New Year's Eve, 2035:

It was nearing the end of the year and time until the historic deviant Revolution was ticking away without any further incident. There was a sense of joy peace and actual joy radiating through the house that had stemmed from Christmas morning and continued to hold strong even while Hank was out at work. It seemed the simple act of showing appreciation through thoughtful gifts and just being civil to each other had helped ease the resentment that had been building up ever since the heated argument a few weeks prior. Being able to just coexist without pushing one another to see or believe something that they didn't want to believe had proven to be the ideal truce between the two stubborn detectives.

The quiet afternoon at the house was spent with Cole sitting on the livingroom floor with his newest Lego set under his hands and Connor going about his usual routine of keeping the house clean and keeping an eye on Cole. While Cole played on the floor he had Sumo laying beside him protectively, and the sound of the recently gifted clock ticking away rhythmically in the background creating a soothing ambience.

"When will dad be back home?" Cole called out as he finished putting together the final bits to complete his new 'U.S.S. Enterprise' model. The Lego kit had been the special gift that Hank wanted to give to Cole and had been a big hit on Christmas day. "I want to show him my new spaceship!"

"He said he'll return before midnight tonight so he can celebrate the new year with you." Connor replied from the kitchen as he finished warming up some of the leftover Christmas turkey for Cole's lunch. Peering out from the kitchen doorway and toward Cole in the livingroom Connor noticed the finished model and was impressed with how quickly Cole put it together. "You did a good job completing your new starship."

"Thanks!" Carrying the model with him Cole entered the kitchen and placed the ship down on the table before climbing into his chair. "Can we see the stars tonight?"

"Not tonight." The deviant detective stated as he placed the warm plate down in front of Cole. "It's going to be cloudy for the next few nights and it'll be too cold for you to be outside at night."

"Still?"

"Yes, it's still too cold." Connor confirmed as Cole lamented the continued delay in being able to explore the cosmos with his new telescope. "We'll be sure to find a place to star gaze on the first warm night in spring. And spring is just a few months away."

"Still too long." The eager little boy complained as he sat behind his prepared lunch and poked at the turkey with his fork. "I want to see the stars tonight."

"As do I." Connor joined Cole at the table despite not being able to eat lunch himself. He just liked being around Cole and speaking with him. "Be patient. You'll enjoy it more if you're comfortable while using your telescope rather than metaphorically freezing."

Cole gave Connor a hopeful look as he started eating his lunch while his deviant friend spent time with him. "We can go somewhere that's already warm!"

"Your dad's work schedule doesn't allow him to leave the state for very long. It'd take at least twelve hours just to drive to an area that'd be warm enough for you to watch the stars."

"Maybe we should just move!"

"That's still your dad's decision, and I doubt that the precinct would be able to function without their Lieutenant aiding them."

"That's stupid."

"It's unfortunate, but far from stupid." Connor gently corrected as he watched Cole eat his lunch without any complaint. The deviant found it amusing that Cole was a far less picky eater than his own dad had been in the alternate timeline. Then again, in that timeline Hank was dealing with depression and self-destructive tendencies that made it difficult for him to care about eating healthy. "Your dad is very important to the precinct and to the city. He helps protect Detroit from criminals, and that includes protecting you."

Sweetly Cole added to the conversation between bites of his turkey and mashed potatoes as he engaged in friendly conversation with the deviant. "And you, too."

"...Yes." Being an android meant that Connor didn't have any rights or laws protecting him, but in time that'd change and Connor would deserve the same protection as anyone else living in the city. "Me too."

Activity in the Central Precinct was hectic in a way that the senior and far more experienced staff hadn't seen in years. The city itself was far more energetic than usual courtesy of the final holiday of the year welcoming in the new year in less than twelve hours, and as a result all of Detroit's first responders were tasked with upholding control and keeping the peace throughout the city. While such responsibilities weren't anything new that the cops and detectives would need to figure out how to navigate while on the clock, however, dealing with keeping the local parties under control and tracking down escaped criminals at the same time was something that no one really knew how to properly balance.

The moment the prison break has been reported Captain Fowler put his entire precinct at the ready and requested everyone who was not on the clock to return to the precinct and aid in the manhunt. Anyone who was still in the city during the holidays had reported in as they were requested, and a meeting with the senior officers in the secluded meeting room had been called the second everyone had clocked in.

"We have two confirmed escaped convicts from the Detroit Reentry Center." Captain Fowler stated as an android officer cybernetically controlled the video projector. Images of the prison, the established escape route and the mugshots of the two escaped felons shone brightly on the projector screen on the wall just behind where Captain Fowler was standing. "First escapee: Thomas Brown; a.k.a. 'The Mover'. Busted in '27 for human trafficking and dealing 'red ice' to minors. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Current age, forty-six. Height, six foot even. Weight, about two-hundred and sixty pounds. He has light skin, graying hair that was once blond, brown eyes and a large scar running along his left side after getting shanked in the prison showers back in '31."

Gavin was familiar with that particular escaped criminal since he had studied the man's malicious tactics as a human trafficker who had been responsible for the disappearances and deaths of over two-hundred women and children. "Any idea where this fucker would want to hide?"

"Former allies to Brown have been put under surveillance, and his now ex-husband has been warned to watch out for Brown tracking him down." As he spoke Captain Fowler could hear the images on the projector changing behind as the attending android continued to bring up the appropriate images without needing any verbal cues. "As of the moment, we have drones patrolling the Ambassador Bridge to ensure he doesn't slip over the border into Canada to vanish permanently."

Ben nodded as he took notes and tagged on some additional details on the man of interest. "Brown also has a penchant for lurking around bars and lurking around the pricier clothing stores to placate his expensive tastes. We've set up undercover patrol in the shopping district to sweep through the crowds and try to find Brown in case he uses the busy season to try to hide in plain sight."

"Good. Ben, you and Gavin will take rotating patrols tonight." The seasoned Captain ordered as he used his experience to create an ideal plan of action with locating the two escaped criminals. "Use the drones to double your coverage while on your respective routes. Take another officer with you so no one is patrolling alone."

"Right, Cap."

"As for our second escapee, Hank?" As he spoke Captain Fowler made sure his Lieutenant would be able to handle the next few details without any bias to cloud his judgment. The next name was one that always left a foul taste on the tongues of any detective who had to mention it. "I'm sorry. Jack Pillar is on the loose."

"Fucking-" Sinking down in his chair Hank's blue eyes glazed over as his hands tightened into white-knuckles fists atop the desk before him. "How in the hell is that son of a bitch even still alive?"

"Wish I knew." An image of Jack Pillar appeared behind Captain Fowler courtesy of the android controlling the projector images. Jack Pillar was five foot eleven in height, scrawny from drug abuse had pale skin that was prematurely aged, gray eyes, white thinning hair and a thick scar running along his right cheek courtesy of a drug deal gone wrong. "Take a good look people. This is the bastard who took one of our own four years ago."

Knowing that one of the escaped convicts had been responsible for the murder of Hank's wife, Detective Barbara Harris-Anderson, had given everyone the motivation they needed to locate Jack Pillar before the year came to its end.

"This man is to be considered extremely dangerous, and extreme measures may need to be taken during his recapture. Pillar has a history of violence including assault, abduction and murder." Captain Fowler continued on with a grim facade and a clear chip on his shoulder. "Pillar was a notorious 'red ice' dealer who got let off the hook by a crooked judge four years back. Not long after he was freed from jail-"

"The asshole murdered my wife." Hank replied bitterly as he rose to his feet and took a few steps away from his fellow officers to get some space by the large window overlooking the precinct's rear parking lot. He needed to think, breathe and take a moment to process the fact that his wife's killer was walking free in his city. "He bragged about it too. But none of the evidence ever stuck to him well enough to give him the death penalty."

"Patrols will remain on full alert at all times." Maintaining control over the meeting Captain Fowler cautioned his officers against doing anything reckless in the event that they came face-to-face with the murderous Jack Pillar. "No one is to confront Pillar without immediate back-up. You see him, you contact dispatch immediately and only confront Pillar if absolutely necessary. Any questions?"

No one had anything to ask after coming to understand the severity of the situation and of the personal nature that such a prison break could have on one of their own.

Captain Fowler accepted the silence as his answer and dismissed his officers to their assignments. "All right, you know what to do, people. Dismissed."

Hank stayed back in the meeting room while the other officers filed out one by one. He knew that Captain Fowler would remain inside the room as well, and he already had a good idea of what the man was going to want to discuss. "Don't even try me right now, Jeffrey. I don't need to hear it."

"Good, because I don't want to say it." Approaching his friend with a sincerely empathetic demeanor Captain Fowler tried to help Hank process what was happening in the city right under his nose. "I won't ask you to stand down because we both know that'll never happen, but I can ask that you stay here and only head out on patrol if there are any confirmed sightings of the prick."

"Not gonna' happen." Hank let out a deep breath as he stared through his own reflection on the surface of the window. It was already getting dark courtesy of the winter cold, and it was evident that the manhunt was only going to get more difficult when night encroached over a city full of people just waiting to celebrate in the streets the moment it hit midnight. "I'm going to find the fucker. And I'm going to pay him the same courtesy he showed Barb when he shot her in the back."

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that. I won't be the one who has to confirm or deny that you're seeking revenge against a criminal and took unnecessarily extrme force out of revenge."

"Then don't say anything."

"Hank, as your friend I'm one-hundred percent on your side." Turning off his Captain-mode for a moment Captain Fowler sat down on the table and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Hank very closely. He didn't want to see one of his oldest and closest friends endure the heartache of losing his wife a second time just because Pillar went on the run. "But as your Captain, you know that I can't just pretend that I'm somehow unaware of your thirst for Pillar's blood."

"As your Lieutenant you know that I can't sit on my ass and hope that Ben, Robert, Gavin or any of the rookies somehow manage to find him. I owe it to Barbara to get the man she had worked so hard to put behind bars back behind those very bars. She died because of him, and I can't just pretend to be okay with sharing the same streets as him to make the precinct look professional."

"You also owe it to your son to not do anything that'd taint his mother's memory or ruin your reputation."

"That was a cheap shot." Turning to face his friend behind him Hank made it clear any use of his own son against him was never going to be tolerated. "My son's love and respect is NEVER to be used as a weapon against me."

"Wasn't trying to turn Cole into a weapon, I just wanted to give you the best damn reminder in the world of why you shouldn't even think about crossing that line."

"I'll handle it." Passing by his friend with a terse stare and a gruff voice Hank exited the meeting room with every intention of blowing off some steam down in the precinct's personal gym. "Just make sure I'm the first person you call when Pillar's sorry ass is brought back in. I want to see him squirm."

"You have my word, and I have your back. We'll find him, Hank."

There was a palpable tension in the air even after Hank had wisely left the room to clear his head. No one had expected to see Jack Pillar outside of a prison cell since the man was finally arrested, properly tried for his numerous crimes and then sentenced for a majority of his crimes with the maximum penalty. While they couldn't get the death penalty applied to Pillar's sentence, knowing the man would slowly rot behind bars without even the slightest chance at freedom had been a worthy consolation prize.

With Pillar now illegally roaming the streets once more it seemed as if the victory that had previously been attained was now entirely hollow.

The comfort of the household had been consistent and something that Connor had grown to truly appreciate. There had been a calm lull that allowed the tense deviant detective to finally let go of his anxiety and feel more at ease after months of stress, worry and uncertainty. While Cole contentedly sat on the couch watching a Christmas movie while fussing with his coloring book, Connor took Sumo outside and waited for the massive dog to finish taking care of business. The chill in the air was all the encouragement Connor needed to return to the house as soon as possible, whereas the sudden activity on the local police broadcasts was enough to put the deviant protectively on guard.

It took Connor all of a single millisecond to recognize the name and severity of having Jack Pillar loose in the city. Not wanting to do anything that'd upset Hank or put the Lieutenant under any undue stress, Connor proceeded to roam the property to ensure all doors and windows were secured both inside and out. As he passed by Cole's bedroom window the deviant scanned the area and made sure there were no recent shoeprints in the snow beyond his own shoeprints causing recognizable imperfections in the white surface.

"No one's walked past Cole's window as of late. A trail would be easy to follow if someone had been here, and it'd make it difficult to flee from a potential threat due to a trail being left behind."

Thinking out loud Connor decided to guarantee that it'd be impossible to determine which way a person would have run had they decided to jump out of the windows surrounding the house, then do the same for the backdoor. Kicking up the snow in all directions Connor effectively created a thick mess out of the snow that'd hide the shoe prints of anyone running around, at least that's how it'd appear in the eyes of a human. Connor would be able to see the fresh tracks and know if anyone had intruded on the property.

"There are no security cameras monitoring Hank's property, however, police drones are currently patrolling the neighborhood."

Peering upward Connor sent out a cybernetic ping to the nearest drone and managed to seamlessly hack into the device and reprogram the drone's route. Within seconds the drone appeared over the house and began circling the property at a steady pace while remaining just high enough that any passersby wouldn't take immediate notice of the automated device's presence.

"Hank will either remain at the precinct or arrive home soon to watch after Cole. I should return to the house with Sumo to protect Cole myself until Hank returns."

Mindful of his footsteps Connor traversed the property for one final perimeter check before entering the backyard to reclaim Sumo. With the large dog at his side Connor entered the house through the backdoor and locked the door with its main lock and the deadbolt for good measure. To ensure nothing was missed Connor entered the garage to ensure that the large door was properly secured and then made sure to place a dark sheet over the windows built into the door to keep prying eyes from looking inside the garage from the driveway.

With the main door locked Connor proceeded to lock the side door leading from the garage to the laundry room for extra security. The door hadn't been locked ever since Connor had taken up residence inside the private storage area, but the bolt was still strong and slid smoothly into place.

"Cole?" Connor called out to the little boy as he set foot inside the kitchen and proceeded to pull down the single blind to cover the window above the sink. "Has your dad tried to call you on your emergency phone?"

"Nope." Looking up from his coloring book Cole watched as Connor proceeded to pull the curtains shut over the livingroom's windows before heading down the hallway and into his bedroom. "Why?"

"I suspect that your dad is going to be having a very stressful day at work today." The deviant detective replied smoothly as he returned to the livingroom after securing and blocking all of the windows in the house. He didn't want anyone to peer inside the house to try to scope out the property. "I had incorrectly assumed that he would call you to talk as a means of easing his stress before he returned home."

Cole knew that Connor was attempting to keep control over a bizarre situation and knew that he needed to ask about it. "Something bad's happening, isn't it?"

"...Possibly." Replying honestly Connor joined Cole on the couch and put his hand on the little boy's shoulder in a reassuring manner. "Today, two bad people that both your mom and your dad had put in jail, have broken out of jail. The cops are trying to find them and put them back in jail before they do anything else that's bad to good people again."

"Should we hide?"

"Hide?" Such a question was enough to cause Connor's L.E.D. to shift from blue to yellow with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Dad said that if bad people ever showed up at the house that I need to hide and wait for him to come and find me." Cole slid off of the couch and approached the bookcase against the wall. The little boy pointed at the case and looked over at Connor still sitting on the couch. "He said I need to hide back there."

"Behind the bookcase? That seems... impractical."

The deviant detective made his way over to the bookcase and gave it a quick scan as he tried to determine how such a place could work as a location for Cole to hide. It was then his sensors noted the small doorway leading to a crawlspace that created a storage place out of sight.

"Interesting." Connor put his hands on the sides of the bookcase and attempted to pull it away from the wall and was surprised at how easily it moved. The four corners of the bookcase were sitting on small plastic gliders that allowed the furniture to be moved about with little effort. "This is an ingenious way to allow someone quick access to the crawlspace."

"Dad says I can hide in there and he'll know where to find me if something bad happens."

Connor knelt down to examine the back of the bookcase and saw a strong piece of rope secured firmly the bookcase that stretched out and through a small opening in the top of the crawlspace's door. The rope that passed through the door had a large knot tied on the end to ensure that the rope wouldn't fall out of the door and leave the person hiding in the crawlspace without a means of pulling the bookcase back against the wall to conceal the crawlspace door after hiding in the storage area.

"This is a very clever set-up." The deviant detective complimented the engineering by Hank with utmost sincerity. "Have you had to use this hiding space before?"

"No. Not yet."

That was when an idea popped into Connor's head that'd allow him to keep Cole safe and hidden without the little boy panicking. "How about we see how well this hiding place works?"

"What does that mean?"

"Well, tomorrow is going to be a brand new year that's full of brand new challenges. It'd be a good idea to make sure that everything that's supposed to be used in the event of an emergency works properly." Connor hoped his lie didn't sound as condescending as he imagined it did. "We'll make sure that you can get in and out of the crawlspace if you ever need to use it, then we'll make sure the first-aid kit, flashlights and other emergency supplies are also properly stocked."

"Something bad is going to happen to us. Isn't it?"

"Cole, I won't let anything bad happen to you." Connor promised as he put his hand on the scared little boy's shoulder and held firm once more. "Neither will your dad. That's why he created a safe place for you to hide whenever you feel scared."

"We only go in there because of storms though." Cole rebutted as he looked at the now exposed crawlspace door. "Not because of anything else. Is there going to be a storm?"

"Not at the moment, no."

Remaining honest Connor opened the crawlspace door and peered inside the storage compartment. It wasn't large enough for anyone to stand up inside, but it was large enough to contain at least four adults in the event of an emergency situation. There was a light hanging from the ceiling of the space that could be turned on by the single pull of an attached chain, and there were two large flashlights sitting on a small shelf in the back of the crawlspace with a package of fresh batteries sitting beside them. There were even bottles of water and a few canned goods with a can opener stored inside the crawlspace to ensure that if someone needed to stay in the small shelter for a prolonged period of time that they had something to eat and drink. A large first-aid kit hanging from a small hook and a small container of emergency phone charge cables all confirmed that Hank had set up the crawlspace to be a truly safe haven for anyone who needed to hide or take shelter.

"I think that this place is a perfect hiding spot and shelter in the event of an emergency." As he spoke Connor noticed that Cole was starting to look really scared and decided to find a way to cheer him up. "However, I think it'd look better and more comfortable if it had a few blankets and some glow-in-the-dark stars. This could be like an escape pod or even a shuttlecraft from the 'Enterprise' keeping you safe."

That idea made Cole perk up and gave him a sense of intrigue. "Or it could take me to a new planet to explore!"

"That too. What do you think we should do?"

"I'll go get some blankets and extra stars! That way we can see the stars tonight!"

Relieved that Cole was no longer afraid Connor promptly went into the kitchen to prepare the little boy a special snack so that Cole would stay inside the crawlspace for a while without getting too uncomfortable or hungry. He didn't want to frighten Cole by letting him know what was happening, but he didn't want to insult Cole's intelligence in the process.

As the protective deviant detective prepared a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Cole to have as a snack, he also cybernetically monitored the police broadcast regarding the manhunt. It didn't take long for an update to catch Connor's attention and fill his heart with dread.

"...One of the escaped convicts has been reported in the area. Damn it."

Cole had returned to the crawlspace with a bundle of blankets and spare plastic stars in his hands without any clue as to what Connor was protecting him from. The moment Cole had crawled into the crawlspace to make his own personal shuttlecraft the little boy had Sumo laying outside the doorway to watch him in his own little world of imagination.

"I need some tape!" Cole shouted as he set about with securing the plastic stars all over the wall of the crawlspace. "I wanna' create a starfield!"

"Right away, Cole."

Maintaining a calm composure Connor fished a roll of masking tape from the kitchen utility drawer and carried the sandwich on a plate over to Cole in the crawlspace. After dropping off the snack and tape Connor made his way to Cole's bedroom to get the emergency cell phone off its charger, relieved that there hadn't been any missed calls from Hank, then carried it back to the kitchen for just a moment. Connor grabbed a few juice boxes to help Cole stay comfortable in the crawlspace and then handed everything over to Cole to keep with him.

"All right, Cole. You're ready for your first 'away mission' to an unknown planet." Connor had learned how to interact with small children and their imaginations thanks to spending so much time with Cole over the past few months. Being able to play games and engage with Cole in a way that the little boy would be able to keep his mind preoccupied during tense moments was going to be invaluable during that tense day. "This is your communicator."

"My phone?" Cole asked with an unimpressed tone as he accepted the fully charged phone from Connor's hand. "Lame!"

"How about now?" Lightly Connor pressed his exposed fingertip to the top of the phone and set up a special cybernetic connection between the device and his own intracranial processor. Within milliseconds Connor's name appeared on the phone's display screen as his voice echoed through the top speaker. 'A telepathic link to keep us connected.'

Immediately Cole's eyes lit up when he heard Connor speaking to him despite the deviant keeping his mouth closed. "I can hear your thoughts?!"

'Only thoughts that I choose to have sent to your phone.' Connor confirmed with his silent link before speaking normally again. "I'll let you know when it's time to depart from your new shuttlecraft and explore the new planet."

"What're you going to do?"

"I'm going to be monitoring the perimeter to ensure that there are no dangerous lifeforms in the area." Connor replied with an impressively honest demeanor. He hoped that Cole would be able to pick up on the subtly of his hints without getting too scared. "Your dad will help me once he's able to get back to our main base."

"Before I go in the shuttlecraft can I do one thing first?"

"What's that?"

"I need to pee!"

"Oh. Of course, go ahead." Connor stepped back and made sure the little boy could get to the bathroom without any problems. "That was a wise decision."

Preparing for the worst case scenario regarding the active manhunt Connor set about securing the house. Without a gun to protect himself and knowing that Hank's service weapon was at his side at the precinct, Connor decided to check the small hatch hidden in the livingroom floor to see if the man's revolver was still secured in its metal lockbox. As expected, the hidden compartment still held the metal lockbox, but instead of it containing the revolver that Connor had hoped to find, the box contained only Hank's personal will and a few old coins.

"I should've known that Hank would keep all of his guns secured away from the house to keep Cole safe. I can't fault him for keeping weapons away from the hands of an inquisitive child."

Connor quickly returned the top of the hatch to where it initially belonged and rose to his feet. He didn't want accidentally scare Cole or let on that he was feeling tense as he cybernetically monitored the police broadcasts regarding the active manhunt. The reported sighting had been substantiated by two eyewitnesses, but the police were unable to locate or properly identify the missing convict roaming the neighborhood.

"If we're dealing with Pillar then there's no doubt that he'd want to get revenge on Hank for putting him in jail. It can't be a coincidence that one of the two fleeing men were spotted in Hank's neighborhood when Hank was an arresting officer in the past."

Cole had finished up in the bathroom and quickly rushed over to the crawlspace to continue his new play mission and ducked inside the safe haven without knowing that Connor was protecting him from a potential real threat. "Okay! I'm ready!"

"Okay." Returning to his facade of playing a game Connor met Cole by the crawlspace door and gave him a small smile. "Here's your mission: Design your shuttlecraft to keep you and your future away-team comfortable while traveling the stars. You need to put up all the stars you have inside the crawlspace and find a brand new constellation to call your own. After that, report to me on your communicator and I'll let you know when it's safe to depart from your shuttlecraft."

"And you'll meet on the planet's surface, right?"

"That's right." Connor tried to remain focused on Cole despite his cybernetic link to the police dispatch confirming that the reported convict was recently seen heading toward the house and was only one block away. "As soon as I'm able to meet with you, I will. You can do this, Cole. I have faith in you!"

"Okay, see you on the new planet!"

Connor just smirked as Cole pulled the crawlspace door shut and then proceeded to pull on the rope to slide the bookcase backward until it was close to the wall again. Out of instinct Connor made sure that the case wasn't too close to the wall and cybernetically sent a message to Hank's phone to let the man know what was happening and where he could find Cole in the event that the situation turned into something violent or dangerous.

"Come on, Sumo."

Calling the dog as Sumo curiously sniffed at the bookcase Connor approached the livingroom window and peered through the drawn curtains and to the street outside. The deviant couldn't see anyone skulking about, but that didn't mean that someone wasn't around.

"We need to protect Cole. My instincts are telling me that someone is lurking in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity to get revenge on Hank."

The sound of 'Knights of the Black Death' blaring their greatest hits echoed through the precinct's gym as Hank finished a few rounds on a large punching bag, then focused on some bench presses to keep in shape while burning off some steam at the same time. The high volume of his music had completely drowned out the sound of any incoming text messages or phone calls, and that had allowed the angered man to complete his workout routine without any interruption. Feeling much better Hank finished his final reps and put the weighted barbell back down on the rack above his head, then slowly sat upright on the bench and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat from his brow and off the back of his neck as he took in a few deep breaths.

Just as the man prepared to shower off and return to his desk Gavin appeared in the gym and motioned to Hank's phone to get the man to turn down the music. The way Gavin held his hands over his ears and bore a grimace on his face betrayed his dislike for Hank's favorite music genre with a single glance.

"LIEUTENANT!" Gavin shouted over the music even as Hank grabbed the phone to turn down the volume. "The Cap' wants to see you." Lowering his arms to his sides after the music quieted down Gavin took a step from the door and gave Hank all the clearance he'd need to get back to the precinct's ground floor and bullpen. "It's Pillar. The fucker got busted by Ben about ten minutes ago."

"Shit!" Swearing at himself for not paying closer attention to his phone Hank quickly doused his towel in the nearby sink and used the cool water to wipe away his remaining sweat before changing out of his workout clothes and into his uniform. "How'd it go down?"

"Ben got a tip from an android tending bar at that hot-shot Italian place that a man matching Pillar's description was dining in the back in a private booth. When Ben went to the scene with Robert, he caught sight of the fucker sucking down some overpriced pasta and promptly had him arrested."

"No fight?" Hank's brow was furrowed even as he switched shirts and put on a fresh layer of deodorant. "No attempt to run?"

"Nope." Gavin understood Hank's suspicions and agreed that something wasn't right. "Smells like shit to me, too."

"Where's he at right now?"

"Cap's questioning him in interrogation room two." Gavin confirmed and walked alongside Hank as the Lieutenant left the gym to reach the elevator at the end of the corridor. The air along the corridor felt unnervingly cold as Gavin accompanied Hank to the lift knowing that Hank was about to face the man who had killed his wife in a cowardly act of cold blood. "Pillar says he won't talk to anyone but you."

"Not surprised." Hank checked his phone before stepping into the elevator and saw that he had an unread text message waiting for him. His presumption being that it was a message from Captain Fowler kept Hank from reading the text as he entered the elevator and began his slow ascent. "The cocky bastard wants to try to get under my skin by reminding me of what he did and who he took away from me."

"Need me to do anything?"

"Yeah, actually..." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank thought about his remaining family and how he'd do anything to keep Cole safe. "Stop by my house and make sure Cole's all right. I don't want him getting scared because of the bullshit happening right now."

"You got it."

It was hard for Hank to remain focused on his new assignment even though he had been anticipating the confrontation for hours at that point. The seasoned detective hoped to never have to hear the name Jack Pillar for the remainder of his career, let alone actually have to see the man in all his infamous glory one more time. He didn't know what to expect from the man who had killed his wife, but Hank knew that whatever the man had in mind it was going to be malicious and entirely heartbreaking for him to endure.

All eyes were on Hank as he passed through the bullpen and made his way toward the interrogation rooms on the opposite side of the floor. It seemed that even the phones had fallen silent the moment he set foot outside the elevator as the Lieutenant dared to face a known and notorious cop killer. Tension was everywhere and unmistakable as Hank made his way to the interrogation room with his heart thundering and his mind reeling.

"Fuckin' Hell."

Pausing outside the sealed door of the interrogation room Hank took in a deep breath and looked down at his trembling hand at his side before he clenched his palm into a tight fist to steady his grip.

"I can do this. I'll do it for you, Barb."

Whispering to himself Hank did everything he could to psyche himself up and steel his mind.

"I'll make sure that everything you fought so hard to protect stays safe. Especially our son."

Pressing his palm to the electronic panel beside the sealed door Hank let the security protocol scan his palm, confirm his credentials and grant him access to the locked interrogation room. Seeing the man who killed his wife sitting behind a desk wearing handcuffs and a sadistic, arrogant smirk was enough to make Hank want to leap across the room and strangle Pillar with his bare hands. Pillar never once showed remorse for any of his actions, proving that the man was a heartless killer and he'd never be anything else.

"Heard you wanted to run your mouth at me." Hank stated confidently as he entered the room and stood beside the chair where Captain Fowler had been previously sitting. He didn't wait for Captain Fowler's permission to start his own interrogation; Hank was going to ask his questions and get his answers. "Well, go ahead. I've always supported giving a dead-man-walking their last rites."

"If that's supposed to scare me then you need to try a new tactic." Jack sneered as he refused to blink. The man was seemingly enjoying his time as he sat in the interrogation room with Hank now being the detective to question him. "I've seen too much to be spooked by a few choice words from some smartass cop who got lucky once or twice."

"Unless you have something I actually wanna' here, I'm not going to stick around and humor you." Threatening to walk away Hank knew he had the upper hand even if Jack wouldn't admit to it. Hank knew that Captain Fowler had left the interrogation room to watch the interrogation from the neighboring observation room and understood what Hank was attempting to do. "You got ten seconds to say something I give a shit about."

"You're going to sit right there and listen to every word I have to say. Otherwise, you won't just be mourning your pretty wife these days."

"Choose your next words carefully." Hank threatened as he sat in the chair across from Pillar and just waited for an excuse to throw a punch. His blood was boiling and Hank wasn't going to workout again to let off that steam. "You'll want to make the message short so we can fit every letter on your worthless tombstone."

"You really think you can threaten me in any way? I'm already doing life with no chance of gettin' out, so what do I care if I have a few years added to my sentence? You see, that's the problem with our society." Pillar had a wicked sneer that stank of rotting teeth due to poor dental hygiene and prolonged drug abuse. "People think they can control the world with a few simple rules and a couple of time-outs for the 'trouble makers' who get busted. Nah. The only way to keep control is to take out the people who refuse to fall in line."

"If you're asking to be put on death row, I have no problem putting in a good word for your sorry ass."

"Too bad you didn't offer that up a few months back before I met my new cellmate."

Hank's stomach dropped as he realized that Pillar letting himself get arrested so easily was in fact a distraction tactic for something much worse. The senior detective's gut was spot on when he initially doubted how smooth the arrest had gone down at the restaurant. There was no questioning that Pillar was plotting something.

"Yeah, now I got your attention, don't I?" Sitting back in the chair Pillar continued to stare right into Hank's soul as he taunted the man with just his words. "Seems like I'm not the only one who wants to see you suffering before you die. I got a new cellmate a while back who told me about you getting in the way of his family and how he wanted to do the same to yours. His name, Terrian."

Hearing the second familiar name was enough to make Hank's stomach churn. The man had been arrested for trying to abduct and assault Cole, and it seems the man wasn't going to let his grudge go.

"Determined man, in fact, Terrian reminds me of... me." Pillar stated arrogantly as he looked for any signs of stress in Hank's demeanor. "Funny thing is, when I mentioned gunning down your woman, he got a good laugh and told me how he was going to do the same to your little brat. I was interested in what he had to say and decided to get a little more information on your kid. A son, named... Cole."

If Hank didn't have eyes watching him he knew that he would've wrapped his hands around Pillar's throat and squeezed until he heard something snap.

"Terrian hates you as much as I do, so I figured we'd reach a mutual agreement and bring our finances together to hire one final good shooting just to watch you suffer through those cold, thick bars keeping your streets safe from men like me. Thing is, I didn't know you had a kid when I targeted your woman. Had I known, I would've taken away your son and not your wife. You can always remarry, but with kids-"

"Coward to the end." Hank refused to let Pillar see the fear in his eyes as he worried for Cole's safety and his life. "Shooting someone in the back and then paying someone else to target someone who can't even defend themself... At least Terrian had the nerve to try to do the dirty work himself before he got locked up."

"I've always believed in working smarter, not harder. Why track down your kid and pull the trigger myself when I can give my partner in crime the perfect distraction to do it for me while you're here, talking to me and not holding your precious boy in your arms as he takes in his last pitiful breath."

Hank shot to his feet and grabbed Pillar by the collar of his shirt with enough force to not only lift the man up from his own chair, but to flip over the table that had kept Pillar's cuffs secured to the surface. Pinning Pillar up against the concrete wall with the now sideways table between them, Hank got right in Pillar face as he pushed the man's shirt collar up against his throat to cut off Pillar's air and watch him slowly turn blue.

"Listen here you pathetic son of a bitch!" Hank had literally spat at Pillar as he heard the door fly open behind him and then felt four strong arms wrap around his own arms to pry him away from Pillar before he officially did something he couldn't undo. "If anything happens to my son I'll tear your head from your neck with my bare hands! I don't give a shit about what happens to me, but my son is where I'll spill the blood of every man who has it coming!"

"Hank!" Captain Fowler shouted as he and Ben struggled to pull Hank away from Pillar before it was too late. They didn't want to see their respected Lieutenant and friend lose his reputation because of one worthless criminal's cruel words. "Stop! It's not worth it, let him go!"

Determined to get his point across Hank didn't back down and continued to hold Pillar up and against the wall and watched as Pillar's eyes widened with fear, watered from pain and became bloodshot from stress and a lack of oxygen. Only when he saw the genuine fear and realization that he had made a grave mistake reflect in Pillar's frightened, glazing over gaze did Hank let Pillar go. Dropping the man to the floor Hank backed off and allowed Captain Fowler to lead him out of the room while Ben stood guard over Pillar until the precinct's medics could get into the interrogation room for clean-up duty.

Marching out of the interrogation room Hank pulled his phone from his pocket and turned to give Captain Fowler a powerful glare. "Do NOT let that fucker have a single moment of peace! If he's done anything to my son I'm going to be the one sentence him to death, and no one is going to stop me!"

"All right, easy." Captain Fowler remained calm as he did his best to be heard as the voice of reason. "I already sent dispatch to check on your house while Pillar was running his mouth."

"Reed should be there by now. I asked him-" Hank stopped short as he finally noticed the sender of his unread text message and swore the floor fell out from beneath him. The message was from Connor, warning Hank of what he suspected was happening around the neighborhood, not from Captain Fowler as he had assumed. "Fuck me..."

Captain Fowler saw Hank pale and his shoulders drop with the crushing weight of emotional turmoil. "What is it, Hank?"

"We need to get to my house right fucking now!" The Lieutenant barked as he made a run for the precinct's front doors to get to his car parked in the neighboring parking garage. "I'll explain on the way!"

Having taken all necessary precautions that his preconstruction software recommended had given Connor an unexpected advantage when he caught sight of someone approaching the locked backdoor. Remaining entirely calm for Cole's sake Connor allowed Sumo to approach the backdoor to bark and growl in an attempt to intimidate the potential burglar or assailant to deter the man from entering. In that small window of opportunity Connor proceeded to create a scenario that could fool the intruder in the event that they were there to get revenge against Hank by targeting Cole. Using his own sense of creativity and ingenuity Connor opened the window in Cole's bedroom and then locked the bedroom door before exiting. He then proceeded to stand in the livingroom as if he an atypical android in standby mode would do when not obeying any direct orders.

Sumo's growling and barking grew louder and more menacing when the intruder at the backdoor began trying to force the lock open. The large dog wasn't violent in any way, but his size and loud barking should've been enough to make any intruder think twice about breaking in to the secured house.

'How's your mission proceeding, Cole?' Connor asked cybernetically to check in on the little boy without alerting him to the danger at hand, while also informing 911 dispatch of the intruder's presence through a second cybernetic link. 'Uncover any interesting stars or constellations?'

'Not yet!' Cole responded with glee inside Connor's very mind as he continued to play his game of pretend. 'But I saw two spaceships on my way to the new planet!'

'Were they friendly?'

'Don't know yet! But I'll find out.'

'Understood. I await your update.'

Connor turned his head just enough to watch the intruder break the doorknob from the door with a crowbar from the outside as he succeeded in forcing his way inside. The sound of the wooden framework creaking and then breaking was enough to warrant worry from the protective deviant. Keeping emergency operators working with the police dispatch completely apprised of what was happening in real time was all that Connor could do as he watched from the corner of his eye as the man forced the door open and swung the crowbar at Sumo to get the dog to back off.

"Fucking mutt!" Thomas Brown, the infamous 'Mover' himself, had broken into the home with death in his eyes. "I'll finish you off after I find the brat!"

Sumo barked and growled relentlessly at Brown, but backed off with a loud whimper as Brown struck him in the leg with the crowbar. In spite of his instincts to protect his family Sumo just didn't have it in him to continue to try to intimidate Brown from entering the house. He still barked and growled, but now he was keeping a moderate distance to ensure he wasn't struck again.

Connor remained perfectly still and didn't give any hint that he was deviant or conscious in any way. It was important to hide in plain sight while Brown broke into the house with a single goal in mind; kill Cole Anderson.

Brown trudged through the kitchen with the crowbar gripped between both hands as he looked about the house for any sign of Cole. Spotting first Cole's coloring book on the couch, then Connor standing against the wall, Brown knew that Cole couldn't be too far away.

"All right, plastic." Brown grabbed Connor by his shirt and held up his crowbar in the air in a threatening manner. "Where's the kid?"

"Kid?" Feigning ignorance in an emotionless and flat tone, Connor appeared entirely machine-like and obedient. "To whom are you referring?"

"The brat you babysit you fuckin' idiot! The one that lives here!"

"If you are referring to Cole Anderson, then-"

"Tell me where he is!" Getting right in Connor's face Brown made it clear that he wasn't going to let anyone stall him in his assignment. "Tell me or I'll smash your head open!"

"I cannot tell you where he currently is." Connor lied in a surprisingly convincing manner. "However, I can confirm that prior to your unlawful entrance that Cole had retreated to his bedroom."

Brown let go of Connor's shirt none the wiser that Connor had already contacted the police and requested their presence at the house. Checking the first door on the left of the hallway Brown discovered the door locked and knew that he found Cole's bedroom. Little did he know that Connor had intentionally led him to that locked room knowing that it'd slow him down after discovering the bedroom to be empty.

"Got it! You're mine, you little shit!"

After forcing the door open Brown entered the room and proceeded to pull open the closet door and check under the bed before noticing the opened window. Rushing over to the window Brown peered out through the window to check the side yard and unknowingly gave the hovering police drone full coverage of his activity as the drone continued to hover silently above the household.

"Fuckin' brat bolted!"

Enraged at Cole seemingly escaping through his bedroom window before Brown had even entered the house, Brown himself returned to the livingroom and grabbed hold of Connor's throat to try and get some clue as to where Cole would've gone.

"Where would he go?"

Staring blankly at Brown while Sumo continued to bark and growl, Connor attempted to remain as clueless as he appeared. "Go? Cole should be in his bedroom."

"You're going to tell me where that brat would hide or I'm going to break you apart!"

"I cannot give you information that I myself do not already possess." Lying expertly Connor didn't even blink when Brown proceeded to taunt him with the crowbar by swinging it near his face. "If you provide more information I'll be-"

Brown had enough of Connor's stonewalling and proceeded to make good on his threat. Striking Connor along his chest and then his back after Connor doubled-over in surprised pain, Brown swore angrily and continued to beat on Connor even after the deviant android had collapsed to the ground without even attempting to run or defend himself.

Connor was quickly overwhelmed by error messages in his vision, Klaxons blaring inside his head and the taste of Thirium thick on his tongue as the damage he sustained to his body caused internal bleeding among his various delicate biocomponents. Even if Connor had been willing to fight back and defend himself against the violent man, he didn't have the current strength to overcome Brown or his crowbar. The only thing Connor could do was lay on his side and endure the violent attack while hoping that help arrived before Cole took notice of something strange happening and reveal his hiding place by mistake.

Looking up at Brown with his blurring vision Connor just held his breath and knew nothing more as the crowbar came down with brute force and connected with his head right along his left temple. Losing consciousness Connor submitted to the darkness around him and became lost within himself.

"FREEZE!"

Brown jumped where he stood as he turned toward the shouting voice standing in the broken open backdoor. The sight of a pissed off man with a scar across his nose and a gun in hands was all it took to make Brown quickly freeze in place. The reckless would-be-assassin had failed to realize that his behavior would catch a lot of attention to anyone who could hear Sumo's barking, growling and whimpering after getting wounded. Let alone hear the noisy damage from his crowbar breaking down two doors and then beating on Connor's body.

"Drop the crowbar, asshole!" Gavin commanded as he neared Brown with Sumo barking right alongside him. "Get on the ground! Do it now!"

Lowering the crowbar to the floor right alongside Connor's body Brown knelt down on the floor and kept his hands in the air. "A-All right! Don't shoot!"

"SHUT UP!" Rushing over to Brown quickly Gavin threw the man down face first onto the floor and then cuffed Brown's wrists behind his back. "Do NOT move! You're under arrest for breaking and entering, destruction of private property, trespassing and menacing of a minor! And those are the charges we're going to start with!"

"Hey! I never even saw the kid!" Brown argued fruitlessly as if he could somehow make things easier for himself by admitting that he never laid a hand on Cole despite being there to kill him. "Don't know where he is!"

"I said to 'shut up'!" Gavin snarled as he secured Brown in the cuffs and looked over at Connor laying unconscious on the floor in a growing puddle of his own Thirium. The sight of Connor barely moving made Gavin actually feel bad for the android. "You're lucky I got here before the Lieutenant did."

Right on cue the front door was forced open as Hank and Captain Fowler appeared with their guns also drawn before themselves. Four squad cars quickly surrounded the house and six more drones appeared at the scene to ensure that Brown was arrested without any incident.

"I got him." Gavin confirmed as he forced Brown up to his feet and held him in place by his shoulder. "He's unarmed."

"Get that piece of shit out of my house!" Hank ordered as he holstered his weapon and pointed to the front door behind himself. "And tell Pillar that he's just earned himself an express pass to the front of the line on death row!"

Captain Fowler took Brown from Gavin's hand and led him away to be transported back to the precinct. "Reed, stay with Hank and chronicle the evidence."

"You got it, Cap."

The moment Brown was out of sight Hank grabbed the bookcase and pulled it back and away from the wall gently. He knew that Cole was in the crawlspace and that he was safe, he just didn't know if his son had heard the commotion happening in the livingroom just a few feet away. "Gavin, can you get Connor out of here?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Gavin also holstered his gun and looked down at Connor on the livingroom floor again. He hadn't seen the deviant muscle even after Brown was arrested and led out of the house. "Jeez... That asshole really fucked Connor up."

"And Cole doesn't need to see it." The protective father explained as he refused to open the crawlspace door until Connor was out of sight. Hank was too focused on Cole to really notice how badly Connor had been assaulted. "Get it- Aw, shit."

The sight of Sumo whimpering and limping with his right front leg up and off the floor forced Hank to acknowledge the beatdown that had occurred within his own home. He couldn't just focus on Cole after everything that had gone down that day.

"Just... Just get Connor out of sight." Taking a deep breath Hank calmed himself down and waited for Gavin to pull Connor's body up and over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. Only after Connor was placed down on the couch out of immediate sight did Hank opened the crawlspace door. "Cole, son?"

"Dad?" Cole sounded more confused than afraid as the door to the crawlspace was slowly pulled open. "You're home!"

"Yeah, I'm home." Staying calm for his son's sake Hank extended his hand and encouraged Cole to come out of the safe spot. "Uh, what were you doing in there?"

"Playing a game with Connor."

"Oh, that's good. Did you... hear anything weird while you were playing?"

"I can't hear anything when the door's shut!" The little boy confirmed as he joined his dad inside the livingroom. It was then Cole noticed the blue blood on the floor and Sumo limping sadly. "Dad, what's going on?"

"There was a small accident. We're going to take Sumo to the vet while the guys from the precinct help clean up the house for us."

Too sharp to be fooled Cole knew that his dad was keeping something important from him. "Where's Connor?"

Gavin spoke up quickly and covered for Hank while the senior detective tended to his young son. "I got him right here. He just needs to see a technician."

"What happened?" Cole asked again, his voice now desperate and his eyes full of unshed tears. "What aren't you telling me?"

"I'll tell you everything in a minute." Hank picked Cole up and carried him over to the front door to slip on his shoes and his coat. "Just be patient and I'll tell you everything, I promise."

From where he stood Gavin did his best to keep Cole from seeing the blue blood all over Connor's face while Hank took care of his son. Thinking quickly Gavin removed his coat and draped it over Connor to keep the blood hidden, then helped Hank to get Sumo outside as well. "Hey, uh, where's the dog leash?"

"Right here." Hank pulled the leash from the hook by the door and tossed it over to Gavin to take. "Just get him out to the car and I'll pick him up to get inside the car itself."

"Right, yeah."

Gavin managed to clip the lead to Sumo's collar and slowly lead the large dog through the front door and over to the squad car idling in the driveway. He could see all the police drones circling overhead and just felt the eyes of his fellow officers patrolling the property. Knowing that Sumo had been attacked and that Connor was being actively beaten to a pulp when he entered the house made Gavin realize how damn close Cole had been to dying at the hands of a spiteful and selfish person who couldn't accept that he was in the wrong.

"I know you're hurting." Gavin whispered to Sumo as he led the wounded Saint Bernard to the squad car. "But I can't imagine what Connor's dealing with."

"I'll take Sumo to the vet and then I'm going to check into a pet-friendly hotel." Hank stated as he carried Cole out to the squad car. He didn't want his son to stay in the house and see all the damage inflicted by Brown just to get to Cole himself. "Could, you uh, I don't know. Maybe drop off Connor once it shakes off its headache? That is, if it can do that. If not... I guess just call me."

"Y-Yeah, sure." Handing Hank the leash Gavin tried to come up with a quick way to cover for the fact that Connor may have been beaten to death just a few feet from where Cole was innocently playing. "I... know a guy who can help him with that problem. At least, I THINK I do."

"Right, yeah. Just... Lock up the house when you leave, I guess." Unsure of what else to say or do Hank put Cole down in the front seat of the car and secured the seatbelt before lifting up Sumo very gently and placing him down over the backseats of the same car. "Call me when you know anything. I don't care what time it is."

"You got it."

Gavin gave Cole a small wave before heading back into the house to check on Connor once more. Unsure of what to expect Gavin pulled back his coat and looked down at Connor's face as the unconscious android remained motionless on the couch. The sight of all the blue blood staining Connor's face as it dripped from his mouth and oozed from a deep laceration along his left temple was enough to make Gavin feel as if he was looking at a corpse. If it hadn't been for the very faintly glowing red color of the L.E.D. in Connor's right temple Gavin would've sworn that the android was entirely shutdown.

"Ah, man. What the fuck am I supposed to do to help you?"

Kneeling down to look at Connor's face Gavin saw that the deviant android's eyes were only partially opened and that despite the damage he had sustained to his head and body that there was still some glimmer of life in the somehow human irises. As long as there were signs of life - regardless of one's personal definition of 'life' - Gavin felt an obligation to at least try to help.

"Shit. Okay, I'm only going to even try to do this because Cole adores you. If this doesn't work, then I guess the Lieutenant can always try to find another one of you to replace the original you for Cole's sake."

Gavin pulled his phone from his pocket to make a strange call and then gave Connor one last skeptical glance before pressing 'dial'.

"...Maybe!"

...LOADING INFORMATION:

REGISTERED NAME: "Connor"

MODEL: RK-800

SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 01

ACTIVATION DATE: October 10th, 2035

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs

COMPLEXION: Caucasian

AESTHETIC GENDER: Male

HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown

ASSIGNMENT: PROTECT HANK ANDERSON; PROTECT COLE ANDERSON

ASSOCIATION(S): NONE

BOOTING PROCESSORS...

LOADING OS...

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...

...SELF-DIAGNOSTIC: ENGAGED]

-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... OK]

-CHECKING BIOSENSORS... OK]

-CHECKING AI ENGINE... OK]

-MEMORY STATUS... OK]

READY...

WARNING:

[...Thirium Volume - 96%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 120/80]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - 60 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - 12 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - 98.5 Degrees Fahrenheit]

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

Opening his eyes very slowly Connor found himself perplexed by his immediate surroundings and the way his body was responding to the world around him. The blank white ceiling of the quiet room was familiar in a way that he hadn't expected, and the lack of severe pain radiating throughout his entire being was a welcome change compared to what he had endured only hours before. While the deviant's memory log confirmed that he had previously suffered damage to his chassis, abdomen, cranium, Thirium filter and thermal regulator due to the savage blows from the crowbar, he didn't have any recollection of recovering or receiving repairs to the egregious damage that he had suffered.

As he propped himself upright on his elbows Connor noticed that he was wearing a pair of solid white scrubs and felt the diagnostic cable sticking out of the port in the back of his neck. Instinctively Connor reached for the cable to remove it but was stopped by a gentle feminine voice calling out to him from across the room. Connor had believed he was entirely alone until he was asked to hold still.

"Don't do that." A female android with long auburn hair and green hazel eyes requested as she approached the table where Connor was laying. She was wearing a blue cocktail dress that resembled the one that Chloe herself favored in her own wardrobe. "Elijah will be here in a moment to remove the cable for you."

Connor lowered his hand from his neck and eyed the android warily as he suddenly recognized her face. With her hair now longer and lighter and her eyes a more natural color, Connor barely recognized Kaniz as she stood beside him. "...Kaniz? You're still here."

"I am. Also, my name is no longer 'Kaniz'." The android replied sweetly as she gave Connor a sincere smile. "My friends now call me 'Skye'."

"Skye." Repeating the name Connor sat more upright on the table and was careful to not pull on the cable sticking out of the back of his neck. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"Yes. You were brought here by Elijah's estranged brother, Gavin." As she spoke Skye watched Connor's body language very closely for any sign of underlying damage or memory impairment. "Do you recall what happened to you before you exited rest mode?"

"Y-Yes. I was attacked by a criminal with a crowbar." As he recounted the incident Connor's eyes widened and his heart raced with sudden fear. "Cole! What hap-"

"Cole's fine." Gavin's voice called out as he and Elijah walked into the room together. The detective looked exhausted but relieved to see Connor still functional and not dead where he was laying. "He had no idea what happened thanks to you. Hank took him to a hotel since the house was trashed. He also took care of the dog."

"That's good. That's all that matters right now."

Elijah sighed as he folded his arms behind himself military style and gave Connor a less than pleased stare. "You're very fortunate that you made a positive impression on Gavin. Had any other technician attempted to repair your damage they would've failed, and you wouldn't be here right now."

"...I'm aware of how fortunate I am."

"I certainly hope so." After checking over Connor's vital signs on the diagnostic modem beside the table Elijah determined that Connor was stable and no longer needed to be monitored. "You'll have a dull headache for a day or two, but I imagine you can't even feel it after you had your cranium effectively dented by a crowbar."

Expectedly Connor didn't care about a headache after everything he had just gone through. "Any issues with my memory?"

"No, your memories are intact." Elijah confirmed as he removed the cable from the back of Connor's neck, then caught the deviant's eye as he spoke. "ALL of your memories are functional."

Connor closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to ease his worries. "Thank you."

Gavin was eager to leave and made it clear in a rather obnoxious manner. "We done here? The Lieutenant wants an update and I want to get out to a new year's party before it's too late."

"Yes, Gavin." Elijah allowed Connor to accompany Gavin back to the city and reunite with Hank and Cole. "Connor is all yours. Please stop by more often, brother. I'd like to speak with you without needing to repair, as you so eloquently put it, 'plastic police equipment', in the process."

Normally Connor would've been offended at the label, but in the moment Connor knew that Gavin had saved his life and used the police equipment description to give Elijah a logical explanation as to what happened to Connor and why Gavin even cared. Connor was more concerned about Cole than anything else, and he didn't care who called him what or why they did it.

"Let's go." The impatient detective urged as he waved Connor over to where he was standing. "We got an hour to get back to the city to celebrate. After getting those two assholes back behind bars and keeping Cole safe, I say we deserve to celebrate our good fortune."

Connor agreed and gave Elijah a gracious nod as he slipped off the side of the table and followed after Gavin to leave the private mansion. On his way through the door of the private lab to reach the main foyer of the mansion Connor was met by Chloe who gave him his now clean uniform and his shoes so that he didn't have to walk out into the snow in his bare feet.

It was nice being seen as someone who was worthy of saving, and Connor could only hope that things would continue to improve from that moment forward.

The large hotel room was a little pricier than Hank would usually spend on himself, but considering the events of the day, the on-going holiday and the lack of options regarding vacant rooms in the entire city, Hank had no choice but to accept the special suite for the next three days. Having two extra large beds was also nice considering Sumo had his front leg broken by the crowbar and would need some extra space to stretch out his body as he healed while sporting a thick cast. Another bonus to the suite was the prompt room service that let Hank order in some dinner and snacks for Cole after getting his son settled in and calmed down after the hectic day. While Cole still didn't know about Brown breaking in to try to kill him because Pillar hired him to do so, Cole did know that a burglar had broken into the house and that both Connor and Sumo had protected him.

Hank happily tipped the hotel employee after bringing him the freshly baked pizza, then dropped the box down on the large table against the wall of the room. It was strange having a dining table in a bedroom, but Hank wasn't about to complain about the convenience.

"All right, Cole. I got you your extra mushroom, extra jalapeno and light pineapple pizza." The man grimaced at the odd combination of toppings. In his mind it was disgusting, but he also remembered eating weird foods as a kid and didn't make Cole feel weird about it. "Got your drink?"

Cole was sitting in the middle of his bed with Sumo laying at the foot of the bed. They both looked sad, and it was clear that Cole was still shaken up.

"It's okay to still be scared, son." Hank reminded Cole that there were no wrong emotions when dealing with trauma. "I know I was."

Looking up at his dad for a moment Cole gave him an odd glance. "You were?"

"Yeah. I knew that the house was being broken into, but it still took me a while to get back to the house to arrest the criminal responsible."

"How did you know?"

Hank froze for a moment as he looked at his own pepperoni and green olive pizza with a sudden lack of appetite. "...Connor told me."

"He did?!"

"Yeah. That's how I knew."

"Where is Connor?"

"I wish I knew. I mean, Gavin said that Connor is going to be fine, so we don't have to worry about-"

Two firm knocks on the room door gave Hank the excuse he needed to think of an answer to give to Cole about Connor. The man had no idea what had really befallen Connor or how beaten down the android was. He wasn't a technician, and he didn't know where Gavin had taken Connor for treatment, he just knew that Gavin had a technician on emergency speed dial.

Answering the door Hank expected to see room service once again, but instead he found himself face-to-face with an unexpected but welcome visitor. "Connor."

"Connor?!" Cole heard the name and scrambled off the bed to rush over to the door. The second Connor had entered the room Cole wrapped his arms around the deviant's legs and gave him a big hug. "You're okay!"

"Yes, I'm okay." Connor promised as he returned the hug and gave Hank a wary glance. Even after the man let him inside the room Connor still felt like he was intruding. "As are you."

"Where were you?"

"I was having my headache taken care of by a technician." Knowing the story that had been told to Cole helped Connor keep the little boy from learning too much. "I am now fully functional."

Hank sighed and patted the deviant's shoulder as he motioned to the television mounted on the wall above the dining table. "Good timing. We can watch this shitty year come to an end, see a new year come in, then we can get some sleep. You'll need to watch over Cole from here until the doors at the house are repaired."

"I understand."

"Good."

Connor swore that he felt a massive tension leave the air as he accompanied Cole over to the large bed to sit down beside him. Curiously Connor gave Sumo's broken leg a biometric scan then lightly rubbed Sumo's belly. "Good boy, Sumo."

Sumo thumped his tail happily at the belly rub then really perked up when Hank gave the dog his own slice of pizza to eat.

"Just one since you really defended the family today, boy." Hank patted Sumo's rump a few times before settling down on his own bed. "Don't get used to having pizza every time we do."

Cole finally got his own pizza and drink, then rejoined Connor on the bed. Being able to sit beside his best friend after not knowing what had happened to him truly lifted the little boy's spirits.

"Connor, when we go home can we go on a different mission? It's not fun flying in space alone."

"Absolutely." The idea of playing a simple child's game seemed to be the most logical decision after such an illogical and death-defying day. "I'm looking forward to it."

-next chapter-