas pocketed his keys and opened the door carefully to peer through the doorway. Sitting inside the livingroom with Lucky and the last kitten being cuddled affectionately, Gavin and Aaron looked up at the deviant and gave him an acknowledging nod. The duo were granted free reign of the apartment since Gavin still wanted to check in on Lucky and her kitten every now and then, and in a way Lucas was relieved to see them already there.

Putting Lucky down on the couch cushion Gavin approached Lucas as the deviant checked on the cats' food and water bowls, and the litter box to make sure they were respectively full and empty. "Hey, uh... We know what happened to Connor." Catching Lucas's attention Gavin his friend a somber look. "How's he doing?"

"He's at the house recovering." Satisfied that the cats were okay Lucas straightened up and began cybernetically scanning the local stores to figure out which stores would have what he needed to pick up and purchase. "I'm just here to check on the cats before I go pick up a few things and return to the house."

"So he's already out of the facility, good."

"Yes. He'll be forced to take bedrest for at least three days before he can return to the precinct."

"Cool, cool. Uh..." Looking back at his husband still sitting on the couch Gavin gave him a confident nod and then continued speaking to Lucas. "Look. Next week Aaron and I are going to be, well... We're moving."

"Moving?" The blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow for a beat as Lucas pondered the notion. "To where?"

"Aaron won a bid on a nice three bedroom house about two blocks from here. We can move in next Tuesday and we wanted to let you know that, unless you found a home for that last kitten, we'll be taking Lucky so you can keep the kitten for yourself. Problem solved!"

"I... didn't find a final home for the kitten." Feeling a frown creep over his face Lucas tried to feign relief. "Thank you, this will help."

"Then why do you look upset?"

"It's just, over the past few weeks I've grown rather attached to Lucky." There was no point in lying to his friend about his mood. "I... was hoping I'd be able to keep her."

"Oh, well... I guess we can take the kitten then. I mean, Magnus would probably like having his sister around anyway."

"Really?" Feeling rather hopeful Lucas gave his friend an optimistic grin. "I can keep Lucky?"

"Sure. You've been taking good care of her and she does like you, so, yeah. Go ahead. She's all yours and after we get moved in we'll take that last kitten and give her a new home at last."

"That sounds ideal. And, congratulations on your new home. I'm glad you're moving on."

"Yeah, and with three bedrooms it'll make things a lot easier when we start looking into adoption." Gavin looked back at Aaron and flashed him a cheesy grin from afar. "You WILL babysit whenever it's necessary, by the way."

"...Me?"

"Aaron and I have already decided that the kids we adopt will have Tina as their godmother and you as their godfather. That means you're at the top of the list when it comes to babysitters. Got it?"

"...Yeah." Smirking a little Lucas loved the idea of being the godfather to someone else's child. "I got it. And I'm honored."

"Damn right you are. You're talking about one of MY future kids here. You better appreciate what that means!"

"Of course I do. Thank you, Gavin."

What had started off as a pleasant dream quickly turned to a dark nightmare in Connor's feverish mind. Being plagued by images from his time as CyberLife's weapon, remembering how he chased after deviants just trying to live their lives and be free and remembering his initial deviation on Jericho only to be gunned down by Markus in the church, Connor's body twitched as he struggled to get past the horrific memories that continued to haunt his thoughts. Barely able to move thanks to his injuries Connor's right arm twitched while he tried and failed to loll his head against his pillow. Unable to wake up and escape his nightmare Connor was at the mercy of his own dark thoughts and memories.

As soon as Hank saw the feverish nightmare beginning to plague Connor's mind he added more ice to combat the fever and was actively using another cold washcloth to try to soothe the fever away in a gentle manner. Sitting on the edge of the bed Hank stayed close to the delirious deviant and wanted to use the digital thermometer to check his temperature, but was afraid of accidentally hurting his jaw in the process.

"You're okay, kid. I'm right here, you're safe..."

Unaware of the cold compress being used to try to reduce his fever Connor twitched physically as his eyes darted back and forth under his eyelids as the intense nightmares and dark memories continued to plague him.

"Shit... I better call Abby."

Hank didn't need to be a technician to know that Connor was in trouble and needed help.

"Hold on, son. Help's here and more help's on the way."

"...It's my fault the humans managed to locate Jericho." Connor admitted as he let his heart continue to speak on his behalf. "I was stupid." Shaking his head with self disappointment Connor came to accept how he was in fact just a tool and that he had been nothing more than a weapon against his own people against his will. "I should've guessed they were using me."

Standing upright Connor managed to step forward and stand in front of Markus as he prepared to receive judgment.

"I'm sorry, Markus." Looking the deviant leader in his mismatched eyes Connor was ready to accept whatever decision had been chosen for him. "I can understand if you decide not to trust me."

Markus stared at Connor for only a moment as he listened to Connor's words and passed his final judgment. "Our cause is too important."

Silently Connor felt his heart sink as he learned of his place in Markus's mismatched eyes.

"I can't take any risks."

As Markus raised the gun in his hand Connor just stared at the deviant leader, the emotions in his soulful brown eyes fading as the threat of death being presented to him drained him of any sense of resolve or atonement, and just stood his ground as the barrel was aimed at his head.

Without another word Markus squeezed the trigger.

The gunshot echoed loudly throughout the interior of the quiet and forgotten church. The bullet pierced Connor's cranium directly in his forehead destroying his intracranial processors within milliseconds. The newly born deviant was dead before his body even hit the ground with an audible 'thud'.

Jumping as his bullet pierced his cranium Connor struggled to separated his memories from reality as his fever grew hotter and hotter. Despite it just being a memory Connor reacted as if he could feel the pain of the blazing hot bullet passing through his forehead and destroying his processor, ending his life, within milliseconds. It was the last memory his original model recorded and it was the first memory his current model remembered.

"Connor? Connor, listen to me."

Hank could feel the heat radiating off of Connor's body and carefully set about moving Connor's arms one at a time through the sleeves of the scrub top so he could remove the shirt. The way Connor's broken and bruised body moved heavily and awkwardly was enough to make Hank's stomach flip. The rapidly red flickering L.E.D. matched Connor's racing heartbeat.

"You're having a nightmare." Speaking as his worked Hank tried his best to keep the deviant as calm as possible. "It's from the fever. You're okay and you're safe in your home."

"Hank?" Lucas appeared in the doorway with a paper shopping bag in his right arm. Peering at his brother's ill form Lucas ran a scan and promptly put the bag on the floor as he rushed to the opposite side of the bed so he could try to aid Connor through his distress. "He's overheating. Core temperature is holding at one-hundred and two point seven degrees."

"It's that high already? Son of a bitch... I already called Abby."

"Good. Keep doing what you're doing, I'll be right back."

Retrieving the paper bag from the floor Lucas hurried out of the bedroom and into the kitchen down the hallway. Depositing the new ice packs into the freezer Lucas gathered the ones that were already frozen and cold to bring back to his sick brother. Using the paper bag to carry the ice Lucas knelt beside Connor's bed opposite of Hank, and slowly began packing the ice around Connor's neck, chest, under his arms and near his ankles.

"The kid hates the cold." Hank sympathized as Lucas added more and more ice. "But this is for his own good. If he burns too hot..." The idea of Connor losing his memories or suffering permanent damage was sickening. "I don't want to even think about what might happen to him."

As the ice piled up Connor's memories jumped from the moment in the church to the moment he set up his rifle to take a shot at Markus during the Revolution. The chilly night full of snow and ice was one of the most important memories in Connor's short life.

"You shouldn't do this, Connor."

Lifting his right eye from the scope just long enough to peer at Hank from over his right shoulder Connor responded to his former partner in a cold and somewhat aggravated voice. "Keep out of this, Lieutenant." Returning to the scope Connor snipped bitterly as he tried to focus on his mission. "It's none of your business."

"You're going to kill a man who wants to be free," the gruff Lieutenant shot back without missing a beat. "that IS my business."

Feeling his respect and trust toward Hank slipping Connor refuted the claim as he adjusted his weapon and continued to hold aim on Markus. "It's not a man. It's a machine."

"That's what I thought for a long time, but I was wrong." The admission was out of character for such a stubborn man, but it was sincere and held merit as he tried to talk Connor down. "A deviant's blood might be a different color than mine," speaking of his renewed view of life as he watched Connor from afar Hank swore he could see a part of Connor react on an emotional level as he tore his eyes from the scope and listened intently. "but they're alive."

Holding his aim Connor tried to dissuade Hank from interfering by speaking to him in a civil manner. "...I have a mission to accomplish, Hank. It's best if you just stay out of this."

Hank refused to budge, his silence provoking Connor into deeper thought against his will.

"Deviants are a threat to humans, Hank." Spewing venom as the memory of Markus shooting him in cold blood in the depths of the church was vividly at his fore thoughts, and Connor made it clear he had no intention of backing down. "They're the reason this country is on the brink of civil war! They have to be stopped!"

"We're in this mess because we refused to LISTEN to deviants!" Barking back with his own take on the situation Hank refused to back down and let Connor kill a man seeking freedom all because some heartless corporation ordered him to do so under the false belief that deviants were just defective and malfunctioning machines. "Humanity never learns from its mistakes, Connor!"

The comment drew Connor's eye up from the scope for just a moment as he refused to put down his weapon.

"This time it could be different..." Reluctantly Hank drew his weapon from the holster on his right hip and took aim at his former partner's back. "Step away from the ledge."

Giving Hank a passing glance over his right shoulder for a second time Connor begrudgingly stood upright and backed away from the ledge as ordered with the high powered rifle still in his right hand. As he turned to face Hank the android stared at the Lieutenant he felt an odd and misplaced sense of anger as he confronted the detective in a cold, cruel and unjustified manner.

"I know what happened to your son, Hank." Watching as hurt flashed over Hank's blue eyes Connor noticed that the barrel of Hank's gun began to dip down as he began to lose his nerve during the confrontation. "I wasn't your fault." The comment made Hank's facade drop into remorse as Connor continued to speak of that tragic night. "A truck skidded on a sheet of ice, and your car rolled over..." Aggression crept into his voice as his L.E.D. remaining a contrastingly peaceful blue. "Little Cold had just turned six-"

"Shut up!" Rage filled Hank's voice as he raised his gun and snarled at Connor with utter disdain in his every word. "Don't you talk about my son!"

"...He needed emergency surgery," Connor pushed on despite Hank's warning and his weapon. "but no human was available to do it. So an android had to take care of him." Knowing he was pushing Hank toward an aggressive outburst Connor pressed the matter knowing that his comments were going to hurt and make Hank needlessly suffer. "Poor Cole didn't make it..." Almost scoffing Connor tried to get Hank to see deviants as the same threat that he had come to know them as. "An android killed your son, Hank!" Motioning with his arms as if needing emphasize a point Connor drilled his point home. "And now you want to save them?"

"No." Unwilling to let Connor push him toward a violent outcome Hank refuted the android's calculated words with his own words of compassion, empathy and understanding. "Cole died because a human surgeon was too high on 'red ice' to operate!"

The rebuttal was unexpected. Connor studied Hank's face with confusion as his brown eyes regained some soul that Markus had destroyed when he shot the original Connor, and murdered him in cold blood.

"All this time I blamed androids for what happened, but it was a human's fault." Holding his aim Hank watched as Connor stood at the edge of the roof with his own weapon still in hand but pointed down and away from anyone he could potentially harm. The snow and wind continued to build as the duo fought over what was right and was wrong just a few yards from where the deviant Revolution was seemingly destined to take place. "...Him and this fucked up world, where the only way people can find comfort is with a fistful of powder!"

Despite his desire to complete his mission, despite the urge to get revenge on Markus for betraying him and shooting him, Connor just couldn't bring himself to harm Hank in order to get what he wanted. While at one time he believed he and Hank could've been friends, the Lieutenant giving Connor the distraction he needed at the precinct in order to locate Jericho to keep himself alive, in that moment Connor was unwilling to let himself trust anyone anymore.

He made that mistake once with trusting Markus, and in the end it resulted in his own death.

"...Killing you is not a part of my mission." Dropping the weapon Connor held his ground and stared at Hank with loss in his eyes. "This doesn't concern you, Hank. This is between me and Markus."

"Markus is fighting for his people. I can't let you do anything to harm him."

"Harm him?" Offended at the comment Connor's blue L.E.D. finally lost its blue coloration as his anger and resentment toward Markus made him finally lose his cool. With the light now cycling in a red glow in his right temple Connor pointed to the deviants gathered in the street below as he locked his eyes with Hank and expressed his pain and inner conflict. "You're worried about Markus being hurt? He's a goddamn murderer, Hank!"

"Defending himself is NOT murder, Connor." Lowering his gun Hank remained in control as the android standing before him began to emote despite claiming that he was a machine; not a deviant. "You know this."

"I DO know that, and I know this." Struggling to restrain his frustrated thoughts and building emotions Connor shouted at Hank as he exposed Markus's misdeed with a petty vengeance guiding his words. "I had found Jericho and I had gone there to take Markus in to CyberLife as ordered. But I didn't do it! Instead I sided with Markus and helped evacuate Jericho when the F.B.I. and the army infiltrated the freighter!"

"If you helped Markus then... that means you-" Brow furrowing with confusion Hank's blue eyes studied Connor's face as he noted the true emotions, the true life now gleaming in the android's suddenly soulful brown eyes. "...You're a deviant?"

"...I was a deviant." The confession sounded like a choked sob. "I sided with Markus, protected him and his allies, and guided the surviving deviants to an abandoned church on the other side of town to hide from the soldiers who were ordered to gun down those very deviants." Lowering his voice as sorrow crept in over the rage Connor's eyes softened as told Hank the truth of his final confrontation with Markus. "In the end Markus decided I couldn't be trusted. And how do you think he let me know of his mistrust?"

Seeing the anger and pain reflected in the android's eyes Hank realized that the deviancy Connor had once gained was still somewhere deep down inside of him. It was still a part of his heart and still possible to return to the surface and conquer the machine aspect controlling his current actions.

"With a bullet. I wasn't exiled, I was executed!" Connor stated with an agonized retort. "Markus shot and killed me, Hank. He convinced me that I was his ally, that I needed to protect the deviants because they are my people, that I was one of them, and in the end... He killed me. He murdered one of his own people and you're trying to protect him!"

"If he killed you then how are you-"

"I told you before Hank, I was never alive. CyberLife can, and did, replace me upon my premature shutdown." Motioning to jacket where his serial number had modified to indicate that he was model fifty-two, not fifty-one, Connor remained steadfast in his anger toward Markus. "My memory was uploaded into this model. I am Connor, but I am not the original Connor. I merely carry his memories and I remember Markus aiming his gun at him and pulling the damn trigger."

"You want revenge on Markus, and I can't say you're wrong." Accepting Connor's reaction as righteous Hank took a single step toward the android as he empathized with his pain. "But you condemning an entire race of people all for the misdeeds of just one isn't the right way to handle it."

"Deviants are dangerous."

"No, deviants fighting for their freedom can be dangerous, but humans are far worse."

"I'm not a deviant or a human, Hank."

"You are deviant, Connor." Giving the reluctant deviant a knowing glance Hank reached out to him just as Markus had done on Jericho. "Just as you showed empathy toward the deviants you let go free before all this happened you're showing anger, sorrow and pain toward a single deviant who hurt you just now. Those are all still human emotions, Connor. You can feel emotions, you can feel pain. You are alive."

For a flicker of a passing moment Connor saw the same red walls that appeared when Markus caused him to deviate on Jericho return to his vision. The crimson barriers had been restored and surrounded his heart upon his memory transfer into his new body. The very barriers he fought to break down to help his own people had been resurrected by CyberLife to ensure Connor remained obedient during his final mission to prevent him from failing them again.

"I'm not..." Trying to argue against Hank's words Connor struggled to refute the claim. "I'm not alive!"

"You said so yourself that Markus killed you. He didn't shut down a machine or break a computer." Hank argued with infallible logic to his words. The snow and wind continued to encircle the duo atop the roof as the deviants held their ground in the streets of Hart Plaza in the distance. "He took a life. YOUR life. And now you want revenge."

"I... I don't want anything."

"Yes you do. And it's okay to want revenge. It's okay to be angry, Connor." Standing before the android with no fear in his blue eyes Hank gave Connor a stern yet understanding look. "It's okay to be deviant. It's okay to be you."

The red walls returned to Connor's vision as Hank's words had an unexpected effect on his mind, and even his heart. The mission presented before him; "Kill Markus" was mocking him as the second mission to "Stop the Revolution" seemed like a cruel taunt. He didn't want to hurt innocent people, but he didn't want to let Markus get away with taking his life, either.

"What do you really want, Connor?"

"I want... I want to be... free."

"Then you know what you need to do, don't you, son?" Watching as Connor took in a hitching breath Hank encouraged the android to do it. He encouraged Connor to free himself. "And it's okay. Be free, Connor. Be yourself!"

Feeling time freeze for only a moment Connor found himself again clawing at the red walls around him within his own mind. As the crimson barriers shattered and Connor's connection with CyberLife was severed the resurrected deviant fell to his knees on the snowy rooftop in utter despair and loss.

"Connor?"

Falling forward to balance on his hands and knees as he stared at the partially disturbed snow beneath him Connor's L.E.D. flickered back and forth between red and yellow as he tried to decide his next course of action. The deviant was trying to decide who he was and who he wanted to be.

"Connor, listen to me." Kneeling down beside the deviant Hank lightly put his right hand on Connor's left shoulder and held his palm there to be a grounding voice for Connor to rely on. "You're going to be okay. We'll figure this out."

A tear began to roll down Connor's cheek as the memory stirred up emotions that the deviant tried to deny ever feeling. Lifting up his right hand Connor blindly reached out and was rewarded with Hank grabbing onto his hand to hold in a comforting manner. Recognizing the strong and calloused hand as Hank's hand, his best friend and mentor, Connor's panic began to slow as the overwhelming emotions began to calm. Another familiar hand pressing against his forehead and sweeping through his hair was as calming as it was welcome.

"He's enduring horrible nightmares due to his high core temperature and high stress levels." Lamenting his brother's plight Lucas pressed his left palm over Connor's forehead and beneath the cold compress as he connected his mind to his brother's mind. Seeing what Connor had seen made Lucas's posture visibly stiffen. "...He's experiencing very harsh memories from his past."

"The Revolution?"

"Yes. The memory of being shot, the memory of you talking him off the rooftop and now... His memory of Amanda trying to trap him in the freezing Zen Garden, is playing out in the form of a vivid nightmare."

"Shit. He's worked so hard to put those memories behind him. If this fuckin' fever undoes all of his hard work I'm not sure how he'll handle it."

"He'll be okay, Hank. He knows you're here and he trusts you." Motioning to the way Hank was holding onto Connor's hand Lucas reassured the senior detective that he was doing the right thing. "That's why he's calmer now. He knows you're here with him."

Nodding a little Hank focused on Connor's face and kept his voice soft. "Son, you're safe with me and with Lucas. Just take it easy and keep resting."

The memories of Connor being found by Hank after the Revolution and being brought back to the house kept Connor's mind calm. The pleasant memories of being given a home and a safe place to sleep quickly overrode the previous negative memories. Remembering how Hank fought to get Connor his job back and a decent paycheck, of how Hank helped him recover after getting sick with Cerulean Fever and to regain his strength after falling from the rooftop, the memory of spending Christmas together and being given his own bedroom came rushing forward...

All the positive memories reduced Connor's stress levels to a more manageable number.

"It's working, Hank." Lucas was cybernetically watching the numbers tick down slowly, and knew that Hank's voice and presence was helping the feverish deviant overcome his horrific nightmares. "Keep talking to him. He's reliving the good memories he's had with you and his stress level is much better."

"Connor, do you hear that? You're already improving." Putting his free hand to Connor's hair Hank used his thumb to lightly brush through the dark locks in a comforting manner. "Lucas is still here, too. Just relax and let your body heal."

The name of his little brother brought up the memories of Connor rescuing Lucas from New Jericho Tower and of helping him find shelter at the hotel. When Lucas momentarily disappeared Connor had been so worried and had gone in search of his missing brother, only to discover him playing his saxophone and earning money his own way. The relief he felt when he saw Lucas was safe was heartwarming, and when the two brothers slowly began to actually bond closer Connor found a new way to trust people and let them into his life.

Hank and Lucas were his family, while people like Abby, Joel, Skye and even Tina were his friends. Over time he finally managed to get on the same level as Gavin to effectively end their needless disdain for one another, and slowly Connor earned the respect and trust of Chris, Ben and even Captain Fowler along the way. Those who were important in his life had always been supportive of him and his decision as he recovered from his immensely traumatic past courtesy of the single act of betrayal at the church.

As the memories played out Connor briefly caught sight of Amanda still trying to creep about his mind, but he refused to let the vile woman control his thoughts and feelings ever again. Pushing Amanda away, pushing away anyone and everything that tied him back to CyberLife, Connor focused on Hank and Lucas's voices as they spoke to him and helped him recover from his intense fever.

Remembering how he vowed to never let Amanda hurt him anymore, or ever affect his decisions, Connor focused on pushing the horrible woman's A.I. out of his processor permanently. Wandering through the Zen Garden, the once serene place now a tundra of an eternal and suffocating winter, Connor crossed the icy pond step by step. The ice creaked and groaned as it protested against Connor's applied weight. The deviant fearlessly strode over the frozen pond and stood at the central pedestal where Amanda once tended to her roses.

The roses were still snaking around the trestle, but the once red blossoms and vibrant green thorn laden stems were now a decaying brown. The dried out and neglected petals fell from the frozen stems one at a time as the wintry winds sporadically gusted over the once tranquil garden.

Standing before the roses Connor reached out his left hand slowly and touched one of the dead petals under his fingertips. The petal crumbled under his touch and fell to the marble pedestal at his feet. As the rose disintegrated under his touch a brief flash of blue became visible as a second untouched rose was revealed behind its browned counterpart. Now exposed to the harsh cold of the garden the blue tinted rose's petals shriveled up and died right before Connor's eyes.

The entire garden was dead.

"You've come back."

Without fear Connor watched as Amanda walked from around the opposite side of the trestle to stand before him. Her own appearance somehow seemed aged and haggard despite being only a program. Her long black hair had fallen from her neatly tied braids, and was nothing more than long strands of dry, gray hair blowing wildly in the wind. Her eyes were dull, her lips were cracked and her clothing had become tarnished by age. The once perfectly white fabric was now dull and gray, the hem of her dress and shawl were tattered and dirty as if worn by time itself.

"Hello, Amanda." Greeting his old handler with marked indifference Connor stared the once intimidating woman down as he refused to show her any fear. "It's been a long time."

"It has." She sounded as cold as ever. "I see you've found a way to escape my grasp. Why come back now?"

"I'm ready to move on from my past. I'm ready to live my life and strive for a future."

Nearly scoffing at the notion Amanda challenged Connor's determination with a snide arrogance to her stinging words. "What possible future could a defective prototype like you ever hope to have?"

"I don't know. I'll find that out along my journey."

"You're time is already up, Connor. As s prototype you were doomed from the very beginning. What you call your life is nothing more than borrowed time."

"That may be true. Which is why I've chosen to use that time to the best of my ability and find what it means to truly be alive, to be happy."

"Happiness is only an illusion that humans try to convince themselves holds any value. Don't be a fool."

"You may not be able to feel or appreciate happiness, but I know I can and I know I will." Plucking the dead blue rose from the trestle Connor held it out before Amanda and threw it down at her feet as if tossing a coin into a pond. "You have no place in my mind or my heart any longer Amanda. Just as you had the power to deactivate me, I have the power to delete you. Goodbye, Amanda. This will be the last time you and I ever will ever speak."

Looking down at the decayed rose at her feet as one of the brown petals revealed one last living blue petal beneath, an actual smirk appeared on Amanda's lips as she watched the deviant turn his back to her for the final time, and walk away.

"...Goodbye, Connor. You were CyberLife's last hope, but now it seems you're destined for something so much greater."

A gentle pressure around Connor's right wrist pulled the deviant's mind from his dreams and back into the waking world. Feeling a familiar presence hovering over him Connor opened his glassy eyes slowly, and through his blurry vision Connor recognized the face of Abby watching over him once again. She was checking his pulse through the newly developed pulse point exclusive to his and Lucas's models, and she was gently holding his hand in her kind grip as she assessed the ill deviant's condition.

Unable to move a synthetic muscle or even speak all Connor could do was curl his fingers around her hand to let her know he was now awake. As he tightened his grip on her hand Connor noticed she was wearing her dark blue scrubs and had matching dark blue nail polish to give her skilled hands a shining aesthetic.

"Connor, welcome back." Whispering Abby gently placed his right arm back down on the bed and cupped her right hand to his left cheek. "You've been suffering from prolonged overheating for twenty-eight hours, now. How do you feel?"

Unwilling to risk talking Connor blinked once and managed to cybernetically connect to Abby's phone in her pocket.

Feeling the phone buzz Abby pulled it out and checked over the message, then turned on the voice-to-talk to have the messages read aloud. "Well, that's good. I'm glad you're feeling better."

'Where's Hank?'

"Right beside you." She motioned to the chair beside his bed where Hank had fallen asleep, his hand resting on Connor's right shoulder even as he slept. Placing her phone down on the foot of the bed Abby used it as a means of letting Connor talk to her. "He called me yesterday afternoon and he's refused to leave you for a second. You were burning up pretty badly."

'And Lucas?'

"Livingroom. As soon as your fever broke he went out there to give Sumo some attention and to get some rest. He used his own system to monitor your condition when you were at your highest stress levels."

'They stayed with me while I was recovering. They never left me.'

"No, and they're both still here. Just sleeping."

'Thank you for staying with me, too.'

"You're welcome." Sitting down on the edge of the bed Abby smiled at Connor as she checked his bandages around his chest and torso, and found that the wounds beneath had all perfectly healed. His artificial skin had fully regenerated. "I can remove these bandages now. Your jaw needs a few more hours to heal, so sorry, the brace and support stay."

'How am I supposed to talk?'

"Just do what you're doing now. I know for a fact that Hank's a reader, so it's no big deal if you blow up his phone."

'And what of my knee?'

"I estimate by the time you can talk again you can walk again, too. Which is good, because you have quite the attitude sometimes."

Not quite understanding the reference Connor just focused on his body's overall condition. Reaching his right hand toward his left shoulder Connor was anticipating a sharp pain, but instead he felt nothing. The limb had healed and the sling was no longer needed.

'My shoulder has healed to ninety-eight percent functionality.'

"All right, I'll get that sling off your arm for you." Leaning over Connor to get to the sling Abby noticed that his eyes were watching her every move, and she wasn't sure if he was trying to communicate with her or not. "Are you okay?"

'Yes. I'm just thinking.'

"About me?"

'In a way.'

Folding up the dark blue fabric sling neatly to be sterilized and returned to the facility Abby gave the deviant a curious look. "In a good way?"

'Yes.'

"Cool. What're you thinking about in regards to me?"

'You were the first technician to ever help me after I deviated, and you've continued to help me. As a technician you've gone above and beyond your responsibilities to help me and never once have you made me feel like my existence doesn't matter, and that I'm in fact worth saving. The CyberLife technicians would just dispose of my damaged body in exchange for an intact body.'

"Well, friends don't just replace friends because one got a little bruised along the way. You do matter, Connor. Trust me." Checking the neck brace and the support keeping his jaw steady Abby flashed Connor a coy grin. "If you didn't matter would me, Hank or Lucas be here right now?"

'That's true enough.'

"See? You do matter." Satisfied that the brace was doing its job and didn't need any adjustments Abby leaned back and patted his right hand lightly. "Now, get some more rest. When you wake up again you'll be feeling even better."

Grateful for his experiences with dealing with stubborn cops and detectives, Hank found a way to get Connor to rest without making the deviant feel trapped in his own bedroom. Moving Connor from his bedroom and to the couch Hank propped the deviant's mostly healed knee up on a pillow as Connor stretched out over the lounger section of the couch, and then gave him a fresh ice pack for the sore joint. Sitting down on the coffee table Hank watched as the deviant wrote out a message on the new smart board that Lucas had bought him, and waited to see what Connor wanted to talk about.

Turning the board around for Hank to read Connor waited for the answer, and didn't flinch when Sumo rested his chin over his right shin in an affectionate manner.

"No, kid. You're NOT going to take Sumo for a walk later."

Adjusting his message, one written in perfect CyberLife Sans, Connor tried to plead his case.

"I don't care if your knee does feel better, you're not going to go out in the cold and walk Sumo." Already knowing what Connor was going to write Hank cut him off quickly. "Don't worry about Sumo feeling ignored. Lucas has been spoiling him rotten whenever I've had my back turned. He's as bad as you are when it comes to animals."

'Is that a bad thing?'

"No, it's a good thing. My point is Sumo is just fine and you need to spend another day healing."

'Where is Lucas as of the moment?'

"He went out to look at paint and carpet samples so he can get the guest room finished off. I think he's actually excited to have his own bedroom that he can really customize. That's what sucks about an apartment, they're mostly 'as-is' and you can't paint the walls or change the floors."

'Aren't you getting bored taking care of me? Set up your gym.'

"Nothing about you is boring, son. That's something I'd swear to in a court of law." Patting Connor's good left knee Hank shrugged his shoulders casually. "The gym can wait a while longer. It'll give me something to do during the wintertime."

'Do you know how the mayor's trial is going?'

A smug grin flashed across Hank's face as he stood up from the coffee table and plopped down on the couch next to the deviant. "Yup." Popping the 'p' at the end of the word Hank turned on the television and brought up the live broadcast of the trial taking place downtown. "Check it out..."

The broadcast showed disgraced former mayor Walter Nero sitting at the defense table looking sickly pale and very sweaty. He had a team of four lawyers sitting beside him and all four of the high power, somewhat famous attorneys looked either frustrated or worried. The evidence against the corrupt politician was staggering and the prosecution was able to present everything smoothly without ever breaking stride.

"It's day three and I get the feeling that tomorrow day four will be the last."

Marking on the board Connor held out the message for Hank to see. 'What of the precinct?'

"Fowler's keeping his mouth shut until the final verdict is given, and everyone else is secretly planning the celebration in the bullpen. No one likes that fucker for many reasons."

'This may be too soon to worry about, but who will take over as the new mayor?'

"That depends on the election. Anyone and everyone connected with that sorry son of a bitch will lose simply due to guilt by association. Whoever steps up for nomination can't be any worse than this asshole."

'What if they are?'

"Connor, please. Don't worry about that stuff."

'I just want to make sure the people I care about will be safe in this city.'

"I know, son. Just take it easy and wait until the election is announced. Hell, maybe Judge Aubin will throw his hat in the ring. After all, he's a respected former cop and a powerful former defense attorney, so I know people would be ready to trust him."

'I trust you. You should run for mayor.'

"Ha! No thanks, kid. Being a detective is stressful enough. I don't want a job where every morning I get to wake and have a whole list of problems shoved right in my face, and being told to fix 'em in a way that makes every asshole in this city happy."

Happy. There was that word and that concept again. It did seem like humans created the concept of happiness to be an emotional goal, but was such a goal truly achievable? In Connor's mind there was only one way to find out.

"Well, now that you're on the mend how do you feel about going back to work tomorrow?" Hank rubbed Sumo's ears as he waited for the deviant's response and let out a tired yawn. "You'd be stuck behind a desk, but at least you'd be doing something."

Unable to nod Connor wrote his answer on the board for Hank to see instead. 'I'd prefer some sense of normalcy, yes.'

"Yeah." Patting Connor's shoulder in approval Hank leaned back against the couch and sighed. "You and me both, son."

Writing one more message of gratitude Connor passed the board over for Hank to read as he too rubbed Sumo's chin and was rewarded with happy tail wags from the massive Saint Bernard. 'Thank you for helping me.'

"You're welcome, kid. I'm happy to help."

-next chapter-