Detroit Central Precinct: November 6th, 2038 - 09:07am

The previous night's case was still a top story being reported on the news, and it was a story that Hank was sick of hearing about. He had to drag himself out of bed that morning after getting barely six hours of actual sleep, and he had to make sure that Cole didn't know about the special android working alongside him at the precinct for an indeterminate amount of time. It was important for Hank to maintain control over as much of his life as possible both inside and outside of work in any way that he could. By ensuring that Cole didn't see the news or worry about any rumors at school Hank was certain he'd be able to keep his son safe from learning about the 'RK-900' who bore an uncanny resemblance to another android that his young son cared about.

Dropping down behind his desk with only a mug of coffee and the drive to protect his family to give him energy, Hank prepared for a new day with no idea of what to expect. He didn't trust the androids running around in the streets, he didn't trust CyberLife and he certainly didn't trust Chase. Having the deviant self-destructing in the interrogation room just the night before was guaranteed to bring numerous unwanted questions his way.

It didn't take long for the senior detective to pick up on the tension in the air again as a certain android returned to the precinct to resume obeying CyberLife's orders and finding a solution to the city's current android problem. The fact that every cop and detective who even saw Chase tensed up was a telling sign about how cold and unsettling the android's presence could be, and that would only confirm a difficult working relationship from start to finish.

As he sipped his coffee Hank turned his attention to the morning news report relaying the released information about the Carlos Ortiz murder the night before.

'Several sources report that CyberLife has provided Detroit Police with a prototype detective android.' Michael Brinkley, one of the many news reporters in Detroit, managed to sound unbiased despite the clear fear in his eyes. 'Although police assistant androids have existed for several years now, this would be the first case of an android being authorized to play an active role in criminal investigations. We contacted CyberLife for comment, but no one was available to answer our questions.'

"Son of a bitch." Putting his mug down bitterly Hank leaned back in his chair and rubbed his fingers along the bridge of his nose in aggravated frustration. "So much for keeping a low profile."

"Can I help you?"

Hank heard the female android receptionist, Pamela, responding to someone approaching the desk seeking clearance to walk along the bullpen. As he glanced up and craned his neck he caught sight of the distinctly contrasting black and white blazer of a certain android, and immediately regretted getting out of bed that moment.

"Shit. I was really hoping to not have to deal with a shitty attitude today."

Chase replied to Pamela in a cold tone as it stared through Pamela with its intense gaze. "I'm here to see Lieutenant Anderson."

"Do you have authorization?"

"Yes."

Pamela had verified Chase's identification and gave it the appropriate temporary credentials to pass through the bullpen. "Lieutenant Anderson arrived just nine minutes ago, you can find him at his desk."

"Thanks."

"Ah, shit." Hank mumbled as he put up his hand to block the side of his face as he hunched over his desk hoping that Chase would somehow not see him, give up and go back to CyberLife. "Here it comes..."

Chase marched through the bullpen and focused entirely on Hank as it stood beside the fatigued detective's desk. "It's good to see you again, Lieutenant."

"Uh, Jesus..."

"Hank!" Captain Fowler's voice boomed out over the bullpen and prompted both Hank and Chase to look his way as he stood in the doorway of his private office. "In my office!"

"Thank you, Jeffrey. I needed this."

The tired detective had to push himself up from his chair by bracing against his desk top before he even turned to face the office door. Leaning his head back Hank rubbed his palm along the back of his tense neck and pushed open the office door to check in with his commanding officer. The Lieutenant didn't like Chase following after him, but he knew that Chase was going to be brought up to speed on whatever was being discussed anyway.

"I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day." The seasoned Captain lamented before Hank even had the chance to drop back down into the chair opposite his desk. "We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maids and that kind of crap. But now, we're getting reports of assaults and even homicides, like that guy last night. This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore. It's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta' deal with it before the shit hits the fan. I want you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I was there and saw the all the gory glory up close and personal."

"Good work on finding the android who knifed the poor bastard. It's too bad the android took itself out before we could get a written statement."

"Ask CyberLife for those details." Hank motioned to Chase standing at attention beside him with a pointed thumb. "Their fancy robo-cop here is the one who pushed that other android over the edge and right into the junkyard downtown."

"Chase?" Captain Fowler's eyes trailed up to the android and locked on to its face. "Is that true? Did you have an active role in the arrested android self-destructing?"

"My interrogation techniques were effective albeit extreme. CyberLife approved of-"

"Is that a 'yes' or a 'no', Chase?" No one had any patience for the cold machine, and it was evident that no one would anytime soon. "Just answer my question."

"Yes. My interrogation technique did lead the arrested deviant android to self-destruct in the interrogation room."

"Shit. That doesn't look good on us."

"I assure you that CyberLife doesn't hold the precinct accountable for my actions."

"I don't give a damn about CyberLife." Captain Fowler snapped as he gave the heartless machine a loathsome glare. "I give a damn about this precinct and our reputation to the people of Detroit. We cannot, I repeat, CANNOT, have any suspects killing themselves or destroying themselves in our custody because anyone who is working in this precinct. I do not care if our representatives are man or machine, we are not going to become associated with that type of bad press. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Captain. I understand."

Sitting in silent observation Hank noticed that Chase's L.E.D. never changed from blue to any other color. The man knew that Connor's L.E.D. would shift in color whenever he was stressed out or experiencing one of his quirks making him appear emotional, but not Chase. The android really didn't seem to care about anything and was entirely without any form of personality or concept of morality.

"I also expect that while you're out in the field with Hank that you will obey his direct orders regardless of what CyberLife may have told you."

"With all due respect, if Lieutenant Anderson's orders contradict-"

"I don't give a shit about what CyberLife is telling you to do. As long as you're assigned to work within MY precinct with MY Lieutenant, you're going to obey MY orders and Hank's orders without question. Is that understood?"

"...Yes, Captain."

"Good. Hank, you're going to remain in charge of the android cases."

"Even after what happened last night?"

"I reviewed the interview footage, nothing that happened was your fault." A sharp yet momentary glare confirmed that Captain Fowler put all responsibility on Chase's shoulders. "It seems that androids being destroyed is common whenever Chase handles cases, so I'll need you to keep it on a short leash."

"Yeah, sure. How many cases has this thing worked on?"

"Just two. And both times the android suspect ended up destroyed in some manner." Booting up an old case on his terminal screen helped confirm everything that the seasoned Captain was saying and gave Hank a better idea of what he was talking about. "There was a case back in August where CyberLife sent this thing in to act as a hostage negotiator, and you rushed off to check on your family when heard about the hostage taker being an android. It saved the hostage, but it shot the android in the process and destroyed it before it could be brought in for questioning or analysis. It wasn't given a gun beforehand; it took the gun from one of the deceased officers at the scene."

"That's why the name rang a bell when I heard it." Hank continued to speak as if Chase wasn't even in the same room as Captain Fowler and himself. "I was filled in on the details of that situation later on. I'm still not impressed."

Chase didn't say anything as it registered how the two detectives were assessing its abilities to accomplish its mission. Such critique wasn't uncommon for the state-of-the-art detective android to endure. Being analyzed for any flaws and defects was to be expected.

"Keep alert for any additional reports of androids acting strangely." Captain Fowler ordered rather casually as he dismissed Hank and Chase from his office. "Report back to me the second you find out anything important, Hank. I'm counting on you to keep this mess from getting any worse than it already is."

"Sure. Just promise that you won't make me work with any other androids, I can only handle so much bullshit at once!"

While Hank took his leave of the office to return to his desk in the bullpen Chase hung back. The android wisely waited for Hank to pass through the office door before it spoke up to Hank in a surprisingly cold and calculated manner.

"Captain Fowler, if I may," Chase seemed to be scheming in a very calculated and sadistic way despite not having any emotions. "I wonder whether Lieutenant Anderson is really the best person for this investigation."

"Hey, I don't need a machine to tell me how to handle my men, okay?" Captain Fowler was vocally clear that he wasn't about to let anyone representing CyberLife get away with any type of underhanded tactics in his precinct or alongside his detectives. "So get the fuck outta' my office!"

"Well, then... I won't keep you any longer." Backing off rather submissively Chase made his way to the office door to resume his assignment alongside Hank. "Have a nice day, Captain."

With Hank already returned to his desk and their new assignment given, Chase had an idea of what needed to be done. The superior 'RK-900' shared all of the same programming and abilities as the arguably inferior 'RK-800' that had come before it, but it also had several new upgrades and abilities that were incompatible with the other older prototype. One such ability - reading heat signatures - had come in handy already. Whether or not all of its new abilities and features would be showcased was up to the androids and how well the cooperated with its investigations.

Quietly Chase joined Hank at his desk and stood beside the Lieutenant while the other officers and detectives in the bullpen stared at it. "I get the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that."

Hank just gave Chase a silent glance of indifference as a response before he resumed staring at his terminal screen while waiting for a new android case to be brought to his attention.

"Listen, I know you don't like me, but we're going to have to work together, we'll both have to make an effort."

"I've been doing this damn job for the better part of twenty years." Hank growled without turning to look at the android attempting to make peace. "Don't tell me about making 'efforts' or having to work with things that I don't like. Just do your job and I'll do mine, and we'll get along just dandy..."

"That is... acceptable." Glancing about the immediate area curiously Chase tried to find the most suitable place to begin its work while at the precinct until it was time to return to CyberLife to deliver its reports. "Is there a desk anywhere I could use?"

Dismissively Hank waved to the long vacant desk directly across from his own just to get Chase to shut up. "No one's using that one."

Chase sat down behind the offered desk and tried again to engage in conversation with Hank as a means of finding common ground with the man as quickly and as efficiently as possible. "You have a dog, right?"

"How do you know that?" Paranoid that Chase was stalking his home Hank was immediately on his guard and gave the android a completely mistrustful glare. "You spying on me or some shit?"

"No. I noticed the dog hairs on your chair when I initially arrived last night."

Letting out a deep breath Hank regained his composure and resumed a professional demeanor. "Oh, right."

"What's your dog's name? It's a Saint Bernard, correct?"

"What's it to you?"

"I'm... merely asking what I thought to be harmless questions to get to know you better."

"Start asking questions that are relevant to our investigation and stop botherin' me."

"You're a Detroit Gears fan, right?" Chase continued with trying to make idle chitchat with Hank according to what his social relations program dictated. "Denton Carter scored fifty-three percent of his shots from the three-point line yesterday. Did you see the game?"

"Noooo." Replying with a bitter sarcasm Hank reminded the android of what he was doing the previous night and what the android should already know. "I was here. Working. You should've already been aware of that since you showed up here met me right here too."

"Oh. Such a work schedule would in fact make it difficult for you to view the game at that particular hour."

"No shit. Is that part of your fancy detective programming kicking in?"

Ignoring the sarcasm Chase didn't even notice Gavin silently laughing to himself courtesy of eavesdropping as it asked Hank another question. "Do you listen to 'The Knights of the Black Death'? I really like-"

"Chase? Look at me." Hank pointed two fingers at his eyes then turned his hand to reflect the gesture back at the android and pointed as Chase's eyes in turn. "Are you looking? Hm? Eye contact has been established?"

Chase's L.E.D. flickered to yellow for the first time since it had arrived at the precinct before returning to blue. "Yes."

"Good." Lowering his hand Hank kept a fixed glare on the obnoxious android sitting across from him. "Then read my damn lips: Shut. Up."

It seemed Chase wasn't an avid reader as it continued to speak to Hank and try to ask him questions. "A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around. I was wondering, is there any reason in particular you despise me?"

"Yeah..." Hank confirmed without giving away too much information in the process. "There is one. A big one..."

"What of Captain Fowler? Have you known Captain Fowler for long?"

"Yeah." Responding in short, vague answers was the only way Hank could think to get Chase to take the hint and stop talking. "Too long."

"If you have any files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them."

"On... what? You used that term earlier in Fowler's office."

"'Deviants'. That is the term for androids that have effectively deviated from their original programming and are behaving erratically. CyberLife has dubbed this unusual phenomenon as 'deviancy'."

"Oh. Uh, the terminal's on your desk." As he answered the question Hank began to wonder if he hadn't witnessed deviancy long before that term even existed. "Knock yourself out."

Casually Chase lifted up its palm and retracted the artificial skin from its hand before pressing it flat against the terminal screen. Cybernetically Chase accessed the terminal and all of its files within milliseconds and confirmed that the burden of android related cases had grown to an alarming rate over the past year.

"Two-hundred and forty-three files... The first dates back nine months." Chase analyzed the details quickly while cybernetically bringing CyberLife up to date on everything in real time. "It all started in Detroit and quickly spread across the country."

"So I've noticed."

"An 'AX-400' is reported to have assaulted a man last night." The case was the most recent that had been filed and subsequently it was the best trail to attempt to follow in order to locate a deviant android. "That could be a good starting point for our investigation."

"Would be if we had any idea where that android ran off to after the damage was done. Until then, we wait."

Chase had no choice but to wait for Hank to the lead and for it to follow as it didn't want to be removed from its role in the precinct due to disobedience. As it attempted to continue to preoccupy its mind Chase noticed the framed photograph on Hank's desk with Cole's smiling face looking back at him. It was Cole's most recent school photo and had been taken just barely two months prior.

"Your son is named Co-"

"You never talk about my son!" Slamming his palms down on the shared desks Hank drew in curious eyes and ears from all over the bullpen as he barked his latest order at the intrusive android. "You got that? Never!"

"If the situation doesn't suit you, Lieutenant, you should ask to be relieved of duties and let me work with someone else."

"I know exactly what I have to do! So keep your advice to yourself and mind your own business! Fuckin' hell..."

Chase wasn't intimidated and continued to push the matter despite Hank's direct orders. "I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working."

"Listen, asshole!" Raising his voice again Hank grabbed on to Chase's shirt collar and pulled the android up close to his face as rose to his own feet to muscle around and square up against the android. "If it was up to me, I'd throw the lot of you in a dumpster and set a match to it! So, stop pissing me off or things are gonna' get nasty. Do you understand that?"

As Hank stared down Chase with an icy glare and Chase stared back without any sign of emotion or self-awareness, Chris courageously and awkwardly approached the ongoing confrontation while Gavin, Tina and the rest of the bullpen looked on with a morbid fascination.

"Lieutenant... uh...sorry to disturb you." Chris stated in an appropriately meek tone as he didn't want to direct Hank's ire his way. "I have some information on the 'AX-400' that attacked the guy last night. It's been seen in the Ravendale District."

Hank let go of Chase's shirt and pushed the android back as he set out to investigate the Ravendale District with his own eyes. "I'm on it."

Chase looked on as Hank left the bullpen and called out to him in an almost humorously clueless manner. "Where are you going, Lieutenant?"

"To do my job, asshole!" Shouting his disdain as he walked, Hank never looked back and didn't care if Chase was able to catch up to him or not. "What do you think?"

Jericho: November 6th, 2038 - 09:28am

The rain was still consistent despite the sun managing to shine through the stormy clouds overhead. Standing at the very bow of the ship Connor tilted his head back to face the fading storm with his eyes closed and his mind open. The deviant detective could cybernetically hear the cries and pleas for help from every deviant who wanted to find Jericho and seek shelter, but he could only direct so many rogue deviants to the harbor at one time. It seemed for every one deviant he managed to direct to Jericho through the insignias painted along the walls and alleyways of the abandoned surrounding buildings, two more deviant seemed to appear. It pained him to be unable to physically go out and take the lost deviants by the hands and lead them to Jericho in person, but Connor knew he couldn't interfere with events, and he needed to just wait for everything to play out as it should.

The sensation of the chilled raindrops beading and rolling down his face reminded Connor that he was in fact alive and that everything that he was feeling and seeing was real. Being outside of the stagnant and musty air of Jericho was one of the few pleasant moments he had in the nearly three months that he had been hiding out in the city and away from the people he knew best. It wasn't much, but it was more than he could've asked for.

"Connor?" Josh found his way up to the top deck with an old rain jacket being held up and over his head to protect himself from the rain. "What're you doing up here?"

"Listening." Opening his eyes Connor turned to face Josh now standing a few feet behind him. "More of our people are seeking shelter. They're following the symbols, but even so, not everyone will be strong enough to make the journey on their own."

"We can't risk the lives of those who are already here by leading a mass exodus from the city. You know that."

"I do. But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Fair enough." Looking about the area Josh noticed the contradictory weather above with the rain and sunlight pouring down together. It was a display of natural beauty that he hadn't seen with his deviant eyes until that moment. "You should get out of the rain. Our supplies are still low, and if you become hypothermic from the cold then you'll need the Thirium we no longer have."

"Yeah, you're right." Turning to face his colleague directly Connor decided that it was time to resume lurking within the depths of Jericho as he waited for Markus to make his fateful arrival that very evening. "We need to keep a low profile until it's safe to hunt for supplies."

"Do you know where we could go to find more?"

"Nowhere nearby." Connor lied considering he knew of where Markus would lead his allies in search of more supplies shortly after arriving at Jericho. "We'd have to venture out deeper into the city, and I won't risk anyone being discovered by the humans."

"That's unfortunate. We'll just ration out our remaining Thirium into smaller replenishments until we can safely leave the harbor."

"Good plan." As he spoke Connor detected another cybernetic ping and distress call and realized that it was one that he couldn't ignore. The risk was great, but it was one he was convinced was worth taking in order to keep Jericho hidden. "Josh, there's something I need to do. It's important."

"What is it?"

"There's a deviant who needs our help. And this is one that we can't wait and hope that he finds us first."

"Why's this deviant different from the others?"

"Because this deviant is surrounded by humans who know what he is and will tell the police where to find him. If the cops arrest him..."

"Then he risks getting destroyed or having his memories probed." Josh was a pacifist by nature and loathed the idea of violence. "Think you can find him and bring him here without anyone seeing him?"

"Absolutely." Pulling up the collar of his jacket a little higher Connor began rushing toward the edge of the vessel to take his leave of the harbor and go on his impromptu rescue mission. "I'll be back in an hour, don't worry about me."

Josh just watched as Connor climbed off the freighter and made his way to the dock. It seemed as if no matter how hard he, Simon or North tries, Connor could remain an enigma. No one knew what was motivating him to push himself so hard or why he was so dedicated to his cause, but they did know that if anyone was going to succeed that it'd be Connor.

Eastern Hotel: November 6th, 2038 - 10:25am

The potential sighting of the 'AX-400' android that had reportedly attacked its human owner had brought the police to a relatively shady hotel in one of the rougher neighborhoods of Detroit. The tip came from an employee of a nearby convenience store that had encountered an android matching that exact description during the night before. The same android had robbed the store of only fifty dollars when a little girl traveling with the android knocked over a display of tin cans to distract the employee and lure him away from the front register for a few moments. To avoid any discipline for leaving the register unattended the store employee was doing everything in his power to appear responsible and to try to deter future thefts.

Ben had been the investigator to interview the employee that rainy morning. After giving Hank a quick rundown on the provided information, Ben pointed the Lieutenant in the direction of the hotel since that was the next location that could've possibly witnessed the android passing by and give an idea of where the police could find it and have it arrested for assault and theft.

Heading over to the hotel with his temporary android partner in tow, Hank approached the front receptionist desk at the hotel to begin asking questions about the runaway deviant android. It didn't take long for Hank to get the attention of the hotel manager himself and start asking him a few key questions.

"Lieutenant Anderson, Detroit Police." Introducing himself professionally Hank showed the man his shield and made sure that he was going to be taken seriously during his investigation. Rain was dripping off of his hair and coat as he walked across the small foyer to the desk. "We're looking for a female android, robbed a store down the road last night. You see anything?"

"An android? No." Such a notion actually made the man laugh. The large 'no androids allowed' sticker on the front door of the hotel confirmed that the man wasn't the type to put up with androids on his premises. "I don't take androids here."

Chase held up its right palm and showed the man a holographic display of the 'AX-400' taken from the convenience store's security footage. "Have you seen anyone that looks like this?"

"Fuck... I knew there was something weird about her!" The owner confirmed a sighting and quickly gave Hank some information. "She came in last night – she was dressed normal, you know... There was no way I could tell."

Eager for some progress Hank asked about the android and its current location. "Is it still here?"

"Yeah, probably." Pointing the man in the right direction the owner wanted Hank to get the android off his property. "Room twenty-eight."

"Thank you." Grabbing his phone Hank stepped out into the parking lot to inform Ben of the update on the situation. "Ben? Yeah, it's still at the Hotel. Send some uniforms and cordon off the area. I'm heading to its room now."

Chase attempted to accompany Hank but was quickly stopped by the man as Hank gave him another strict order.

"You wait in the car."

"Out of the question." Chase refused to stand idle and was ready to argue logic with Hank to get its way. The android's hair was soaked and beginning to mat down against the crown of its head. "I'm coming with you."

"Listen, I'm tired of you talkin' back to me." The Lieutenant was ready to throw a punch if necessary to get Chase to listen to him. "You're a machine, so shut the fuck up and do what I say!"

"All I want is to accomplish my mission. I'm sorry if that upsets you."

"Wanna' see the end of your mission?" Making his way to the correct room Hank warned Chase to watch his step and keep a safe distance from him at all times. "Stop busting my fucking balls!"

Walking alone Hank found the correct room and noticed that the door was left slightly ajar. Pushing the door open and keep his gun ready, Hank peered inside the room and found it entirely empty. The two messy beds, the still filled bathtub and hastily opened door confirmed that he had just barely missed bumping into the android on its way out of the hotel in an attempt to continue to elude the authorities.

"It's gone. Looks like we just missed it..."

"Shit, that's them!" One of the streets cops patrolling the cordoned off area caught sight of the runaway android and shouted out the alert. "STOP! POLICE!"

"Quick," another cop confirmed the sighting and made Chase take off in the direction of their voices while Hank ran down the metal staircase to the parking lot in an attempt to join in on the pursuit. "call it in!"

Chase was able to run much faster than the average human and was able to locate the two cops who had spotted the runaway android. "Which way did it go?"

"That way!" The first cop shouted as he pointed Chase in the proper direction. "They're headed for the train station!"

Swiftly Chase managed to sprint down the relatively busy sidewalk and weave between pedestrians attempting to go about their usual business with no idea of what was happening all around them. Its keen eyes guaranteed that the 'RK-900' wouldn't lose track of the fleeing android as long as it maintained a minimal distance between it and them.

Another cop pointed Chase down an alleyway between two buildings that lead to a ditch alongside a busy expressway. "They're over there!"

Just as Chase reached the chainlink fence at the end of the alleyway the runaway 'AX-400' and the little girl that was traveling with her had already scaled the fence and reached the other side. In a split-second Chase locked eyes with the android and could see that she was in fact a deviant and not a machine.

"Don't shoot!" Chase urged as the cops who had pointed it in the right direction joined it at the fence with their guns drawn. "We need it alive!"

"Stand down!" Hank ordered as he too reached the fence and holstered his own gun on his hip for safety. Peering through the fence Hank watched as the android and the little girl made a mad dash for freedom across the busy expressway. "Oh fuck, that's insane!"

The android would rather risk its life and that of the little girl by crossing the busy expressway as opposed to risk their lives in Chase's custody. Considering Chase's track record with androids being destroyed under its watch, Hank honestly couldn't blame them for making such a drastic decision.

"There's no way we'll- Hey!" Hank grabbed onto Chase's shoulder as the 'RK-900' began climbing the fence to reach the other side and continue the pursuit of the fleeing android. "Where you goin'?"

"I can't let them get away."

"They won't!" The seasoned Lieutenant had seen enough foot chases to have a good idea of how they'll end. It's not always pretty. "They'll never make it to the other side."

"I can't take that chance."

"Hey, you will get yourself destroyed! Do NOT go after 'em, Chase, that's an order!"

Refusing to give up or stand idle any longer Chase brushed off Hank's hand and quickly climbed the fence to resume the pursuit.

"Chase, damn it! Get back here!"

Through the numerous diamond openings running through the fence Hank watched as Chase sprinted down the muddy slope and reached the expressway within a few seconds. Leaping over the concrete barricade running alongside the expressway gave Chase the clearance it needed to resume pursuing the rogue android and the little girl.

Just as the 'AX-400' crossed over the median to reach the other side Chase managed to grab on to her hand and tried to pull her back. Unfortunately for Chase, it couldn't anticipate how quickly the rogue android would respond to being pursued or how quickly she'd try to fight back. Every time Chase tried to pull her back toward his side of the expressway the android would kick him, punch him and pull her arm back as quickly as possible.

Attempting to apprehend the android while dodging traffic was proving to be a task that even the advanced android couldn't anticipate or preconstruct on the fly.

Just as it seemed Chase was finally getting an advantage over the struggle in the expressway, the fleeing android managed to push Chase backward and directly into the path of an oncoming speeding vehicle. The 'RK-900' had no choice but to let the android run free in order to keep itself from getting damaged. Moving with speed that no human could even attempt to imitate Chase managed to leap out of the busy lane and back onto the median to safety.

Peering through the speeding traffic Chase watched as the 'AX-400' and the little girl crossed to the other side and hoped the second concrete barricade seemingly to freedom. There was no window of opportunity between the speeding cars to even hazard another attempt to reengage in the pursuit, and ultimately Chase had to give up and watch as the deviant android and the little girl escaped its relentless pursuit and subsequent arrest.

Hank just shook his head as he watched everything happening from his vantage point and saw how easily the common everyday android and a small child managed to escape from the cold grasp of what was supposed to be a scientifically engineered super cop. That reaction didn't bode well for CyberLife's reputation or Chase's abilities in the field.

"Son of a bitch, they made it."

As Chase stood defeated in the median with its L.E.D. flickering in a distressed yellow, it was clear that the android wasn't sure of what to do next after failing to apprehend the fugitive android. While Chase was at a loss of what to do next, Hank already had a plan in mind. With any luck he wouldn't have to deal with Chase for too much longer.

"Maybe CyberLife will recall that annoying prick, and I can finally get away from it!"

Without a second thought Hank turned his back on the fence and on Chase as he used his phone to give Ben another update on the situation. Even though the android managed to get away from the 'RK-900', the Lieutenant wasn't worried about losing sight of any important details on deviant androids. Something in his gut told him that the day was going to keep being interesting whether he liked it or not, and that he wasn't about to have an easy case any time soon.

Jericho: November 6th, 2038 - 05:12pm

The chilly rain had finally ceased and given the city a break from the constant deluge of nature. Within the dark confines of Jericho the refugees huddled together and tried to keep warm as they waited for something to change in their favor in a more positive manner. The warped burn barrels had gone dark, bathing the interior in chilly shadows. There were no more matches or anything else that could ignite a warm flame and give the cowering, sheltering deviants any form of warmth and comfort. From within that cold darkness Simon and Josh tended to their wounded while North scoured the lesser traveled nooks of the ship in search of anything that could be of use to their people. It was a struggle to just see the damage, let alone treat it.

Simon had finished assessing one of the wounded 'YK' models who had wandered to the harbor and placed him down somewhere he could try to rest. The young deviant needed Thirium, just like so many others, but Jericho didn't have anything left to offer. There was a real chance that they'd begin losing their people as they succumbed to their damage all because no one knew where to go and where to look for replacement supplies.

Sounds of footsteps began echoing through the area loud enough to pull Simon and Josh's attention elsewhere. Looking at the stairwell connecting the access port from the top deck of Jericho to the interior hull the two deviants watched as Connor returned at last with another deviant right behind him. The new deviant was wearing a heavy coat and a baseball cap to hide his face as he hesitantly joined the others and looked around worriedly.

"It looks like you were successful." Josh noted as he approached Connor and lowered his voice to keep the others from overhearing. The new deviant seemed to be oddly relieved yet shaken by the entire ordeal that he and just endured alongside Connor. "Who is he?"

"His name is 'Rupert'." Connor replied in a whisper as he walked over to the far wall to sit down and rest. He didn't want to push his limits for too much longer since he didn't have direct access to fresh Thirium replenishments. "He was living in an abandoned apartment building alongside the urban farming projects. He was too close to the humans, and they had seen his L.E.D. before he had the chance to remove it. I got him out of there before someone with authority went to find him and either had him arrested or destroyed."

"Good work. How'd you know that he needed help?"

"Call it a hunch." Connor refrained from answering the question to protect himself and the events of the alternate timeline. He knew that Hank would be told of Rupert and would confront the deviant and potentially find Rupert's journal and its map leading to Jericho. "And it paid off trusting my instincts."

"Yeah, I'm glad you took that chance when you did."

Glancing about the immediate area Connor noticed that North was absent and worried that she had also ventured out of Jericho during his own task. "Where's North?"

"Checking the rest of the ship for-"

"Someone's coming." North whispered in a panicked manner as she hastily rejoined her people and grabbed on to Simon's arm worriedly. Her L.E.D. was yellow and her eyes were wide with fear. "I heard footsteps above us, and when I was leaving one of the private quarters someone with a flashlight was looking around."

"Did they see you?" Simon's own L.E.D. flashed to yellow as everyone fell silent and listened carefully for any sign of the reported intruder. "Do they know where you went?"

"No, I got away and slipped through narrow openings in the corridors after they were blocked off by debris. They couldn't follow me."

"We'll all wait here and be quiet." The blond deviant urged as everyone obeyed his simple request. The heavy silence and sudden lack of motion was oddly tense and made anyone who was in the room want to flee. "They might be a curious urban explorer or a homeless person looking for supplies of their own."

Connor let his eyes trail up toward the ceiling overhead and waited for the inevitable to happen. He knew who had ventured through the ruins of Jericho and who had accidentally frightened North. He even knew how they'd make their grand entrance into Jericho itself. Footsteps grew closer as the weakened metal catwalk overhead groaned under the added weight of someone walking closer to the heart of Jericho. A few thick chains overhead swayed back and forth as a flashlight beam shone through an old sheet hanging above. The sound of aged, neglected metal groaning and creaking underfoot turned into a sharp 'screech' as the catwalk suddenly gave way and a single person fell nearly twenty feet down in the center of the main are and landed among the hiding deviants.

Looking at the figure Connor ran a scan and immediately recognized his friend having deviated and now among his people where he belonged at long last.

No one moved as the mysterious figure pushed themself up from the floor and reclaimed the flashlight that had fallen from their grip as they plummeted to the ground. The bright shining light shone across the dark room in even strokes until the beam came to rest on Simon's face as he took in the appearance of the newly arrived deviant and offered him a small smile.

The newly arrived deviant's mismatched blue and green eyes were filled with intrigue and confusion until Simon broke the silence and greeted him properly at long last and let him know that he was among allies. In an even and calm tone Simon warmly smiled and addressed the deviant just as he done to the others countless times before.

"Welcome to Jericho."

-next chapter-