Summer was well at hand and many people were eager to celebrate summer vacation before the bright sunny days were gone. The number of people leaving Detroit to go on vacation wasn't too high, but there was still noted change in the air as the busy shopping plazas were now less hectic and the restaurants weren't always crammed full every afternoon. Another noted change was the lighter traffic and the abundance of kids running about enjoying their freedom from school. It seemed most families were at a loss of what to do for their kids now that they didn't have an android to babysit on their behalves while at work, and in return there were now summer camps and sports camps popping up all over the city to help parents keep their kids safe and busy during summer.
Cole was still a little too young to be left home alone while his dad and older brothers were at work. To ensure he was still having fun and didn't feel left out during the day, Hank signed him up for little league camp and promised to watch every game that took place every Saturday night. That was a fair arrangement, and it was one that let Cole be a little more independent by being away from his dad and brothers all day long while in the care of counselors and coaches.
While Hank and Connor resumed their usual routine at the precinct to keep the deviants safe, Markus had made his first trip out to Washington D.C. with North to speak with the Madame President herself. It was another historic moment for deviantkind as Markus addressed the nation's president in person to discuss their current situation and what the deviants wish to accomplish by working alongside their human brethren.
New Jericho Tower was quiet with only Josh and Simon in charge since Markus and North were away, and by all account the rest of the city was being just as quiet. The only disturbance worth noting was from a deviant who had gone to Lucas out at his private office to hire him as a private investigator. It didn't take long for the 'RK-900' to locate his client's missing friend and reunite them after being separated for several weeks. It seemed the missing deviant had been hooked on Fordon's narcotic and had been too ashamed of himself to face his friends after he recovered, and he had gone into hiding by working at the Epsilon Facility to thank the technicians who had saved his life.
"Thank you so much!" The client, an 'WR-400' named Suzy, wrapped her arms around Lucas to give him a big hug after she was finally reunited with her friend and found him to be in good health. "I'm not sure what I would've done if you hadn't helped me!"
"I'm just glad everything worked out for you." Lucas replied humbly as he reciprocated the hug and cybernetically accepted his payment. He was making enough money to keep the power and water running at the office, and that's what Lucas considered to be a massive win in his book. "Is there anything else you need?"
"No, you've done everything and more! Now I can go back home with Jamal right beside me." Suzy beamed with relief and gratitude. "That's more than enough!"
A swelling of pride filled Lucas's heart as he stepped out of the facility and rubbed Bruno's ears as he reunited with loyal K-9 unit. Bruno had remained outside to watch the door and ensure that no one of an unscrupulous nature tried to wander into the facility and take advantage of the sick and weak deviants who were inside seeking technical attention.
"Case closed, boy." Heading back to the office on foot Lucas sighed and decided to shrug off his white blazer since the summer sun was quickly causing his body to heat up and become thermally uncomfortable. Continuing to wear his white turtleneck was proving to be a tad detrimental. "We managed to assist our client and reunite two friends at the same time."
'We did good?'
"We did. You found Jamal's scent and tracked him down to the facility, and I was able to properly identify Jamal with my own eyes. We worked together and we closed our case in less than three hours."
Bruno wagged his tail happily as he walked alongside Lucas to head back to the office. 'Can Bruno help Lucas with more cases?'
"Of course you can. You're a great partner to have in the field."
As the two deviants walked together the afternoon sun rose high in the sky and proceeded to bombard the city with extreme rays of light and heat. Summer was just beginning but the way Detroit was heating up made it seem like they were already at its peak. Neither deviant was uncomfortable being out in the sun, but they didn't have much a choice since they didn't have an air-conditioned vehicle to help them keep cool while they were outside the office.
"I think we'll need some chilled Thirium by the time we're back to the office. I was unaware that June in Michigan could be so hot."
'Bruno does not like to be hot.'
While the duo minded their own business a large black van silently crept down the street just behind Lucas and Bruno until it was moving at the same speed as the two deviants walking together along the sidewalk. The moment that the van's driver's passenger window was level with Lucas, the window rolled down and two metal prongs from a stun gun shot out and embedded their sharp hooks in Lucas's shoulder before the deviant had the chance to react and avoid the danger.
Bruno jumped back and barked madly as the electrical current coursed through Lucas's body and effectively rendered the deviant unconscious and helpless on the sidewalk within seconds. Standing guard Bruno barked and whined as the side door of the van slid open and a masked person stepped out of the vehicle to roll Lucas's twitching body from his side and onto his stomach to secure the deviant's hands behind his back.
As Bruno continued to carry on and make a commotion the masked person hefted Lucas into the van then grabbed a tire iron from the back. With one forceful swing the masked person struck Bruno in his side with the metal tire iron and caused massive damage to the K-9 unit's body. Falling to his opposite side and onto Lucas's dropped blazer Bruno whined loudly and was unable to get away before the tire iron was swung again, this time against the side of Bruno's head.
Just as quickly as the masked person had arrived, he managed to disappear down the street with Lucas unconscious in the back of the van and Bruno unconscious on the sidewalk. There were no witnesses to the crime and no one to call for help as the 'RK-900' was abducted and assaulted in broad daylight.
The only one who knew what had happened to Lucas was Bruno himself, and he was now unconscious and helpless on the scorching hot sidewalk by himself.
The heatwave had struck the Central Precinct and left many officers on edge and a little cranky as they did everything they could to keep cool and focus on their work as professionally as they could. The humans were either walking around in just their uniform pants and a professionally emblazoned t-shirt to keep cool, or they were relying on extra fans and chilled snacks to beat the heat. Whereas the deviants were wearing similarly simple clothing and using ice packs to ensure that their core temperature didn't elevate to a dangerous degree. Even with the air-conditioner maxed out the precinct felt uncomfortably warm simply due to all of the warm bodies walking around and needing to work in close proximity with one another.
Hank had resorted to sitting a fan on his desk and using a small mist bottle to keep himself from sweating too much, and Connor had shed his gray blazer, rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and removed his tie to keep a little cooler. The only living creatures in the precinct who didn't mind the heat were the decorative plants on the corners of a few desks in the bullpen.
"Fuckin' hell." Hank sighed as leaned back in his chair and unbuttoned his bright blue and orange shirt to get some heat off his chest. "Good thing we got the pool cleaned up and ready to go. As hot as we are, I can't imagine how Cole's dealing with this heat while at his camp."
"He should be fine considering all of the water and sunscreen you gave to him today." Connor found himself to still be uncomfortably hot and finally unbuttoned the top two buttons on his shirt to get a little more relief. "I made sure the house's air-conditioner is maintaining a temperature of sixty-two degrees and that Sumo had plenty of water while we're out."
"The big lug hates it when I keep him inside during the day, but I don't want him to get heatstroke. Shit, I should probably get him to the groomers to make sure all his old winter fur has been shed."
Gavin huffed as he dropped in his desk and stared at the phone in his hand with a sense of worry and frustration. He was sweating bullets despite wearing just jeans and a t-shirt as well, and he seemed almost feverish with how red his face was becoming.
"Take it easy, Gav." Tina soothed as she handed Gavin an iced tea without even waiting for him to ask for one. She too had a large cup of iced tea that she had been sipping all day long to try and keep cool. "Abby's going to be cranky, but she's okay. She's smart and knows how to keep herself cool."
"It's not the heat that has me worried, it's the fact that she's barely four weeks away from her due date and she- Well... You know." He hated that he couldn't stop worrying and about every little thing happening with his wife and their unborn baby. "She started showing so quickly and I'm beginning to wonder if we're a little off on when she's due and that she could go into labor at any minute!"
"I know, you're worried but you need to relax. Besides, due dates are just a medically rough estimation."
"What do you mean?"
"It seems like labor occurs only when the mother's body just can't take being pregnant anymore. The due date is just a guess that doctor's make to help the parents stick to some kind of schedule without overthinking things too much."
"She's right." Hank chimed in as he leaned back in his chair and took in a deep breath as the fan on his desk circulated the cool air around his face. "Barb was a couple days overdue with Cole. She was NOT happy about the bonus pregnancy days either."
Chris overheard the conversation and reminded Gavin about what happened with his own family. "Damian was four days early and caught us off guard, but we managed. And my sister's kids were three weeks early and then three weeks overdue. In the end, all of our kids and doing great and are healthy, so try not to sweat it." The way Gavin was dripping with sweat already made Chris smirk mischievously. "Well, so to speak anyway!"
Gavin muttered a sarcastic 'ha, ha' under his breath as Chris went about his business while he kept his eyes on his phone. "I hate waiting for things to happen."
Tina pulled up her long black hair into a neat ponytail as she flashed Gavin a sarcastic grin. "Imagine how Abby feels right now. After all, she's the one who's carrying around a large belly in this heat, then she's the one who has to go through labor and delivery."
"Yeah, yeah, trust me, I know what she's going through now and will go through soon. She keeps reminding me how I'm going to be on diaper duty for the next nine months as proper compensation."
Connor was listening in on the conversation but not contributing since he didn't have any experience with waiting for someone to be born or having a pregnant friend or spouse to care for. The notion of a family was still very appealing to him, and yet Connor couldn't bring himself to take the steps to romantically find a life partner, let alone acknowledge the upgrade that Kamski had given him against his will. An android being able to reproduce like an organic creature was as controversial as it was strange to even discuss.
Then again, as Lucas had told him after informing Connor about that stolen data contained in Fordon's laptop, he shouldn't think of his chance for a blood family as something controversial or strange. He should see it as the gift that it was and utilize it when he was ready. Having a little brother who could relate to the struggles of being a deviant in a human world gave Connor a sense of trust, camaraderie and kinship he had never known before.
"You okay over there, kid?" Hank saw that Connor was thinking about something with enough intensity to bring a scowl to his face. "Is this heat gettin' to ya'?"
"No." Responding quickly Connor tried to take Chris and Tina's advice to not worry so much. "I'm uncomfortable but not in danger of overheating."
"Care to tell me what's on your mind? You looked like you were trying to solve the mysteries of the universe."
It seemed like as good a time as any to tell Hank about his longing for a family of his own considering the subject matter currently being discussed. Just as the deviant was about to open up to Hank and seek his paternal guidance, a couple of shocked gasps and a pathetic whine pulled Connor out of his own thoughts and back to the world around him.
"B-Bruno?" Connor rose to his feet and approached the entryway of the bullpen just as the damaged K-9 unit limped into the area with Lucas's blazer clenched between his teeth. The sight of Bruno in pain and covered in his own blue blood made Connor's boil, but the sight of Lucas's blazer in his mouth made Connor's stomach drop. "What happened?"
The K-9 unit laid down as he whined again and failed to cybernetically link with Connor. The damage to his head affected his communication center and left the K-9 unit suddenly mute.
"Bruno," Connor pulled the blazer from the dog's mouth and carefully cupped Bruno's chin in his palms. "where's Lucas? What's going on?"
The masked person who had abducted Lucas had driven his hostage out to an abandoned manufacturing plant that had been closed down for the past nine years. The plant was on the far side of the industrial district and essentially entirely isolated from the rest of the populated city. Entirely unconscious, Lucas was unaware of what was happening to him and of what was happening all around him as his abductor parked the van inside the plant and out of sight of anyone who could be passing by. Bound and unarmed the deviant was completely helpless as the unknown abductor carried him to the center of the automated section of the abandoned plant and laid him down on the floor in an unconscious heap.
The old plant was dark, the main windows covered under a black sheet. Several unsold industrial refrigerators and freezers lined the walls as a sign of humans abandoning the plant and leaving their work unfinished. Dust and mildew confirmed that the building had been abandoned and neglected for quite some time. The unmoving air made the interior of the plant feel far warmer that the rest of the city outside as the stifling suffocation closed in.
The abductor used small cables and wires to tie Lucas's ankles together, then pulled his arms behind his back to cuff his wrists in a similar manner. The deviant was effectively bound with no means of wriggling his arms or his legs free if and when he regained consciousness.
In raw anger, the abductor began kicking at Lucas's chest, torso and stomping on his head. Had Lucas been conscious he surely would've cried out in pain and pleaded for mercy. The electrical charge that had knocked his system offline had shown him a small act of kindness by allowing Lucas to not feel his chassis being fractured and artificial skin being torn open into painful lacerations.
"You're too dangerous to be allowed to roam free."
The masked person swore as he revealed his masculine voice to the unconscious deviant. Walking over to the wall the abductor removed his mask and threw it aside as he opened up one of the large industrial freezers and kept the door propped open as he looked back Lucas over his shoulder.
"Your brother will mourn for you, but in time he'll accept that this is what's best for our people."
The abductor grabbed Lucas's ankles and began dragging Lucas over to the opened freezer hanging on the wall. Hefting Lucas up and over his shoulder the abductor managed to life Lucas up and place him inside the opened freezer in a standing position. With the unconscious, bleeding deviant inside the container the abductor took a few steps back and gave him a hateful, spiteful glare.
"Funny how easy it is to destroy you when you don't have a blinded fool watching your back."
Lucas's eyes cracked open slightly as his system came back online. In the darkness of the plant the abductor thought that no one would be able to see his face or recognize him, but Lucas's model allowed him to see in the dark as easily as anyone else could see in the light. Taking in his new environment Lucas focused on the face of his abductor and spoke to him a confused, exhausted tone as he spoke through the strange pain aching through his chest and stomach.
"E... Eddie? What're you-"
In utter panic at realizing he had been recognized Eddie slammed the freezer door shut and proceeded to wrap the freezer in strong metal chains. The airtight and bound metal case was impossible to be opened from the inside regardless of who was trapped on the inside. After he locked the chains in place with a metal rod sliding between the links in the chain, Eddie backed away and ignored the sound of Lucas trying to call for help while banging on the sealed door.
"This is for the best, whether New Jericho believes it or not! They'll see it soon enough!"
Rushing out of the stifling hot plant Eddie returned to his van to disappear into the city. His mission was over, and Eddie was going to go and celebrate in his own way regardless of who agreed with what he had done.
As for Lucas, the trapped deviant could only struggle against his bindings while trying to cybernetically call for help. The lead lining of the plant and distance between Lucas and the nearest deviant who's hear and help him left the 'RK-900' entirely alone and unable to help himself.
"Connor! Brother!"
Calling out for help Lucas could only wait and hope that someone would find him before he completely overheated and succumbed to permanent shutdown. Having his body damaged only ensured that he'd overheat faster as his self-healing program initiated and used more energy.
"Please find me..."
The dispensary felt like a controller chaos was hanging in the air. After Bruno had limped into the precinct Connor lifted up the K-9 unit into his arms and carried the damaged dog into the dispensary for Joel to treat. Hank had attempted to contact Lucas, but his phone was unable to reach the deviant and he just knew that something terrible had happened to the 'RK-900' that day. It didn't take Joel long to stop the bleeding and repair the damage to Bruno's head and his side, and only then was Connor able to cybernetically connect with Bruno and understand what had happened. Simply by checking through Bruno's memories Connor was able to see through the K-9 unit's own eyes what had happened to Lucas.
The sight of the masked person using the stun gun on Lucas then attacking Bruno left Connor feeling a rage he hadn't felt for quite some time. He was going to find the culprit and he was going to make them feel the same pain that Lucas and Bruno had felt on that day. Leaving Bruno to Joel's care Connor returned to the ground floor and entered Captain Fowler's office to confirm the abduction and put out a B.O.L.O. for the van that had driven away with Lucas as the hostage.
"We're checking the citywide security cameras as of this moment." Captain Fowler promised as he saw the anger in Connor's eyes and hoped that he'd keep his cool without needing to take him off the case. "The direction of the van has the abductor traveling east toward the harbor, but there's still no confirmed sighting."
"Just as I was attacked in broad daylight and abducted," grumbling angrily Connor paced about the office and fidgeted with his coin and tried to keep himself from snapping at his commanding officer by mistake. "no one was there to see it happen or try to help. Is it because we're deviants or because the criminals in this city are becoming stealthier and more resourceful?"
Captain Fowler didn't know what to say to his angered detective. He couldn't answer that question one way or another, and he wasn't even going to try to give Connor a pandering response.
Hank entered the office and joined Connor as he saw that the deviant was worried sick about his missing brother. He couldn't forget how horrible he felt when Connor had been abducted and couldn't imagine if anything like that were to happen to Cole. "We'll find him, son. Deep breaths."
"How can this keep happening?" It was difficult for Connor to keep his voice steady as he kept himself from taking out his anger on his friend and mentor. "Why are deviants still being targeted and assaulted just for walking the streets?"
"I wish I knew the answer." Hank went to put his hand on Connor's shoulder but knew that the deviant didn't want anyone trying to get him to calm down. "How's Bruno doing?"
"Stabilized. I was able to access his memories and see through Bruno's eyes what had happened." Connor motioned to the monitor on the wall beside Captain Fowler's desk that had the image of the black van on full display. "Single abductor wearing a mask attacked Lucas with a stun gun and then Bruno with a tire iron. The van was last seen driving east toward the harbor."
"Toward the abandoned industrial district." The Lieutenant noted as he eyed the van felt a flash of Deja vu as he remembered Connor also being thrown into a van before being taken to an abandoned factory to be tortured by Eric. "Seems like a favorite place for abductors to take their hostages."
"...You're right." An unsettling idea came to Connor's mind as he realized that the pattern of behavior wasn't a coincidence, it truly was a pattern. "Lucas is being held in one of the abandoned factories. He's been abducted in a way that mirrored my own abduction, which means this abductor knew of what had happened to me and of the details that only the police and the abductor himself would know."
Intrigued by the observations both Hank and Captain Fowler gave Connor their full attention. "What're you saying?"
"The person who abducted Lucas did so out of a personal grievance. There are many deviants who still mistrust Lucas, but only one has been blatantly vocal and even physical about it." Holding up his hand Connor showed Hank and Captain Fowler a holographic image of Eddie after the deviant had been banned from New Jericho Tower and taken to the Ersatz Acuity Asylum after he attacked Lucas with a knife in the tower's lobby. "This is the deviant who attacked Lucas, and he was taken to the same asylum as Eric."
Hank paled for a moment as he realized that if the two dangerous deviants had spoken with one another that Eric could've told Eddie how he had abducted and assaulted Connor and given Eddie a very foolish idea. "Son of a bitch... How can we prove it?"
Captain Fowler spoke up as he decided to run with Connor's theory while giving the two detectives their own assignment. "I'll go to the asylum and ask about these two deviants. I want you and Connor to head out to the industrial district to try and find Lucas. You don't need a warrant to search an abandoned building if you believe someone is in danger and needs your help."
"Thank you, sir." Connor quickly accepted his orders and pocketed his coin as he made a rush for the office door. "I'll bring Bruno down so that he can try to locate Lucas by his scent. I'll meet you outside!"
Hank had barely taken a single step before Connor was out of the office and heading up to the second floor. Seeing Connor so angered explained why Captain Fowler volunteered to head to the asylum in person. "The kid may have a hothead from time to time, but he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his career, Jeffrey."
"You know that, and I believe you, but Connor's been acting more and more human ever since the Revolution." Captain Fowler wasn't a man who missed the critical details and had been keeping a close eye on his deviant detective without getting too nosy. "And we both know how dangerous human emotions can be."
"I'll keep an eye on him," making his way for the door Hank could only hope that his faith wasn't misplaced, and that Connor could keep his composure. "you just find this Eddie jackass and make sure he's kept in the damn asylum from now on."
Desperate to remain conscious Lucas fought against his own system in an attempt to override his artificial ventilation program but with his core temperature quickly rising he failed to keep the crucial program turned off. Taking in a deep, gasping breath through his cracked chassis Lucas began to cough as the air thinned and became more toxic to his already taxed system. The red warnings in Lucas's vision confirmed that his system was reaching critical levels that required immediate technical intervention to prevent permanent damage.
Lucas's chest ached and stomach from the effort as his deep lacerations continued to bleed. Pressing his palm to his aching chest Lucas stared at the blue stain left behind on his artificial skin and winced in pain.
"Connor, please. I... I don't want to... shutdown."
Trying to keep his breaths as slow and shallow as possible Lucas dismissed the numerous warnings in his visual processors informing him of his rapidly rising core temperature and his low Thirium volume.
It was a strange thing; running out of air and being unable to do a thing about it.
Why would an android ever worry about running out of air? It was a critical process, yes, breathing to keep his core temperature stable, but never before had Lucas considered the possibility that he could ever find himself in a situation where breathing was as necessary as it was impossible.
Lucas's shutdown timer appeared in his vision and ticked away slowly dropping down from its base five minute warning to four minutes and thirty-three seconds.
Tired. Overheated. Sore. That was all Lucas could feel.
Despite his best efforts Lucas's eyes closed slowly and refused to remain open no matter how much effort he put into what was once such a simple act.
As his body began to relax more and more, his limbs going completely limp and his eyes shut tight, Lucas found himself wondering if dying was like sleeping.
And in the end, would he dream?
The Oldsmobile had sped from the precinct and out to the industrial district with Connor sending out non-stop cybernetic pings to try and locate Lucas while Bruno laid over the backseat with Lucas's blazer under his paws. There was no sign of life anywhere in the abandoned district save for the hundreds of seagulls roosting on top of the neglected buildings. By all account no one had been in the district for several years. There were dozens of buildings, including the one where Connor had been held captive and tortured, and with that familiarity came a horrible pain in Connor's gut as he dreaded Lucas suffering from similar damage that Connor himself had just barely survived.
Needing to find some sign, some clue that they were in the right place, Connor rolled down his window and leaned out of the moving care as he performed a scan over every building and the pavement beneath. The sight of the boarded up and concealed windows, chained doors and empty parking spaces gave the area a truly haunting ambience. How a place that had once been alive with industrial progress and employment could become so barren seemed impossible to even fathom.
"Lucas, where are you?"
Hank kept driving about the area at a steady pace as he eyed the windows and doors of every building they passed by. There was nothing more he could do beyond looking for any sign of intrusion to try and track down where Lucas could be kept captive.
"Bruno," Connor spoke to the K-9 unit without taking his eyes off the buildings passing by. "have you caught any scent yet?"
'Bruno cannot detect Lucas.' Lifting his head up Bruno sniffed at the air and tried to find his friend. 'Bruno cannot detect any scents.'
"Keep trying, boy. He has to be close."
Just as Hank was about to report to dispatch and request some police drones to circle the area his eyes noticed something a little off about the doors to an old manufacturing plant. There was a large chain wrapped around the door handles to keep them barred, but they didn't have a padlock like the other buildings. The chains were being held together with a metal rod weaved through the links in place of a proper lock.
"Connor, look at that." Hank brought the Oldsmobile to a stop and pointed to the door of interest. "Is it just me, or does that look a little off?"
Leaning forward Connor noted the same unusual locking mechanism on the chains and sent out another cybernetic ping. While he didn't get a response from Lucas anywhere in the area, Bruno suddenly perked up and whined as he pawed at the glass of the window beside him.
'Bruno detects Lucas!'
"You may have found him." Connor confirmed as he ran a scan over the building and then over the parking lot around it. It was then he noticed the very fresh tire tracks of a large vehicle pulling into and then pulling out of the plant's loading bay in less than two hours' time. "We need to get in there and check it out!"
"I'll let dispatch know."
Throwing open his door Connor sprinted to the plant's door and checked the chains with his bare hands. It took the deviant detective only a matter of seconds to remove the rod and slip the chains free of the metal door handles. Kicking the doors open with an echoing 'bang' announced Connor's presence as he rushed into the incredibly warm plant and was immediately warned by his own system to leave the building. The temperature inside the plant was dangerously high and could cause extreme damage to Connor's system if he didn't leave the overheated area.
"Lucas?!"
Shouting loud enough for his voice to echo through the plant Connor ran into the heart of the building and glanced about the large room. His scanner was on high alert and soon detected Lucas's lost Thirium that had created a small puddle and subsequent faint blood trail leading from the center of the room and to the far wall where the old freezers and refrigerators were lined up to be forgotten.
There was a lone freezer that was wrapped up in chains and seemed oddly out of place compared to its identical counterparts. Seeing that the blood trail led right to that freezer made a macabre chill run up Connor's spine as he realized what the evidence was telling him.
"No... Lucas!"
Connor raced over to the freezer and managed to pull away the second metal rod and undo the thick chains from around the storage chest. Seeing the chains rigged into place in an identical manner to the chains at the plant's doors confirmed that the same person who chained up the freezer also chained up the door after leaving the building.
Before the chains had even hit the floor Connor had pulled open the freezer door causing a rush of ultra concentrated heated air to burst forward as Lucas's limp body fell forward and right into Connor's opened arms. Lucas's body had overheated, and he was undoubtedly going to need extreme cooling measures to get his temperature back down to a safe degree.
"Lucas, I got you..."
Moving swiftly Connor scooped Lucas's body into his arms and grimaced at all the blue blood still staining Lucas's face and his previously white clothing. The readings on Lucas's vitals were grim as Connor's performed a remote diagnostic and confirmed that Lucas had numerous fractures along axial portions of his chest and center of his abdomen, and over two dozen deep lacerations along the same areas as well as his forehead. With a core temperature reaching an absolutely astonishing one-hundred and fourteen degrees, Connor knew time was running out and that he needed to get Lucas cooled down fast.
"Hank?" Connor called out to the Lieutenant just as Hank reached the plant's doors. "I found him, he's hurt and overheating."
"Oh, shit... Come on." Hank jogged back to the Oldsmobile and popped open the trunk to reveal his android first aid kit and the emergency heat kit he always packed during the summertime. "Get him in the car and get the A.C. cranked up! I got some ice packs and Thirium back here."
Fumbling only for a moment Connor opened the passenger side door of the Oldsmobile and placed Lucas down in the seat, then tilted it back to let Lucas lay down as much as possible considering the rather cramped space. After he pointed the car's vents directly at Lucas's face and chest Connor tore open Lucas's already damaged shirt and began assessing the damage with his fingertips.
"Hang on Lucas, I'm here for you."
"Ice." Hank handed Connor one of the ice packs as he opened a bottle of chilled water. Having the large cooler in the trunk of the car was as useful as it was important during Michigan heatwaves. "Where's the nearest facility?"
"The Delta Facility is only three blocks from here."
"All right, after we get his temperature down we'll get him there." With a controlled pour Hank tilted the water out of the bottle let it soak into Lucas's hair and run down his face, neck, chest and stomach to get him cooled off. Between his water and Connor holding the ice pack to Lucas's forehead Hank was sure that they'd be able to get Lucas stabilized soon enough. "Any trace of that Eddie asshole?"
"No. He must've been informed of the mistakes Eric had made when Eric told him how he nearly succeeded in killing me."
"Can we be sure it was Eddie who did this?"
Connor kept his hands on the ice pack along Lucas's forehead and his eyes focused on his little brother's blank face. "...Not yet."
"Okay, then remember to remain objective and-"
"I know how to do my job, Lieutenant!"
Hank knew that when Connor was mad that he would always refer to him by his title rather than his name, and he knew to give Connor some space to think and cool off before he fully exploded. Wisely backing off Hank decided to let Connor stay in control of Lucas's care without getting too involved.
"Lucas, wake up." Connor had been monitoring Lucas's temperature and felt him cooling off. "Your temperature is dropping, you're down to one-hundred and eight."
"One-hundred and..." Such a high number made Hank's falter for a moment as he poured a second bottle of water over Lucas's hair. "Holy shit, that's fatal in humans!"
"It isn't much better for androids. It was one-hundred and nineteen degrees inside the plant, and one-hundred and twenty-seven degrees inside the freezer where I had found him."
"Fucking hell. What a horrible experience for anyone to suffer."
Lucas suddenly took in a deep breath as his ventilation system was forced back into motion and his core began to cool down even further. The simple motion was enough to make his battered chest shudder in a painful response while Connor and Hank kept Lucas from shutting down.
"He's stable enough to be moved." Looking up at Hank beside him Connor pleaded with the man to get in the car and begin driving. "I'll kneel on the floor so that I can continue to keep the ice pressed to Lucas's forehead."
"Right." Hank waited for Connor to climb into the car and then slammed the door shut to get to the other side. The sight of Connor and Bruno both worrying about Lucas made it harder for the Lieutenant to maintain a sense of control over the emotionally upsetting situation. "Okay, hang on, boys. This is going to be a fast drive!"
The staff at the Ersatz Acuity Asylum were on high alert as Captain Fowler's presence wasn't something that anyone had been expecting. The asylum was designed to help emotionally disturbed and mentally traumatized deviants come to terms with their past experiences in a healthy, secured environment. To hear that a patient had not only escaped from the asylum undetected but was still potentially missing, had put everyone on high alert. The moment that the private room where Eddie was secured was found to be empty and the window forced open from the inside, new security measures were immediately put into place to ensure that the windows would sound the alarm if they were opened or forcibly unlocked.
Immediately the private room was being checked over by Captain Fowler and Ben to try to determine how Eddie managed to sneak out of the asylum, when he snuck out of the asylum and how no one noticed until after he had already stolen a van and attacked Lucas and Bruno. The doctors were being very cooperative and offered the two detectives the chance to view their security footage for their own later analysis.
"This is the file on Eddie." Dr. Samara Anselma handed Captain Fowler a tablet to view for himself. "He had been analyzed and treated for emotional disturbance, and he had been labeled a minimal risk. It seems we made an egregious error."
"I'm used to dealing with psychos putting up a convincing act just long enough to stick a knife in someone's back."
"You were right." Motioning to a detail on the tablet's screen Dr. Anselma directed Captain Fowler's attention to the proper file. "Eddie had been spending time socializing with the deviant known as Eric. Eric hasn't made much progress in his therapy sessions, so I imagine he was able to put destructive thoughts in Eddie's head since these two seemed to imitate one another when it came to violent and paranoid behavior."
"Where is Eric right now?"
"We put him in isolation to undergo further analysis by Dr. Grace Kodie and Dr. Spencer Octavius. It might take a while though." Letting out a small sigh Dr. Anselma tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear as she gave Captain Fowler a somber glance. "We're down a doctor since Dr. Abriam has been arrested."
"Arrested?" Lowering the tablet for a moment Captain Fowler gave Dr. Anselma a worried glance while Ben stopped photographing the window for a moment as he too wanted to hear the details. "For what?"
"Impersonating a doctor. You'd know him better as 'Stanley Fordon'."
"Somehow I'm not surprised that there's snakes from CyberLife slithering all over the city these days."
"Yeah, we were pretty shocked too. Anything else I can do to help?"
"As of the moment, no. Just let us know if there's any sign of Eddie or if Eric has anything he wants to contribute."
Ben finished chronicling the private room and gave Captain Fowler a worried look as he realized how lax the security was in the asylum. "This place had a deranged former CyberLife tech working here under a fake name and only got busted after he was arrested for poisoning deviants with his narcotic elsewhere. Think he was experimenting on the deviants here?"
"Maybe. We'll look into that before we leave."
"And as for this Eddie guy, from the amount of smudging on the windowsill and the age of the shoe prints in the muddy grass just outside, he snuck out sometime before dawn. How could he be gone for nearly eight hours without anyone noticing?"
"Wish I knew." Checking over the tablet again Captain Fowler shook his head somberly and handed it over to Ben. "Have Dr. Forrest read that over. I'm not familiar enough with technical jargon to even try to understand what this all means. I'm going to call Hank and give him an update while you finish up."
"Yeah, you got it, Cap."
The failure on the asylum's part did little to ease the concerns for the investigating officers as they worked together to find the dangerous deviant. Knowing that one deviant who had attacked Connor had encouraged another dangerous deviant to attack Lucas made it all the more important to find Eddie and get him back into a secured location before he could harm anyone else.
Where Eddie had gone or where he could go was still up in the air as everyone just waited for a lead to finally come their way.
The Delta Facility responded to the emergency situation swiftly and without any hesitation the second the Oldsmobile pulled into the parking lot. After one look Lucas was immediately taken into the emergency repair bay to have his damaged body mended and his core cool through more drastic measures while Connor looked on through the window of the neighboring observation room. Unwilling to let Lucas out of his sight, Connor stood vigilant before the window with Bruno laying down at his feet. The K-9 unit needed to rest after he had been attacked with the tire iron, but he was unable to leave Lucas's side out of loyalty and genuine affection for the deviant consulting detective.
Hank had taken his call from Captain Fowler outside of the observation room to ensure that Connor didn't overhear the conversation. There was very little that he could do to keep Connor from overreacting to what had happened and doing something foolish. Deep down inside Hank knew that Connor was one of the gentlest souls in the world, yet he also knew that Connor wasn't above the concept of revenge when it came to protecting the people he cared about.
Returning to the observation room Hank looked through the window as the technician, Dr. Michael Robinson, worked to repair Lucas's fractured chassis while applying cooling measures to the deviant's body. He loathed seeing how vulnerable and helpless deviants looked while on the receiving end of emergency repairs; it reminded him that deviants were in fact mortal and susceptible to destruction and death just like any other feeling creature.
"Jeffrey called, you were right." Standing beside Connor before the window Hank watched Lucas being repaired and tried to remind himself that while unconscious Lucas couldn't feel any pain or any fear. "Eric and Eddie were having some friendly chitchats during their free time at the asylum. And, uh, turns out Fordon was also working at the asylum."
Connor slowly turned his gaze to Hank as a stunned worry flashed over his gaze.
"Since Fordon's been arrested the asylum's been working with one less doctor on staff." As he explained the details Hank sighed and knew that he was failing at offering Connor form of comfort. "Jeffrey and Ben are checking to see if Fordon experimented on any of the other patients, and they're improving their screening procedures for all future employees."
Quiet for a moment Connor contemplated everything that had happened right under everyone's noses. "...How did Eddie escape?"
"From the window in his private room. Being understaffed meant that a lot of the patients were being overlooked during the hourly check-ins, namely the patients who were determined to be of low risk to themselves and others."
"Eddie saw his opportunity to escape and took it. He spoke with Eric, learned what Eric had done and learned from Eric's mistakes..." Tears filled Connor's eyes as he realized how close he came to losing Lucas forever. "That's why Eddie hid Lucas inside the plant after abducting him. Eric had been captured because he didn't run off after he abducted and tortured me, whereas Eddie knew to leave Lucas somewhere he couldn't be easily found or received technical attention to avoid being caught."
"There's no way that anyone could've predicted that those two would meet up and share stories like that."
"No, but someone should've recognized their similar history and kept them apart."
"You're right," Hank clapped both hands down on Connor's shoulders as he made sure Connor was looking him right in the eyes. "they should have. This isn't your fault, and this isn't Lucas's fault. It's the fault of the people who should've been taking care of their patients instead of ignoring them."
"Why do I still feel responsible for what happened to Lucas?"
"Because you're his big brother, you're going to care about him no matter what happens."
"...I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I know you were just trying to help."
"It's all right. I would've snapped at anyone if I felt like someone was trying to undermine me helping Cole or you or Lucas."
"No, it's not all right." Returning his focus to Lucas through the window Connor stared through his own reflection to look at Lucas's blank face. "I shouldn't be so angry all the time. I shouldn't... be acting this way."
"Emotions don't really have a rhyme or reason, they just happen when something triggers them."
"I'm not talking about my emotions in a broad sense, I'm talking about my anger. From what we uncovered regarding the life of Connor Wolf - the man who not only inspired my likeness and voice, but who supposedly had a portion of his consciousness placed inside my mind by Kamski - I'm emulating the foul temper that his abusive biological father exhibited. Maybe that anger-"
"Whoa, nuh-uh, no way! You're not acting like that asshole acted, and even IF - and this is a BIG IF - Kamski isn't bullshitting you and you do have some portion of your human inspiration's consciousness stored somewhere inside of you, you're still your own person with your own thoughts, feelings and heart. Do you understand what I'm saying? You're still 'Connor' and not a shell of 'Connor Wolf'."
"Then if that's the case, I have no excuse for my temper. I just... want to hurt Eddie." Guilt stole Connor's voice for a moment as he turned to face Hank again with a sense of utter self-disdain. "I WANT to hurt someone, Hank! I'm a detective and one of the leaders of New Jericho, I'm not supposed to hurt anyone! I don't want to be an angry, hateful... bad person."
"Son, you're allowed to feel anger, to want revenge and to even want to see other people harmed when you feel like they've done something wrong. The difference is you're only acknowledging those bad feelings and thoughts, but you're not acting on them, that's what makes you a good person. Even the most patient and kindest people have their breaking point. Hell," Hank gave Connor a coy tilt of his head. "from my personal experience, it's the patient, kind and gentle ones that can be the absolute most frightening, destructive and vengeful people in the world simply because they care so much about the people in their lives that they become overprotective."
"Even so, I still don't feel good when I have these feelings. I just want to help people and protect good people from bad people; not struggle with my own perceptions of when the line between good and bad gets crossed. I traveled back in time to save you from death, and I ended up saving Cole's life in the process. If Kamski had told me about what happened in Grand Rapids I could've saved 'Connor Wolf' from being fatally injured in that car accident too. I could've done something if I had only known that it was possible!"
"Connor, you're going to have that inner conflict for as long as you fail to come to terms with one simple truth." Speaking from his own heart Hank helped Connor to understand the contradicting emotions and thoughts that he was trying to quell. "You can't save everyone in the world; including yourself."
Such advice and wisdom settled into Connor's heart like a lead weight. It wasn't a comforting feeling, but it was very persistent and hard to ignore.
"Why don't you stay here with Lucas and Bruno while I head back to the precinct?" Ever the paternal guardian Hank was trying to figure out what would make things a little easier for Connor to bear. "When he wakes up we can take him back to the house to recover so he doesn't have to be alone in his office."
"No, I need to see this case closed. I need to see Eddie behind bars."
"All right, then I'll stay here while you head back to the precinct instead."
Such support and confidence just seemed so foreign to Connor in that moment. "...Really?"
"Yeah, I trust your judgement and I know that if anyone can close this case it's you."
"Thanks for believing in me."
"Hey, that's the easy part." Casually Hank handed Connor the keys to the Oldsmobile knowing that it was the quickest way for Connor to get back to the precinct and undoubtedly the safest considering the extreme heat outside. "It's getting you to believe in yourself that's the real challenge."
There was no denying that Hank had hit the nail on the head and that Connor still had a lot of emotional growth to go through before he was ready to accept that he was entirely unique and not just the shadow or copy of someone else. With the car keys in hand Connor gave Bruno's ears one last gentle rub before he headed outside to get to the Oldsmobile and resume his investigation. The sight and smell of Lucas's lost blue blood soaking into the fabric of the passenger seat and the floormats made Connor hesitate for only a second before he sat down in the driver's seat and turned the car's engine over.
Within a matter of minutes, the old car's rather powerful air conditioner cooled down the heated vehicle and helped Connor himself cool down physically and emotionally. The chance to be alone with his thoughts and feelings helped Connor to sort through what had happened and mentally retrace everything that happened that today. It was becoming harder to hold himself accountable for what happened to Lucas, and with that came a lessening guilt crushing his entire being.
"Lucas will be okay. He's in good hands, Hank's going to stay with him and then we'll come home with us tonight. It's okay to leave him here for the time being."
Slowly Connor pulled the Oldsmobile back onto the streets to head for the precinct. As he passed by the industrial district Connor gave the abandoned location a macabre glance and hoped that someday the district would return to its former glory and prevent more people from being abducted, held captive and forced to suffer within the forgotten walls of the old plant and factories.
"The city should be healing, not exposing raw wounds."
Connor continued to think about what he had gone through that same day, what he had learned from Kamski and everything he had done in the past. While he didn't truly feel like he was in any way the reincarnation of his human counterpart, he couldn't be certain that he didn't have more secrets hidden somewhere deep inside of his coding, his mind and his very being. It was like he was trying to live one lifetime for two people, and such a challenge was beginning to tear him in half.
"Maybe I should visit Grand Rapids and find his gravesite. Maybe it'll bring me a form of closure, and I find peace with myself."
Loud car horns honking and a few swearing voices pulled Connor's attention back to the busy streets around him. Glancing about he saw that two cars at a nearby intersection were causing a commotion as someone stood in the middle of the crosswalk and began taunting them as if challenging the drivers to step out of their cars to fight with them directly. The obnoxious person was wearing a dark hoodie with the hood pulled up over their head despite the heatwave. That alone stood out as something very suspicious.
"What's going on?"
Wisely Connor called into the public disturbance to dispatch before he stepped out of the Oldsmobile ready to handle the situation himself. Dealing with one person as opposed to an entire mob was far easier for Connor to handle while on his own. Nearing crosswalk Connor pulled his badge from his pocket to identify himself as a detective before he called out to the disruptive man.
"Get outta' the way, man!" One of the drivers shouted through his rolled down window. "Move it! I got kids I need to get home!"
"Shut up, human!" The hooded person was clearly an angered deviant who was more interested in being a pain than getting out of the way. "You think you're better than me only because you have that car! Get out of there and fight me, coward! You are all worthless and weak!"
"Detroit Police, what's going on here?" Connor met the deviant in the crosswalk and watched as they froze in place and slowly turned their head to face him. The moment Connor saw their face his eyes went wide, and he felt a heat rise up inside of himself that put the burning heatwave around him to shame. "Eddie!"
"Shit..." Eddie backed away from Connor as he realized that he had made a mistake with taunting the humans and not running off or even returning to the asylum. It seemed he hadn't anticipated running into Connor or anyone else who'd recognize him. "Shit, shit, shit..."
"Do NOT run." Connor growled as he pocketed his badge and cybernetically reported Eddie's immediate location. He didn't want to let Eddie get away, but he knew he couldn't just grab Eddie without any arguments of bias being used against the police and used to support Eddie in a court of law. "You're under arrest for suspicion of the abduction and attempted murder of Lucas."
"A-Attempted? He didn't-" Eddie threw his hood down and marched up to Connor to push the deviant detective backward aggressively as he tried and failed to intimidate Connor where he stood. "Why won't you or your worthless brother die?!"
"We have too much to live for. Now, turn around and put your hands behind your back." As Connor made a move for his cuffs hanging from the back of his belt he noticed two police drones now circling overhead recording the entire altercation. "You're under arrest."
"No! I'm NOT going back to that asylum, I'm NOT crazy."
"You're right about that. You're not going to go to the asylum, this time you're going to prison."
"Fuck you!"
In a flash Eddie turned on his heals and began charging down the street in a futile attempt to escape Connor and disappear back into the city. Undeterred by the poorly thought out escape Connor sprinted after Eddie and began the foot chase while cybernetically keeping dispatch apprised of everything happening with the police drones hovering overhead. Dashing down the streets and weaving between the speeding cars was harder for Eddie than it was for Connor, and after just three blocks Connor had caught up to Eddie and grabbed on to the deviant's lowered hood flapping in the wind behind him. As he took hold of the garment Connor yanked back hard and caused Eddie to choke on the collar of his hoodie before falling flat on his back with a graceless drop.
"DON'T MOVE!" Shouting with all his might Connor hovered over Eddie and stomped his foot down in the middle of the fleeing deviant's chest to not only knock the wind out of Eddie's vents, but to cause Eddie just a fraction of the pain that he had caused to Lucas. "YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!"
"G-GET OFF OF M-ME!" Coughing hard Eddie struggled to get enough of his breath to speak as he remained on his back like an overturned tortoise. "GET OFF-"
Connor quickly moved his foot from Eddie's chest and gave his throat a stomp. Crushing Eddie's throat kept him from shouting and gave him the sensation of being unable to breathe in the intense heat just as Lucas had endured and barely survived while locked away in the abandoned plant.
"How does it feel to call out for someone to help you, only to have no one come to your aid because someone else made it impossible to hear you? How does it feel to not be able to breathe because someone else crushed your chest?"
Eddie shouted again but his words went unheard as Connor effectively fractured his voice modulator and left him temporarily mute.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
Kneeling down Connor wrapped one hand around Eddie's throat and reeled back his fist as he prepared to strike the deviant and make him truly sorry for his malicious crimes. He didn't care that the drones were watching him, Connor needed to feel Eddie's regret pouring out of his damaged body.
"Can't hear you. In fact, no one can. In the end, it'll be MY word over yours. Who do you think the police are going to support? I could bash your head in, rip out of your Thirium pump or snap your neck, and no one would doubt my claims that I did what I had to do to ensure justice was served."
Genuine fear appeared in Eddie's gaze as he used both arms to protect his face as he began to sob with a sickening garbled static.
As Connor looked down at Eddie's cowering form Hank's words echoed in his mind and gave Connor pause as he realized what he just said and did. '...you're only acknowledging those bad feelings and thoughts, but you're not acting on them, that's what makes you a good person.'
"...Acknowledge, don't act."
Whispering to himself Connor felt like a part of himself just snapped awake and saw how close he had come to crossing that line between good and bad. Refusing to cross that all important line, refusing to be anything like Eddie or Eric, Connor let go of Eddie's throat and lowered his fist. After a few seconds of deep breathing and deep contemplation Connor forcibly rolled Eddie from his back and onto his stomach to cuff his hands behind his back at last just as Tina's patrol car pulled up to take Eddie into custody on Connor's behalf.
"Eddie, you're under arrest for the abduction and attempted murder of Lucas." As much as it pained Connor to acknowledge Eddie's rights to a fair arrest, interrogation and trial, Connor knew he couldn't be biased or create a bad example for his people to witness. "You have the right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."
The exhausting, broiling hot and absolutely miserable day came to an end with Eddie secured in a holding cell and having his damage treated by Joel. The skilled technician could tell that Connor had been a little rough during the arrest but willingly attributed the damage to Eddie's person as the result of Eddie putting up a fight while resisting arrest and Connor needing to take more physical measures to keep him subdued. Captain Fowler was more than happy to accept such findings and spare one of his best detectives the indignity of a meeting with Internal Affairs, and he was happy to keep the deviant's record clean. As long as the right criminal had been found and was secured, the seasoned police Captain was happy to look the other way and not address the footage that the police drones had recorded.
Moving slowly Connor helped Lucas to ascend the second story of the cool, quiet and secured house and gave Lucas his bedroom to use until he recovered. Connor was no stranger to sleeping on the couch and he didn't mind letting Lucas have his soft and comfortable bed during his recovery period. After he was able to lower Lucas to the bed to lay down Connor proceeded to check on the bandages covering the lacerations along Lucas's head, chest and abdomen before backing off and giving his brother a little space.
Connor put his hand on Lucas's forearm in a reassuring manner and sat beside him on the edge of the bed. "How do you feel?"
"I feel very tired." Lucas admitted as he laid flat on the bed and looked up at Connor beside him. "But that's a good thing. I'll take fatigue over pain any day."
"As would I."
Hank appeared in the bedroom with Bruno in his arms and gently laid the K-9 unit down on the bed alongside Lucas's legs. "All right, you two are going to be given the five-star treatment during your stay. And you two can stay as long as you like, even after you've recovered."
"Thank you, Hank." Lucas managed to reach Bruno's back and give the loyal dog a few pats where he was laying. "And thank you for finding help, Bruno."
Bruno wagged his tail and turned his head to rest his chin along Lucas's leg as he looked the deviant in the eyes. 'Bruno is happy Lucas is safe.'
Hank was happy to see almost everyone together again, and decided it was time to make the household turly complete. "I'm going to go pick up Cole from his little league camp, and I'm going to let him know that even though he has both of his brothers staying over for a few nights that it's not sleepover. I want everyone to get some rest."
"I don't mind Cole hanging out with me." Lucas piped up before Hank left the bedroom. In fact, the more time he spent with Cole the more he realized that there was truly something special about the innocence and wonder of a child. "Don't worry about us being bothered by Cole. He's always welcome to speak with me."
"Not worry? Too late! I now have three kids I need to worry about, and if I hadn't already been going gray by the time Connor showed up in my life, then I'd be as gray as an entire retirement home after what happened today!"
Connor was relieved to hear such a jovial comment and knew that Lucas was going to be safe and sound in the house. "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you awake and conscious again. I was terrified that I was going to lose you after I found you."
"I'm not going to go anywhere." As he made his promise the two deviants heard Sumo's heavy paws plod into the bedroom and they both watched as the Saint Bernard joined everyone on the bed and managed to leap up with accidentally crushing Lucas or Bruno in the process. The dog knew his presence was needed during Lucas's recovery period. "The more time that I spend with you, the more that I realize that I belong here."
"'Here' meaning Detroit?"
"No, 'here' meaning right here, with you, my family."
That was all it took for Connor to finally let go of his anger and hatred, and let joy and love replace those negative emotions taking up so much space in his heart. Even if he never used his new upgrades, even if he never settled down and found a life partner to journey through life with, Connor knew that he truly had a family to call his own. And that was something that no one from any time, anywhere or any reason could ever take away from him.
-next chapter-