Spring continued on with great strides in deviant rights being achieved with each new day. It wasn't exactly a secret that everyone noticed things progressing much smoother when it came to new laws and rights being passed without the disgraced mayor Walter Nero in charge, and many people were speculating which powerful figure in the city was in currently at City Hall and pulling the strings. The fact that deviants now had the right to own private property outside of android-exclusive neighborhoods, were seen as living people equal to humans, and that any business with anti-android sentiment were getting fined for discrimination, it seemed everything that the Revolution stood for had finally been acknowledged just over a year later.

While those with a modicum of logic and tolerance had no problem adhering to the new laws and accepted deviants as equals, those who still bore grudges against androids refused to comply and were causing issues throughout the city. There was a surge in deviant hate-crimes being reported, but every precinct in the city was showing zero tolerance and quickly shutting down hate groups before they could really get started in causing riots.

Escorting their fourth arrested man of the morning into the precinct for spray painting anti-android hate speech on the front windows of a Digital Sentience store, Connor and Hank tuned out his pointless angry rambles as they lead the man to the holding cells. The moment the man saw Connor's L.E.D. he had been on a verbal rampage to try to upset the deviant, but Connor didn't give him the pleasure of an emotional reaction.

"PIECE OF USELESS PLASTIC!" Frothing at the mouth the man looked like he was rabid with his own hate. He was leering at Connor and trying to break free of the handcuffs behind his back in an attempt to fight. "YOU'RE A FREAK! A FUCKING FREAK!"

"Inside." Connor stated calmly as he opened the door to the cell and motioned for the man to enter. "You will be held here-"

"FUCK OFF!" Breaking out of Hank's grip the man tackled Connor's abdomen with his broad shoulder, and proceeded to kick Connor repeatedly in the stomach until Hank put him in a choke-hold to get him to back off. "DIE MOTHERFUCKER!"

Connor coughed harshly as blue blood erupted from his mouth and he rolled from his back to his left side to curl around himself. The moment he went down the other officers ran over and began restraining the man alongside Hank to get him under control.

"YOU'RE ALL RACE TRAITORS!" The man shouted as he was wrestled into the cell and then locked away. "YOU'RE ALL-"

The man's voice was silenced by a simple press of a button on the cell's electronic panel. Having slammed down the mute function on the panel Hank rushed over to Connor's side and put his hand on Connor's shoulder. The blue blood staining Connor's lips and chin was alarming to say the least. "Shit, kid... How bad is the damage?"

Coughing again Connor forced his eyes to open as his own blue blood stained his lips a dark sapphire hue. "...B-Bad." Unable to stop himself Connor suddenly threw-up a massive amount of Thirium onto the floor and coughed pitifully over the mess. "...Critical."

"I'm going to get you up to see Joel." Grabbing onto Connor's right arm Hank pulled the limb around his shoulders, and helped the deviant to stand up beside him. As he took a single step forward Connor began to crumple back down in pain, but Gavin grabbed onto the deviant's left arm to keep him moving. "You can make it, kid. We just need to get to the elevator, then it's short walk to the dispensary."

"Move it, 'Tinman'." Gavin all but growled as helped the deviant to walk. "If I can handle midnight, two a.m., four a.m. and six a.m. feedings and diaper changes all before coming into work at seven, then you can walk across the damn bullpen. Go!"

Captain Fowler had seen the incident from his own office and made sure the man was charged with the assault of a police officer, then reported the incident to the higher-ups. One look at Connor's face told him that the deviant was going to be down for the rest of the day thanks to his rather serious injury.

"Almost there." Hank muttered as he pressed the 'call' button for the elevator and led the way through the parted doors. "You're going to be fine, son."

"...S-Stomach." Connor managed to wheeze out before he coughed again. He barely registered that Gavin had pressed the button for the second floor as his senses and processors were overwhelmed with pain and red warnings. "...R-Ruptured."

Hank put the two words together and felt sick himself. "Your stomach was ruptured?"

"...Y-Yes. Bleeding i-internally."

"Shit, hang on." The elevator reached the second floor and the two detectives hefted Connor into the dispensary just down the corridor. "Help's already here."

Within seconds Joel had reacted to Connor's limp and bleeding body being hefted into the dispensary, and promptly helped Hank and Gavin lift Connor up to put down on the nearest exam table. "Shit, what the hell happened?"

"Some fucker used his shoulder to smash Connor in his abdomen, then kicked him a few times." Waving Gavin off Hank explained what was happening while Joel pulled open Connor's gray vest and white dress shirt to expose his heavily bruised and swelling abdomen. "Connor said something about his stomach being ruptured."

"That's what it looks like to me." Without any hesitation Joel slipped on a pair or purple latex gloves and pressed his left fingertips to Connor's red glowing L.E.D. before pressing his right palm down gently over Connor's torso, causing the artificial skin to retract over his abdomen. As the skin receded a rush of blue blood oozed over Connor's sides as it seeped through the fractured plastimetal plates covering his torso. "Ah, shit!"

"Damn that's a lot of blood." Hank stepped back in shock and disgust at the gruesome sight. "What can you do to help him?"

"I have to operate on him, now!"

"Wha-" That particular word immediately made Hank's heart skip a beat. 'O-Operate?!"

"Hank, he's losing way too much blood too quickly to wait for transport to a facility." Talking as he worked Joel rolled over the portable Thirial activity monitor and immediately pressed the four wireless leads to Connor's chest to track his vitals. "If I don't open him up and take care of the internal damage within the next five minutes he's going to shutdown, and I don't know if I can revive him after he's suffered so much Thirium loss."

"Fuckin' hell..." Backing off as he paled Hank realized how seriously injured his son had been within just a matter of seconds. "Can you save him?"

"I can try. I'm the only person who can help him, and I don't plan on letting him go without a fight." Attaching a long black diagnostic cable to Connor's red tinted L.E.D. Joel set about performing the lifesaving procedure. "I need the dispensary to myself to work. This isn't exactly the most sterilized environment for abdominal surgery, so the few people in here the better it'll be."

Hank was frozen in place as he watched the blue blood continuing to seep out of Connor's fractured torso and saw Connor's already fair complex pale steadily as he lost Thirium at a dangerously rapid pace. Connor's soulful brown eyes were glassy and barely visible behind his partially opened eyelids.

"Hank?" Joel called out to him in a surprisingly stern tone to get his attention. "Go! I got this!"

Moving on autopilot Hank managed to lift his feet and take another step backward toward the door and reluctantly leave the dispensary. The last thing he saw before the door slid shut and locked was Connor's soulful brown eyes slipping shut as he was forced into emergency stasis mode. The door locking was a sterilization precaution manually initiated by Joel's hand, and wouldn't be undone until the technician had finished his task.

"Son of a bitch..."

Peering through the small window on the locked door Hank watched Joel draping blue sheets over Connor's upper chest and over his legs, then wheel over a tray of shiny metal technician's tools that were so painfully similar to surgical tools it made Hank want to vomit.

"It's happening all over again..."

Spending time with Aria and bonding with his goddaughter during a much deserved day off had been interrupted for Lucas when he got an emergency call from Hank regarding the situation at the precinct. Immediately informing Aaron of the situation and gently passing the baby back over her daddy, Lucas drove to the Central Precinct with every intention checking on his critically wounded big brother, and to be with their father while they waited an update on his condition. The moment he entered the bullpen Lucas was headed off by Gavin, who took him aside and told him what had happened. Hearing the story and seeing Connor's blue blood on the floor near the holding cell was enough to send a chill up Lucas's spine.

Knowing that there was nothing he could do to help his brother beyond waiting and being patient Lucas calmed himself down and let Gavin take him up to the second floor dispensary to wait along with Hank. Seeing the senior detective sitting on the floor, arms crossed over his chest and blue eyes glazed over, across from the sealed dispensary door was immediately put Lucas on his guard.

Listening to the sound of Gavin returning to to the elevator behind him Lucas slowly sat down on the floor beside Hank and ran a scan on Connor's vital signs through the closed door. The vitals were weak but stable. "...Dad?"

"He's been in there for about twenty minutes and I have no idea what to do."

"You keep doing what you're doing right now." Speaking clearly Lucas cybernetically monitored Connor through the door with every intention of breaking into the dispensary to help if it became necessary. "You wait and then help him through his recovery. That's what we'll always do for him because that's what he'll always do for us."

"And what do we tell Abby?"

Closing his green eyes for a moment Lucas reflexively swallowed his nerves and let out a small breath. "...The truth."

Working diligently Joel utilized every skill he had learned and honed throughout his career as a technician to keep Connor alive. The last time he needed to perform such an elaborate procedure on an android body was during his final semester and final exam in college. That particular android had been irreparably damaged and Joel's final exam revolved around him being able to salvage as many biocomponents and delicate couplings as possible for the sake of recycling parts to save money for CyberLife. Now Joel was working to keep Connor's system running and to salvage all the biocomponents to ensure that the deviant could continue to function.

Ignoring the fact that he was currently performing a sporadic and delicate procedure on one of his friends, Joel focused his attention on the heavily damaged artificial stomach that was actively bleeding despite the pressure clamps being applied to the connecting lines. The brutal strikes Connor had endured to his abdomen had effectively destroyed the large Thirial line running blue blood into the vital biocomponent. It had also caused the metal coupling securing the biocomponent in place to break free with a sheering motion.

"Shit, that's going to be a problem..."

Thinking out loud Joel noted he'd need to remove the debris caused by the damaged coupling before he could replace it. The strong yet thin metal would need to be extracted via forceps to avoid damaging the other smaller lines surrounding it.

"I can do this, but it won't be easy. Hang on for me, Connor."

While Joel proceeded to repair his damaged artificial stomach Connor remained in emergency stasis mode while his processor recorded his damage and a ran self diagnostic. The loss of Thirium resulted in low power mode and the stress of the procedure caused Connor's core temperature to steadily rise with each passing second. The oxygen mask over his nose and mouth could only aid his ventilation biocomponents so much since the cool oxygen was being directed into his body, but not forcibly circulated as an external air intake line would be able to do.

Expertly clearing away the metal debris from the sheered coupling Joel managed to re-secure the damaged biocomponent back into place, then reattach the large Thirial line to restore blue blood flow. As the previously red tinted biocomponent took on a healthier blue tint Joel let out a sigh of relief and proceeded to clean the lost Thirium out of Connor's abdominal cavity.

"Okay, great... I haven't lost my touch!"

Cleaning up the wounds and replacing the fractured abdominal plating Joel glanced up at the window on the closed dispensary door and gave Lucas a single nod to let the deviant know his brother was going to make a full recovery. In return Lucas's tense shoulders slumped slightly as he turned to face Hank still sitting on the floor behind him.

"You got a good family, my friend. You can't leave them yet, especially since you have a little one of your own on the way..."

Once his systems stabilized Connor regained consciousness and felt his body gently swaying as he laid on his back. Opening his soulful brown eyes Connor watched the ceiling lights of the bullpen passing by and realized he was laying on a gurney being rolled out of the precinct through the front doors. As he lifted up his head to look around a little Connor felt a strong hand press down on his shoulder to keep him from moving. Without even needing to look up Connor knew it was Hank's hand and promptly laid back down.

Peering past the oxygen mask still over his nose and mouth Connor moved his left hand toward his abdomen under the white blanket covering him up, and felt the thick bandages wrapped over his torso. There was mild pain due to the lingering fractures to the plastimetal plating but considering his last conscious thought was throwing-up his own blood and coughing on it, Connor would take it without complaint.

"You're okay, son." Hank's voice came from above the deviant's head as he was wheeled through the front doors of the precinct and toward the back of the android ambulance's opened rear doors. "Joel got you stabilized and patched up, but now you're going to the facility to have his work double-checked."

Processing what Hank told him Connor responded accordingly. "...Joel saved me."

"Yeah, you got it. It was messy and annoying, but he fixed you right up."

Feeling the gurney being turned around and then lifted up from the ground Connor let out a small breath and closed his tired eyes. "...Thank him for me."

"Already did." Patting Connor's leg twice Hank confirmed that the technician they were all grateful for his help. "But I'll thank him a second time and meet you at the facility."

Lucas quickly climbed into the back of the ambulance to be with his brother and neither E.F.T. were going to tell him no. As the younger of the two deviant brothers grabbed onto his older brother's hand the rear doors to the ambulance were slammed shut from the outside by the driver.

"As soon as I'm done thanking Joel," Hank mumbled to himself as he turned around to enter the precinct again for a moment. "I'm going to throttle that asshole in the holding cell. I'll be sure to keep his com muted..."

After an annoying twenty-four hour stay at the Zeta Facility the wounded deviant was allowed to return home to recover in the comfort of his own bed. The damaged biocomponent had been fully repaired after Joel's skillful procedure, but the fractures to the plastimetal plating still needed additional time to heal. Trying his best to relax and let his body repair itself as instructed Connor laid on his bed with Abby curled up against his right side to keep him company, and to keep him laying still. His left palm was resting atop her five month pregnant belly and she had her left palm resting over his bandaged torso in a playful and comforting manner.

The pain hadn't fully subsided since the initial attack against Connor, and had been steadily increasing as the deviant tried to rest. It was as if every breath was causing the fractures in his torso to expand and made his heart begin to ache with sporadic arrhythmic beats.

Letting out a short breath Connor pressed his right hand toward his wounded abdomen to rest next to Abby's palm as he tried to ease his discomfort. "It seems my self healing program isn't as advanced as I once thought."

Lifting her head up from the pillow Abby gave Connor a curious stare. "You're still in pain?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Maybe you should let me give you an exam." Struggling to sit upright with her heavy belly throwing off her balance Abby looked down at Connor and shifted her weight to accommodate her baby-bump. "Your pain should be decreasing as you heal, not increasing."

"I'll be fine." Feeling a gentle fluttering of motion under his left palm Connor focused on their unborn baby and let another small breath. "You don't have to worry about me."

"I'm going to worry about you no matter what. Not only am I your personal technician," Abby reminded him with scolding tone. "but I'm your friend, your sort of girlfriend, AND the mother of your child. It's now my official duty to worry about you."

"Please don't."

"If you won't let me worry about you, then you can't worry about me."

"That's not... right."

"Exactly." Tucking her legs underneath herself Abby sat crossed-legged beside Connor and slowly began unwrapping the bandages around his abdomen. Moving carefully Abby was able to check on the still mildly discolored and swollen artificial skin without causing any further pain to Connor, and proceeded to deactivate the artificial skin to examine the plastimetal frame more directly. As the skin receded Abby sighed and shook her head a little. "Oh, Connor..."

The fractures to his torso had mostly healed and yet there was a secondary set of fractures near the top of his torso reaching toward his chest. Those fractures were very fine, almost invisible, and would shift a little with each breath Connor took.

"No wonder you're in pain. You have fractures over the lower lobes of your ventilation biocomponents."

"Are they serious?"

"Serious enough. You should turn off your ventilation system in favor of using external cooling measures." Lightly rubbing her fingertips over the painful fractures Abby greatly sympathized with the deviant's abdominal discomfort. "It'll let you heal faster and rest without pain."

"And risk overheating in return."

"Which is why I said use external cooling measures." Moving with a relatively graceless motion Abby managed to slowly climb off the bed and stand upright and find her balance. Pressing both of her hands to her lower back to support her weight Abby began walking toward the bedroom door. "I'll get you some ice."

"I can get-" Stopping himself mid sentence as he sat upright Connor let out a hiss of pain that made his previously blue L.E.D. flash to red in a rapid pulse. Wrapping his arms around his torso Connor began to slowly lower himself back down to rest. "...You should let me do that."

"First of all, I'm already standing up. Secondly, you just proved you can't stand up." Abby returned to the bed and rubbed her hand through Connor's dark locks of hair to try to get him to settle down. "I'm going to get you some..." Trailing off for a moment she began rubbing her left palm over her belly as she stood upright again. "This kid is getting as restless as you are."

Noting her discomfort Connor's mind shifted from his own pain to hers. "Are you in pain?"

"Nope. At least not yet. Give me another four months or so, and I'll get back to you."

"Please lay back down."

"Connor, I'm pregnant not injured. You're going to lay there and wait for me to get you some ice, then you're going to sleep. I have an early morning shift tomorrow and I intend on taking up Hank's offer to join him for breakfast. We're both going to get some sleep tonight, even if that means I have to sit on your chest and force you to lay down. Trust me, this kid is heavy enough to keep down a bull elephant these days."

Admitting defeat Connor laid back down and returned his right palm over his torso where he could feel the fractures still fluctuating as he continued to breathe.

"I'll be right back and then we'll cuddle until we fall asleep." Continuing to rub her bump Abby sighed as she was kicked over and over again as she walked out the doorway. "Or until your overly energetic child kicks me in the bladder, then sleeping in the bathroom."

Despite being entirely motionless and even turning off his ventilation program as requested, Connor was still in pain and he could feel his heart continuing to beat with random arrhythmic pulses. Running a self diagnostic and receiving an 'error' message in return Connor opened his agonized eyes and looked over at Abby sleeping peacefully beside him, with her baby-bump resting atop of a pillow between them. Lightly rubbing her bump with his right palm as he moved perfectly smoothly, making sure that he didn't jostle the bed, Connor removed the ice packs from his forehead, chest and abdomen as he left the bedroom with sluggishly slow footsteps.

Navigating the dark hallway without any difficulty Connor used the walls to support himself upright as his hands pressed against the smooth surfaces to ensure he didn't stumble or fall. Barely making it to the livingroom before the pain in his abdomen became too much to bear Connor collapsed to his knees beside the couch, and promptly received a worried whimper from Sumo as the massive dog laying on the pillow noticed his deviant master's distress.

'Lu... Lucas.' Cybernetically he called out for his little brother's assistance so he didn't wake up anyone else in the house as he felt his heart racing with a painfully arrhythmic beat in his chest. His red glowing L.E.D. created a crimson light throughout the entire livingroom. '...I need help!'

Hearing the door to the nearby bedroom open up to his left, Connor let Lucas's strong hands grab onto his forearms to get him off the floor and onto the couch to lay down.

'Connor, your vitals are erratic and your stress levels are through the roof.' Lucas noted as he gave Connor's system a diagnostic. Pressing his left palm down over the center of his ailing brother's chest Lucas recorded the dangerous heart rhythm and began searching for causes of such distress. 'Your Thirium pump has entered a dangerous arrhythmia that I cannot override and correct.'

'I... I don't know what's wrong. I cannot locate the source of my current condition.'

'I cannot locate the cause of your condition, either. I keep receiving an "error" message whenever I run a diagnostic.'

'I have been receiving the same message.' Clutching at his chest with his right hand Connor forced his ventilation program back on and took in a pained breath. 'My heart...'

'You need to see a technician. I'll wake-'

'No!' Grabbing onto Lucas's forearms Connor kept his brother from leaving the livingroom for a moment. 'She needs to rest and cannot be stressed out.'

'You need a technician's help! Don't think your health is less important than hers.'

'It's not just Abby's health, but our baby's health! If she is stressed out then the baby-'

"Connor." Speaking verbally Lucas gave his big brother an impressively stern tone of voice to listen to. "She'll be more stressed out if she learns you became critically ill in the night and didn't inform her. You must let us help you."

Feeling tears of pain and frustrating welling up in his wide eyes Connor laid back in defeat and nodded his head. "...O-Okay."

"I'll be back in a moment, be still."

Taking in panting breaths Connor held his hand over his pounding heart and felt Sumo's cold wet nose pressing against the side of his neck sympathetically. Before he had the chance to even try to pet Sumo's ears the overhead light in the livingroom glowed to life as Lucas, Abby and Hank all entered the space to check on him again.

"Shit." Sitting down beside Connor's legs on the couch Abby went into technician mode and began checking over Connor's vitals to the best of her ability without any equipment at her disposal. "Your pump rate is too erratic to be counted. Lucas," looking up at the second deviant with her tired and concerned hazel eyes Abby asked for his assistance. "I have an emergency satchel in my car's trunk."

"I'll go and get it." Grabbing Abby's car keys from the bookshelf against the wall Lucas made his way outside through the front door to get to Abby's car parked in the driveway.

"Connor, tell me your symptoms." Holding onto his hand left Abby gauged how aware of the world Connor truly was. "Connor, look at me and focus! What are you experiencing right now?"

"H-Heartbeat is too fast." Managing to look at Abby's face as she sat beside him Connor told her what he was feeling. "...Chest and a-abdomen hurt."

The front door opened again as Lucas returned with Abby's satchel and placed it down on the coffee table beside her. "I suspect he needs to go to the facility for treatment."

"He will." Abby confirmed as she pulled out her audioscope and listened to Connor's heartbeat for herself. What she heard was the haunting sound of a Thirium pump stuck in a loop of half beats and a non-rhythm. "I need to get a look at your Thirium pump and Thirium pump regulator. I think the blunt force trauma you sustained to your abdomen resulted in more damage than what was originally detected."

Hank grabbed his own car keys from the bookshelf and motioned to the front door with his free hand. "Lucas, get Connor in the Oldsmobile and I'll drive him to the facility. You bring Abby in her own car."

Abby was about to protest but decided that since she was five months pregnant with Connor's child it'd be best to not say anything to the man who was watching his own son struggling to breathe and sustain a consistent heartbeat. "Barry should be working the overnight shift tonight. I'll let him know we're coming in and to have an emergency repair bay ready to go."

Letting Lucas get him back to his feet Connor gave Abby an apologetic glance and was met with her right palm pressing to his left cheek in a comforting manner.

"You're going to be okay, Connor. I can figure this out." Standing up awkwardly Abby packed up her satchel and slung it over her right shoulder. "You're going to be just fine."

The quiet of the Zeta Facility was disturbed the moment the group entered the building through the emergency entrance with Connor barely responsive and losing consciousness. Once Connor was laid over the repair table Abby promptly changed into a pair of dark blue scrubs and set about checking over Connor's vital signs more directly. The Thirial activity monitor wirelessly attached to Connor's chest struggled to record a consistent heart rate but confirmed his Thirium pressure was normal, his Thirium volume was at ninety-eight percent, core temperature was ninety-nine point two degrees and his ventilation rate was just as erratic as his heartbeat.

Needing to perform a type of exploratory surgery throughout Connor's abdomen Abby requested Barry's assistance and proceeded to slowly check over his entire torso for any sign of leaking Thirium lines, damaged biocomponents or foreign debris that might be floating around his abdomen. The process was slow and meticulous as her skilled hands checked over Joel's work and found everything to be normal despite the circumstances.

"This doesn't make any sense." Feeling the pressure of needing to save Connor's life while she was simultaneously carrying their unborn child, Abby was relying heavily on Barry at the moment to make sure she didn't pass out or lose her cool. "There's no untreated damage that would cause this type of reaction. His Thirium pressure is normal, his volume is steady and his processors are fully responsive."

Barry was checking on the external air intake line snaked down Connor's throat as it provided clean and cool oxygen to his artificial lungs. "There appears to be no sign of foreign matter in his abdomen or chest." The helpful deviant confirmed while checking Connor's pupils for any sign of impaired processing power. "He's stable and showing no negative reaction to the procedure."

"What's his pump rate?"

Noting the monitor Barry replied in a painfully honest manner. "Too erratic to count."

"Give me an estimate."

"...It's averaging at ninety-four beats per minute."

"Too fast." Moving her hands back Abby closed Connor's abdominal cavity and moved toward his chest. "Let's get a visual assessment of his Thirium pump to ensure no debris somehow drifted out of his abdomen and into his chest that we just can't detect."

"Right away."

As the artificial skin was retracted from Connor's chest Abby's eyes drifted down to the secondary set of fractures in his lower chest area and had a moment of 'eureka'. "Hold it..."

Picking up on Abby's frightened tone Barry sought confirmation on her suspicions. "Dr. Grayson?"

"I have a hunch about what's wrong with him and I sincerely I hope I'm wrong." Examining the fractures more closely Abby trailed the fractures up to the round cylinder that housed Connor's Thirium pump regulator, and suddenly remembered that Connor had sustained damage to that very biocomponent months ago that left it weakened and more susceptible to permanent failure. "Fuck!"

"Abby?" Barry was watching her own vital signs warily as he knew her condition was delicate. "What's wrong?"

Extracting the regulator with a simple twist Abby held the bright red biocomponent in her hands and restrained her tears. "...His regulator has burned out. It cannot be salvaged, and without one his pump can't function properly."

"I'll locate a compatible regulator." Taking the now useless regulator from Abby's palms Barry scanned the biocomponent to note its structure and size before leaving the repair bay. "I'll return shortly."

The door 'hissed' open and shut as Barry passed through, and Abby let only a single tear roll down her cheek. "...You won't find one."

Alone with Connor as he laid on the exam table with his chest exposed and regulator removed Abby placed an external pacer to his chest directly over his Thirium pump. It was a large circular sensor that was designed to rest directly over the pump and regulate its beat. She set the rhythm to sixty beats per minute and watched the Thirial activity monitor finally register a heartbeat.

As the controlled electric shocks forced Connor's heart to beat at a calmer and consistent rate his body twitched slightly as he physically responded to the cruelly necessary jolts.

"Hold on for us, Connor." Picking up Connor's right hand Abby held it tightly as her purple latex and rubber gloves protected her from the shocks as they surged through Connor's body. The idea of losing him before their child was even born ached at her own heart. "Your heart is strong and you've survived worse. Don't leave us."

An hour of waiting and pacing came to an end when Barry approached Hank and Lucas in the waiting room with an uncharacteristically glum demeanor. The deviant receptionist and assistant had the misfortune of explaining to the worried family members that the cause of Connor's current ailment was a destroyed Thirium pump regulator, and that there was currently no compatible replacement part available. The only thing currently keeping Connor's pump functioning was the external pacer and that wasn't going to be a viable permanent solution. A new regulator needed to be found otherwise Connor would shutdown.

Realizing the gravity of the situation Hank asked to see Connor and to check on Abby, and to be of emotional support. Lucas took a slightly different approach and began scouring the city in search of any possible compatible regulator that could save his brother's life.

Entering the repair bay where Connor was still laying on the table with his chest exposed, Hank saw the sight and had a flashback to the night of the car accident that stole Cole's life. Crossing the room Hank hovered his left hand over Connor's hair and only froze when he saw the deviant's body twitch under the influence of the electric shocks keeping his heart beating.

Abby was still holding Connor's left hand but, was now sitting on a rolling stool to help take the strain off her body as she stayed by his side.

"...Son, I'm not sure if you can hear us right now," Hank stated in a paternally sweet tone. "but you need to hold on for a minute longer. We're going to find you a new regulator and then you'll be as good as new."

"Hank, unless a new regulator is built within the next forty-eight hours that external pacer is going to begin damaging Connor's heart." Abby was showing incredible resolve as she kept her emotions in check. She was hurting more than anyone as she was the technician who was responsible for Connor's health, and had fallen in love with him over the past year and a half. "Time is critical."

"We'll think of something, Abby. Don't worry." Putting his right hand on Abby's left shoulder Hank tried to reassure her as much as he could. "Connor is way too damn stubborn to let something like this keep him from fussing over you or the baby."

"I know. I just hate waiting." She felt a kick and sighed as she rubbed her right palm over her bump where she felt the contact. "...Even more so than usual these days."

"I don't blame you. Lucas is looking for a possible replacement as we speak. Between Connor's stubbornness and Lucas's loyalty we'll find a solution before the sun comes up."

"I hope you're right."

Moving slowly Lucas entered the repair bay with a yellow L.E.D. and his green eyes dazed and hollow with fear. "...I'm still looking for a regulator." He stated as if he had just failed the simplest of tasks. "I won't stop until I find one."

Knowing he needed to take the lead for a moment Hank walked away from Abby and Connor, and put his hands on Lucas's shoulders. "Walk with me for a moment, son."

Letting Hank lead him away Lucas was confused by the comment as it sounded counter productive. "Shouldn't we stay with Abby at the moment?"

"Yes we should, but we should also be more optimistic for her emotional sanity"

"I'm sorry, I was just being honest."

"I know that. It's not your fault." Leading Lucas back to the waiting room Hank tried to keep cool for everyone's sake. "You said you're going to keep looking for regulators, right?"

"That's right."

"So that means there's none in the entire city he can use?"

"...Yes." The dark reality made Lucas's yellow L.E.D. blink in red for a moment. "That's right."

"Fuckin' hell." Putting his hands to his hips Hank took in a deep breath and let out a soft sigh. "And the one he had can't be fixed?"

"No. The damage it sustained as a result of being shot and then physically assaulted was too much. It cannot be repaired."

"What about a regulator for a different model? Can one be modified?"

"No. Connor and I share unique biocomponents that cannot be substituted." Lowering his voice as he raised his right hand over his chest Lucas's yellow L.E.D. flashed to red for a second beat. "I could... give him mine."

"No!" Clamping both hands down on Lucas's shoulders Hank gave him an order as both a senior officer and his father. "You're NOT going to exchange your life for his! Ever!"

"But Connor's going to have a-"

"Hey! Him having a kid doesn't make his life suddenly more valuable than yours, got it?"

"...Yes. I understand."

"Look, it's noble that you want to donate your regulator to your brother, but if it'll result in your..." Trailing off with wide blue eyes Hank had his own moment of 'eureka' as inspiration struck. "Wait. Androids can use and swap compatible biocomponents in the same way humans can receive transplanted organs as long as we have the same blood types, right?"

"Yes," Lucas didn't understand what Hank was hinting at as he himself couldn't think of an alternative way to save his brother's life. "that's right. But like humans with rare blood types struggling to find donors, Connor and I have our own compatible biocomponents in short supply. Hence our problem."

"Short supply, but not depleted." Patting Lucas's right shoulder once Hank then grabbed onto the deviant's shoulder and led him toward the facility's doors to leave for a while. "Come on, I have an idea where we might be able to find Connor a regulator before it's too late!"

Staying at Connor's side Abby held his hand in her own, and kept reminding him of all the wonderful things he'd be able to experience after their baby was born in just four more months. Beyond keeping Connor stable there was nothing more Abby could do at the moment and she felt entirely useless. Looking down at her growing baby-bump she let out a weary sigh and realized that she was definitely not ready to take on the responsibility of baby just yet. She knew the baby would be cared for and loved by Connor without any problems, and even so that comforting thought was quickly dismissed as she returned her attention to Connor laying unresponsive next to her.

"You're going to be a great father, Connor."

Choosing to remain optimistic Abby tried to think about something other than Connor not surviving the next forty-eight hours.

"You're so loving and caring, and incredibly protective. Our baby will be grow up to become a great person because of you, and I can't wait to see what they look like."

Admiring Connor's peaceful features for a moment Abby began mentally picturing what their baby might look like.

"They're guaranteed to be a brunette thanks to the both of us having dark hair, as for the eyes... I hope they have your kind and compassionate eyes instead of mine. Maybe a handful of your freckles, too, and they'll definitely my twisted sense of humor just to keep you on your toes."

The idea of Connor handling a child with a brutally sarcastic humor made Abby smirk. The deviant was so sweet and naive at times, and as such sarcasm was sometimes a foreign language to him.

"Guess now's the time to throw out a few names and see what sticks, huh? You're not conscious enough to protest them."

Tightening her hands around his hand Abby contemplated a few choice names for their baby.

"Or we can just go ahead and cross out the names we'd NEVER pick under any circumstances. Like 'Abigail' or 'Gertrude'. Names like that are too dated for my tastes. Same with a few boy names. 'Johnathan' and 'William' are far too common, and I don't think a 'trendy name' like 'Blaxton' or 'Zandrintine' will work."

Lighting combing her gloved fingers through his hair Abby just sighed and waited for an update on the regulator situation as she stayed with Connor until it was all over.

"You pull through this and you can pick both of the baby's names, as long as they don't sound like overpriced wine or sports cars. Sound good?"

As expected the deviant remained silent as Abby spoke to him and gave him a familiar voice to listen to.

"I'll take your patient silence as a 'yes'. And you've never broken a promise, so don't start now."

The Oldsmobile sped out of the city and out into the forested area leading to the cabin in record time. As macabre as it sounded Hank explained his reasoning to Lucas and managed to convince the deviant that what they were going to do was to save Connor's life, and that they weren't going to show any form of disrespect for the dead whatsoever. Parking the car just outside the treeline on the side of the private property, Hank shone the headlights through the barrier of flora and illuminated the clearing that kept the secret grave site safe.

Moving quickly Hank and Lucas located shovels in the tool shed beside the cabin, and made their way over to the grave to begin their unsettling task. Mindful of the stones that lined the grave, the large white stone acting as the grave's marker, and of course the impossible blue rose; the flower survived the cold winter and was going to bloom any day now, the duo began digging through the thawed earth in search of the hidden body.

"I hate doing this." Hank admitted as he threw off his dark coat and began digging through the ground alongside Lucas. "But it's the only chance Connor has."

"It's unsettling to say the least." Lucas agreed as he was able to dig much faster than Hank, and was quickly removing the dirt keeping the makeshift coffin concealed. "But you're right. This is the only way to save Connor."

"Now that we're doing this," tossing aside another pile of dirt Hank began to second guess his idea. "do you think it's worth it? I mean, this Connor's been buried for over a year now and exposed to all kinds of temperature fluctuations."

"This body has been shutdown due to sudden failure of the intracranial processor. One of CyberLife's safety features to protect biocomponents from damage to ensure they could be salvaged and recycled, was an emergency stasis mode activating upon permanent shutdown that makes every single functioning biocomponent seize up."

"So all of the biocomponents, the... organs," making such a comparison made Hank back off of the dig for moment. "can still be salvaged?"

"Yes. As long as the case in which the-" Lucas's shovel banged against a metallic surface as he dug into the ground. Tossing his shovel aside Lucas began clearing away the dirt with his hands and located the latches at the side of the case to open it up. "This is a CyberLife case. I can guarantee that the regulator will still function since the cases are designed to be water-tight as a well as insulted."

"I'll get a flashlight out of the trunk." Needing an excuse to back away from the grave for a moment Hank rushed back through the treeline to return to the Oldsmobile.

"It's okay, dad." Opening the case Lucas peered down at the lone body wrapped up in a white sheet and felt his heart skip a beat. He knew of what Connor suffered through and he knew who he was looking at, but it was still surreal to comprehend. "...Hello, Connor."

Gently Lucas reached down and unwrapped the white sheet from around the body's face and peered at Connor, the true original Connor, and gave him a respectful nod. The bullet hole in the middle of his forehead was unmistakable and Lucas felt a new rage against Markus flare up inside of him. Pressing his left fingertips to the dark L.E.D. Lucas needed to check, needed to know, that the body was truly just that - a body.

The first Connor was in fact permanently shutdown.

"...Forgive me for this, but given the circumstances I believe you'd agree with this decision."

Peeling back the white sheet around the body's chest and torso Lucas returned his left fingertips to the dark L.E.D. and pressed his right palm down over the body's abdomen to manually deactivate the artificial skin. As the skin receded a bright yellow beam of light from Hank's flashlight shone down onto the body as Hank forced himself to return to the grave.

"You may want to look away, dad."

"It's okay. I know that he's... I mean, you know. He can't feel anything."

"That's right. He's entirely at peace."

Accessing the body's abdominal and chest cavities by unlocking and sliding open the panels, Lucas located the Thirium pump regulator that hadn't functioned since the night of the Raid when the first Connor was shot dead in the church. Hovering his fingertips over the circular end of the biocomponent Lucas pressed down gently, then twisted the squat cylindrical device in its port to free of it of the body in which it had been installed.

"...I hope this isn't seen as desecrating a corpse." Lucas whispered as he carefully extracted the Thirium pump regulator from the body to salvage. "We're here to save a life, not disrespect the dead."

"That's right. And knowing Connor I think he'd be okay with a piece of his original self living on through him, or any other deviant who needs help."

"I think you're right." Passing the regulator over to Hank to hold for a moment Lucas replaced the panels, artificial skin and then wrapped the sheet back over the body to conceal it once more. Careful to not knock any dirt inside the case Lucas gave the original Connor a respectful nod and closed the case making it look like it hadn't been disturbed. "We can't just leave the grave open like this."

"I know, son. How fast can you fill it in?"

"Fast enough. You should tell Abby that we're on our way back with a replacement regulator for Connor."

"Right. I'll be waiting for you in the car as soon as the grave has been taken care of."

"Okay."

Moving swiftly and accurately Lucas locked the case to ensure it remained water-tight, then replaced the dirt over the case to fill in the grave. Smoothing over the dirt over top of the case and along the top of the grave, Lucas managed to replant the green grassy turf to ensure that the grave would become one with the surrounding earth once again during their absence.

"Thank you, brother." Checking his work Lucas gave the body its due respect. "You may not be the Connor I know and love as my big brother, but you're still a part of him and as such I will always respect and appreciate you."

Having gotten the phone call from Hank about the good news Abby proceeded to get ready for the simple enough procedure - the regulator just being inserted into the opened slot in Connor's chest wasn't exactly a monumental task, but knowing that it was necessary to save his life was taking its toll on Abby's mind, emotions and even her already taxed body. Double-checking Connor's vital signs and overall stability Abby was confident he'd be able to hold on long enough for the regulator to arrive at the facility.

Letting out small and controlled breaths Abby kept herself calm as she waited. She wouldn't be good to anyone if she got too worked up and it certainly wouldn't be good for the baby if she let herself get stressed out.

"You'll be okay soon, Connor." Eager to see Connor open his eyes and speak to her again Abby resumed fussing with his hair and smirked as the rogue lock over his left eye refused to be brushed back with the rest of his hair. "If our baby has unruly hair I'll know exactly which of us is to blame."

"Abby!" Barry appeared in the repair bay through the doors with a bright smile as he presented her with the located regulator. "They've just returned!"

"Fantastic." Accepting the regulator from her assistant Abby nodded at Barry as he turned off the external pacer. While Barry rolled an external Thirial stimulator over to the table in case Connor's heart needed a jumpstart, Abby waited for him to take his position before she placed the regulator into the opened slot. "Ready?"

"I am."

"Okay... Here we go."

Inserting the regulator in the opened cylindrical port Abby felt the biocomponent slip inside easily, then pressed down and twisted it to ensure it locked into place. Watching the previously red tinted regulator glow to life and turn blue was the greatest sight Abby could've hoped to see that night.

"The regulator has been accepted." Smiling with relief Abby closed up the panels, mindful of the lingering fractures, and then manually regenerated the artificial skin over the exposed plastimetal. "Pump rate?"

"Holding at fifty-eight beats per minute."

"Excellent! Remove the external air intake line and bring him out of stasis mode."

"Right away."

Holding onto Connor's hand again Abby watched as the tube was carefully extracted from his throat and waited for his eyelids to flutter open.

Barry finished with his assignment and decided to take his leave. "I will go inform Lieutenant Anderson and Detective Anderson the good news!"

"Connor?" Speaking softly Abby called out to him with a loving tone as Barry left the room. "Connor, it's time to wake up."

Tightening her hand around his hand again Abby placed his palm against the front of her belly, and held it there for a moment.

"I know you can hear me."

"...I hear you." Whispering as his glassy brown irises returned to the waking world Connor turned his head a little to look at Abby, and slowly rubbed his fingertips over her baby-bump affectionately. "...I'm still here."

Smiling as grateful tears rolled down her cheeks Abby leaned over Connor and resumed fussing with his thick hair. "How do you feel?"

"...Tired."

"You should be. Your heart was racing for quite a long time, you know."

"...That always happens when I'm around you."

"You are a smooth romantic." Giving him a kiss on his lips Abby smiled down at him with sincere relief. "That was a good line."

"Thanks."

"You're going to rest here for a few more hours, then you're going to go back home to keep resting."

As Connor pressed his free hand over his torso he felt only the lingering pain of the fractures in the plating, and ran a self diagnostic. Noting that he his Thirium pump regulator had been replaced Connor checked over the serial number assigned to the part, and was stunned to realize where it came from. The shock was evident on his face and Abby knew what he was thinking.

"Turns out you're your own donor. That's convenient."

Pressing his palm flat over the regulator Connor felt an odd twinge familiarity and calmness wash over himself.

"...I'm incredibly lucky."

"You got that right." Noticing the relieved faces of Hank and Lucas peering through the transparent door Abby smiled at the returned duo. "Hank and Lucas are outside waiting for you. Ready for a few visitors before you get some rest?"

"Yes, I..." Propping himself upright on his elbows Connor looked at Abby's baby-bump and stared at his unborn child with pure adoration. A renewed sense of life and purpose gave him the strength to move around. "I want to be with my family." His palm returned to her belly with great affection behind the gesture. "My whole family."

-next chapter-