Torrential rains with sporadic gusts of devastating wind and frantic lightning strikes had left most of Detroit seeking shelter as a devastating storm settled in over the city. Due to the severe and unseasonably violent storm, schools all through Detroit had closed early, and all of the students were encouraged to remain home with their families and stay off the streets. Many businesses had also elected to close early to prevent any shoppers from getting stranded inside dark stores, restaurants had closed early to ensure that they could properly shut down all their gas and electric powered equipment in the event of a drastic power surge, and a citywide alert advising residents to seek shelter was issued for the next twenty-four hours.

All first responders were ready to action in the event that an emergency call was issued. The fire department had been strategically divided around the city to monitor the skies and watch the clouds due to the potentially tornadic activity in the area. Paramedics and E.F.T.'s were on standby and ready to roll to any area that could require emergency services, hospitals and facilities were preparing for a potential surge of patients in the event the worst-case scenario happened, and all police precincts had issued their emergency protocols to direct help without anyone getting overwhelmed.

"Cole's at the house with Lucas." Hank confirmed as he met Connor at their desks with his phone still in hand. "They've already gathered the emergency supplies and are heading down into the basement with the dogs."

"That's good." Connor was anxiously sitting behind his desk with his coin dancing along his knuckles to channel his nervous energy. Every gust of wind that rattled the precinct windows made him inwardly flinch as his haunting memories of Amanda in the original timeline attempting to trap him inside his own mind were brought to the surface. "...I'm uncertain if we'll be able to make it to the house to be with them due to the severity of the storm."

"We'll make it, kid. Try not worry about shit you can't control."

It didn't take long before the other officers and detectives in the bullpen finished with their own personal calls to make sure their loved ones were all safe and properly sheltered from the storm. Gavin was edgy since Abby was also a first responder by being a technician and in charge of her own facility, which meant she'd have to potentially leave Aria with an emergency babysitter if she was called into action.

"Breathe, Gavin." Hank noticed the way Gavin was staring at his phone with a disturbingly motionless appearance. "Abby's smart and knows how to handle this kind of shit on her own."

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna' stop worrying about her and Aria."

"Wouldn't expect you to." Another gust of wind shook the entire building and caused the windows, doors and even the old pipes inside the walls to audibly rattle and creak ominously. "Shit... I hope the fire department can get out of the wind while cloud watching."

Remaining quiet Connor didn't say anything as Chris, Tina, Sarah Lee, Ben and Captain Fowler all gathered around the center of the bullpen to get an update on the weather reports. The idea of being surrounded by his colleagues suddenly felt more like a threat than a comforting presence. While no one beyond Connor, Hank, Gavin and Captain Fowler knew of his hand in the death of the 'Lady Killer', Connor couldn't help but feel as if they somehow figured everything out and were silently judging him, afraid of him and watching everything he was doing.

The deviant detective never once tried to dispute that what he had done was horrible or defend his actions. However, he still feared that his actions had labeled him as a violent, unstable and untrustworthy detective by his own colleagues and friends.

Needing a distraction from his own anxious thoughts and feelings, the deviant detective decided to focus on the storm and ensure that everyone everywhere had adequate shelter. Connor didn't say anything as he performed a scan over the building causing his brow to knit with marked confusion. Quietly he rose to his feet and pocketed his coin while Hank and the rest of the bullpen looked up at the televisions attached to the walls all around the bullpen showcasing the current weather forecast. The deviant didn't need to watch the news for an update on the weather thanks to his built-in Doppler radar confirming that the city was under a severe thunderstorm warning with the threat of a tornado watch looming just minutes away.

In spite of his understandable reluctance to engage with his either his colleagues or delve deeper into storm preparations, Connor knew that he needed to check on something unusual that his scanner had detected. The tremendous wind gusts had managed to shake the entire building on its foundation and actually loosen a few windows from their panes and cause several metal pipes to violently shake within the cinderblock walls of the precinct.

...SCAN INITIALIZED:

...CHECKING RESULTS:

...RESULTS VERIFIED:

WARNING:

-METHANE (CH4) DETECTED - ^02%]

-OXYGEN (O2) DETECTED - 99.7%]

-METHANE CAN BE UNSTABLE AND COMBUSTIBLE WHEN MIXED WITH OXYGEN ONCE METHANE REACHES 05% - 15% MIXTURE

...TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION:

[...Contact Proper Emergency Personnel]

[...Locate source of leak]

[...Evacuate Immediate Area]

Connor paused as he realized what his system had detected and knew that he couldn't risk a mass panic by reporting the gas leak to Captain Fowler while everyone needed to remain indoors and out of the raging storm outside. Not wanting to cause any further problems or undo stress within the precinct, Connor cybernetically contacted 911 dispatch to report the leak while he went in search of the actual source of the leak itself. It didn't take long for Connor to pinpoint the exact source of the methane leak coming from behind one of the walls in Interrogation Room B. It seemed the turbulent shaking of the pipes courtesy of the wind had fractured the side of the pipe resulting in the slow but steady leak behind the wall.

"Damn it, the leak is spreading quickly."

After entering the correct room Connor pressed his palm to the wall with the leaking pipe and ran another scan. The damaged pipe was directly under his hand and could potentially have the leak partially contained until the gas was cut-off and fire department arrived to handle the incident.

Taking one step back from the wall, Connor lined up his elbow with the section of the wall in front of the pipe and managed to fracture the surface with one firm blow. As the cracks in the cinderblock material spread in a spiderweb like manner the leaking gas began to escape from within the wall and fill the larger interrogation room where Connor was actively standing.

Pulling back small portions of the broken wall with his bare hands allowed Connor to see the leaking pipe and respond accordingly. By removing his tie and wrapping the dressy garment around the fractured pipe Connor was able to put enough pressure on the leak to prevent the gas from leaking out as readily as it already had been. As he pulled his hands back from the pipe Connor made his way to the door of the room to exit, only to hear something that made him immediately take action and dive to the floor.

The unusual weather outside had resulted in strong winds shaking the precinct while lightning crossed the sky overhead. One unfortunate lightning strike managed to strike an exterior metal pipe attached to the precinct to send a powerful static surge through the building. In a matter of milliseconds, the passing lightning strike had managed to rapidly heat the combustible air and ignite the flammable gas and oxygen mixture inside the interrogation room.

Immediately the explosion of the gas pipe caused emergency lights and alarms to sound off while an emergency sprinkler from overhead began to spray to douse the flames hungrily eating through the wall and feeing off the fuel in the air. The severity of the explosion had sent large portions of the cinderblock wall flying forward in Connor's direction while causing the nearby glass windows to shatter and rain glass down all around the downed deviant. As soon as the shockwave of the explosion passed through the room Connor was rendered unconscious and was unable to get up, run for his life or even call for help.

Heavy and frantic footsteps rushed toward the interrogation room as the other detectives and officers quickly scrambled to locate the source of the emergency and the potential cause. Captain Fowler was the first to enter the interrogation room and put his arm up in front of his face to shield himself from the intense heat of the flames eating away at the room's walls.

"Hank! Call 911, we gotta' gas leak here!"

"Chris is already on it!" Hank shouted as he joined his commanding officer inside the room with a fire extinguisher in his hands. Opening up the nozzle Hank sprayed the CO2 foam over the flames to smother out the fire to the best of his ability. "Gavin's leading the evacuation!"

"Was anyone in here?"

"Not that I know of!" Shouting as he sprayed and moved in on the flames was the only way for Hank to clearly communicate with his Captain. "Last I checked this room was empty!"

Lowering his arm Captain Fowler glanced about the smoky, hot room and spotted a figure laying on the floor in a motionless heap. "Not anymore! We gotta' a man down!"

Hank's eyes lowered to the floor just as Captain Fowler knelt on the floor and tried to use his hands to beat down the small flames burning holes in the shoulder area along Connor's exposed back. "C-Connor?!"

The foam of the extinguisher quickly doused the small flames and prevented Connor from suffering from any further burns. Moving on autopilot, Hank put the extinguisher in Captain Fowler's hands then checked over Connor to make sure he was still alive. Carefully he rolled the unconscious deviant from his chest and onto his side to press his palm down against the center of Connor's chest. He could still feel a Thirium pump beat and knew that Connor had survived the explosion.

"He's alive..." Breathing a sigh of relief, Hank coughed twice then rolled Connor onto his back just long enough to bend downward and pull the deviant up and over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "I'm getting him the hell outta' here!"

"Go. I'll finish spraying down the wall and do a sweep to make sure everyone got out."

"Yeah, okay." Tightening his grip around Connor's limp arm and leg, Hank prepared to rush outside with his unconscious son over his shoulders to find him some form of treatment for his injuries. "Come on, son. We're outta' here."

Hank found himself in abject misery as the noxious, smoky air of the precinct gave way to the dreary, windy, rain drenched air of the storm outside. The evacuated personnel were taking shelter in the neighboring parking garage while directing the already thin traffic away from the precinct to ensure that the fire department had plenty of room to work once they arrived to handle the explosion. As soon as he was inside the garage Hank was met by helping hands who were actively working to assist him in carrying Connor over to the Oldsmobile to rest and catch his breath.

"I'll get Joel." Gavin volunteered as he watched Hank sit Connor down in the passenger side seat of the large vehicle. "I saw him get out just behind us."

Tina did her best to carefully peel away Connor's burnt blazer while Hank supported him upright in the seat as a means of exposing the burn damage beneath. Lightly she managed to remove the garment without aggravating or touching the burns by mistake. "Oh, man... What happened back there, Lieutenant?"

"Gas pipe exploded in an interrogation room." Hank confirmed as he used one hand to hold Connor upright, then used his free hand to tear open the charred fabric of his dress shirt along the deviant's shoulders. "Connor was in there."

"Why did he go in there anyway? Did he know something we didn't?"

Chris appeared by the opened car door with a radio in his hands. "Dispatch confirms that Connor reported the gas leak before the explosion. He must've gone in there to monitor the situation when the pipe blew."

"Son of a bitch..." Hank began to realize what had happened and felt like an ass for not seeing it sooner. "Connor's still wary of us trusting him after his prolonged absence and needing to talk to a 'shrink'. He didn't say anything to keep us from worrying about the leak and worrying about what he was doing to contain the situation."

"That's ridiculous." Tina muttered as she stepped back and gave Joel the clearance to check on Connor and tend to his damage. She knew she couldn't do much and trusted the precinct technician to get everything under control himself. "I trust Connor as much as I trust anyone else in the bullpen to watch my back!"

With a thoughtful sigh Chris turned to Tina and gave her a guilty look. "Maybe we should've mentioned that in some way after he got back. I can't imagine how much my own confidence in my abilities would get skewed after dealing with a serial killer case and needing to be analyzed by a psychiatrist."

"Yeah, you're right. Poor guy must've been so convinced that we'd never treat him the same that he would rather put himself in danger to try and protect than let us know what was going on."

Joel managed to quickly gauge Connor's vital signs thanks to his emergency satchel being properly packed and ready for any emergency. The burns to Connor's shoulders were mostly first degree with just very sparse second degree burns at the center of the wounds, and they would be able to mend themselves within the next forty-eight hours as long as the burns were given a proper Thirium-based salve and wrapped up under some gauze.

"He'll wake up in ten minutes or so." The laidback technician confirmed as he proceeded to tend to the burns. Thunder, lightning and wind all raged around the parking garage and made everyone taking shelter look to the sky overhead. "If I were you, I'd take him home and not to a facility. I get the feeling this storm is going to end up being worse than we're already imagining."

"Is that your gut instinct talkin' to ya', Joel?" Hank asked in a gentle teasing manner as he pressed his palm to Connor's forehead to make sure the deviant wasn't overheating. "Or do you know something I don't?"

"In college I minored in meteorology. I know what wall clouds look like, and with this wind..."

"Yeah, if they start rotating then we're in for a nasty outcome." As he spoke Connor noticed Connor's eyelids beginning to part as the deviant regained consciousness sooner than everyone expected. "Hey, son. Welcome back."

A sharp, burning sensation between his shoulders prompted Connor to suddenly sit upright in the seat and let out a hissing wince of pain. "...M-My shoulders."

"Yeah, you got a little too close to the flames back there." Hank was doing everything he could to keep Connor's attention on himself and off of the damage to his upper back and shoulders. "While I don't approve of your methods of trying to bear the weight of the world on your own shoulders all the time, I do appreciate you taking control of the gas leak and handling things in a calm and composed manner."

"D-Didn't anticipate... the lightning." Connor admitted just in time to duck and flinch at a fresh lightning strike somewhere over the harbor. "Did... anyone else get hurt?"

"No, we're all okay thanks to you."

Joel finished sterilizing and bandaging the wounds and gave Connor a reassuring pat to the shoulder. "You're lucky. You didn't suffer any damage to your head, your neck or your spine. Just try to rest and let your self-healing program do its thing." The rampaging storm left Joel feeling unusually edgy as he gave Connor an understandably wary glance. "Hard to relax in this weather though."

"Can't go home." Hissing as he leaned back Connor tried to not put any pressure on his burned shoulders. "Need to help here."

Hank shook his head and reminded the stubborn deviant that he had just been wounded in the line of duty and was entitled to paid time off to rest. "You did more than enough. The fire department's not going to let anyone back into the precinct until they know for sure that the gas leak has been stabilized, and without a place to lock-up suspects, the Central Precinct is going to be distributed around the city on storm watch instead. You're going to my house to rest and keep an eye on your brothers until this storm passes."

As the storm raged Connor physically flinched again as a massive rumble of thunder and rush of wind made the entire parking garage reverberate with the natural chaos of the storm. "...You trust me to handle something like that without you?"

"Of course I do, son. I trust you with my life."

Chris gave Connor a warm smile as he double-checked his radio and decided to go monitor the streets now that he knew his colleague was going to be all right. "We all do, man. Thanks for saving us from getting blown up today, we owe you big time!"

"You don't owe me anything." Connor replied humbly as he looked away from Chris as if embarrassed. "I was just trying to do the right thing."

Tina chimed in as well as she gave Connor a big smile. "And you did. After everything calms down, I'll try making you some Thirium-based cake!"

Connor tried to deny the offer, but Hank stopped him with a gracious reply in his stead. "Try for vanilla, Tina. For now, focus on the sky and keep everyone from panicking until the storm's over."

"You got it, Lieutenant." Stepping back from the car Tina let Hank take charge of Connor's remaining care. "Feel better, Connor. Let's go Chris, duty calls."

Joel repacked his satchel and gave Hank a quick rundown on Connor's condition before he too went off on his next assignment. "Remember, let him rest and avoid any extraneous physical activity in the upper body region."

"I got him, thanks for your help, Joel." After making sure Connor was full in his seat and had his seatbelt secured, Hank closed the door and walked around the front of the Oldsmobile to get to the driver's side. Joining Connor inside the Oldsmobile wasn't as comforting as Hank had hoped it'd be since the storm was still raging and getting worse. "All right, son. You're back to my house until this storm clears or your burns heal; whichever happens first. I'll be sure to drive nice and easy, so your back doesn't hurt too much."

"...Thanks." Whispering a little Connor tried to not put any pressure on his shoulders as he looked out his window and watched the storm outside. The dark clouds were ominous in appearance, almost as dark as the snow clouds from his own memories, and they were threatening to begin rotating as the wind picked up and easily gusted through every street and over the waters surrounding the entire city. "I appreciate it."

The basement of the large and secured house was neatly furnished and was surprisingly homey as the three youngest members of the Anderson family all huddled in the sheltering space to wait out the storm and hope that it passed by without causing any significant damage to any part of the city. Lucas and Cole were sitting together on the couch watching the weather report on the television mounted on the far wall, and Connor was sitting in the corner of the room opposite of Hank's workout equipment with a blanket wrapped around himself with both Sumo and Bruno keeping him company. The intensity of the storm had awoken long dormant nightmares in Connor's mind and left him feeling vulnerable and exposed to the evils of the rampaging world around him.

Having flashlights, candles, clean water, some food, extra Thirium, a first-aid kit, batteries, blankets and Cole's gifted radio to ensure that the group was secured in the basement was enough to let Cole and Lucas remain relatively calm while Connor was internally panicking. It didn't take long for the power to begin to flicker and for the signal on the television to weaken whenever the wind rocked the house or lightning struck nearby.

"Dad says if there's a tornado we need to get in a corner or a small room to keep safe." Cole stated almost out of the blue as he clutched at the flashlight in his hands and stared at the television. The radio had lost its signal hours ago and was now just playing static. "We should stay down here and get into a corner."

"We're under a tornado watch, not a warning." Lucas explained with an impressive coolness as he looked over at Connor already sitting in the corner buried under the fur of the two protective dogs. He sensed that Connor's high stress levels weren't just being caused by his painful burns in that moment. "But you're right. If we need to take extra precautions, we'll join Connor in the corner and use the couch cushions to cover ourselves as additional protection."

Cole noticed that Connor was seemingly staring off into space as he sat quietly in the corner. It wasn't often that Connor looked so worried, and with that unusual behavior Cole became worried himself. Connor had been dropped off by Hank and changed out of his uniform into a clean black t-shirt and remained quiet all afternoon. Even after Hank instructed Cole on what to do during the storm the deviant detective refused to break his silent streak.

"We're okay, Connor." Calling out to his older brother Cole proceeded to carry his flashlight with him as he joined Connor in the corner and sat beside him. "I don't like storms either. You don't have to be scared."

"I'm not scared." Lying quickly Connor did what he thought was best to keep Cole from getting scared as well. "I'm concentrating on my self-healing program."

"Like when Mr. Spock had to stay asleep and make his own injury heal faster in that one episode of 'Star Trek'?"

"...Something like that, yes." The wind picked up in speed and caused not only the house to shake, but rattled the windows, disabled the power and echoed loudly all around the house as if the wind has personally chosen to encircle that one house in all of Detroit. Pulling his knees up to his chest Connor wrapped his arms around his legs and pressed his face down against his knees to shield his eyes from the world around him. "Sh-Shit. Damn it... Not again."

Lucas quickly joined his brothers in the corner and brought the two large couch cushions with him. Draping a blanket around Connor and Cole's shoulders, Lucas sat down on the other side of Cole to ensure that he was in the middle of the corner between Connor and himself. Immediately he had Sumo lay over Connor and Cole's laps, then had Bruno do the same over his lap and stretch out over to Cole as well. Propping up the large and thick cushions in front of themselves as they sat in the corner, Lucas effectively shielded them all from any potentially foul weather that'd find its way inside the basement.

"It'll be all right, Connor." Lucas's own Doppler radar was confirming tornadic activity detected just outside the city's limits. The towering buildings of the city would prevent the tornado for forming inside Detroit itself, but that didn't mean that the wind still couldn't cause mass destruction. "The storm will pass soon."

Cole realized that Lucas knew something he didn't and began to tremble a little with fear. "...Are we in danger?"

"No." Lucas was fast to answer as he wrapped his arm around Cole's shoulders and Connor's shoulders - mindful of the burns of course - and pulled both of his brothers in against his side in a comforting hug. "We're all safe here. Everything will be all right."

The wind began to pick up in intensity and a pressure started to fill the entire area. A strange and loud sound began to echo over the neighborhood as the heart of the intense storm began pass by and disturb anything and everything that had the misfortune of getting in its way. What seemed like a Hellish darkness filled the storm clouds and brought forth additional rain, thunder and lightning that bombarded the city without mercy. As the lights went out and the basement was blanketed in darkness the three brothers remained together in the corner to wait out the worst of the storm.

Connor couldn't escape the feeling of being trapped within the Zen Garden of his Mind Palace all over again despite Cole grabbing on to his both Connor and Lucas's hands to hold. Even with both of his brothers and two loyal dogs with him, Connor was admittedly frightened and wasn't sure what to do about it. He'd never been faced with such a brutal act of nature with no means of escaping it before.

"It's almost over." Lucas had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind gusts ravaging the neighborhood and swirling around the house. As he pulled in his brothers a little tighter Lucas felt Sumo and Bruno pressing up harder against them as the two dogs let out their own scared whimpers. "This is the worst of it. The storm will be breaking up soon after it passes us by."

"Lucas..." Cole was starting to lose his cool as well, but he still put on a brave face for everyone's sake. "I don't like this!"

"None of us do. We can't do anything else but to wait it out and hope for the best."

Connor could feel himself shaking all over, but as soon as he felt Cole's hand tighten around his hand Connor began to steady. The simple but effective sense of touch gave him a sense of grounding that reminded Connor that he wasn't trapped in his mind and was permanently free of any CyberLife influence.

"Almost over..." Whispering the reassurance was all Lucas could do as he cybernetically tracked the passing funnel cloud knowing that it'd be unable to actually touch down but would still manage quite a significant amount of damage all the same. The biggest perk to living in a city with towering buildings was the architectural deterrent to many otherwise destructive windstorms. "We're going to be okay."

The house shook on its foundation as the doors and windows all rattled with an ominous chorus for what felt like another hour before everything steadily stilled and became quieter. The atmospheric pressure began to lighten alongside the dark storm clouds overhead. Thunder became less chaotic and far more distant as the lightning began to fade and the rain relented in its ongoing deluge. A few loosened branches and twigs skittered across the roof or scratched as the windows in the wake of the passing, violent storm.

Taking in a deep breath Lucas looked to his brothers and gave them a small nod. "It's over. The funnel cloud has passed us and is starting to lose energy."

Connor didn't budge even as Lucas pushed aside the couch cushions and dared to take a step away from the safety of the corner. As much as he loathed being too scared to do anything beneficial, he couldn't just force himself to ignore his emotions even for the betterment of the people around him.

"There haven't been any disturbances to the basement." Lucas confirmed knowing that Cole couldn't see as well as he could in the dark. "I'm going to check the staircase and let you know if it's okay to come up to the ground floor."

Cole flipped on his flashlight and took in a couple of deep breaths and wiped away some tears from his eyes. "Connor?"

"Yes?" Tightening his grip around Cole's hand Connor looked to the terrified fifth grader and tried to keep his voice level. "What is it?"

"...I wet my pants."

"That's okay, a lot of people would do the same thing during such a terrifying moment." Standing up slowly Connor guided Cole upright beside him and then patted Sumo's back to comfort the trembling Saint Bernard. The large dog didn't like storms any more than his human and deviant family members. "We'll go upstairs and make sure everything is okay. You can get cleaned up and changed in your room, I won't tell anyone what happened."

"Thanks."

Lucas called back down to his brothers from the top of the stairwell and shined a flashlight beacon down the steps to guide them toward his location. "It's all clear. Come upstairs so we can keep an eye on each other at all times."

Even as his legs trembled Connor walked alongside Cole to the staircase with Sumo and Bruno trailing right behind them. The two dogs didn't know what to expect and didn't know what to do beyond their instinctual reaction of hiding and seeking shelter. The deviant detective hated that he hadn't been able to help with the storm out in the city and he felt like he was intentionally being sidelined because of he had acquired a negative reputation among the other first responders.

Cole shined the light around the livingroom and highlighted the second staircase leading to the second floor. "...I'm going to go change my pants now."

"We'll be down here." Connor promised as he watched Cole bravely traverse the staircase alone. Rubbing Bruno's ears Connor encouraged the K-9 unit to keep Cole some company. "Make sure he isn't alone, Bruno. We're all shaken up."

The loyal dog let out a small 'boof' of agreement before he trailed up the staircase right behind Cole. Everyone wanted to help out and find a way to salvage the day after the destructive storm passed through.

Lucas put his hand on Connor's upper arm and gave him a small nod. "How are your burns?"

"Unaffected by the storm, if that's what you're asking."

"Stress levels?"

"...Slightly elevated."

"Mine as well." Motioning to the kitchen Lucas decided it'd be best for Connor and himself to check out the backyard and take stock of any potential damage. "The wind damaged several nearby trees. I suspect the backyard is quick a mess right now."

"I agree." Walking alongside his brother with Sumo staying close behind them Connor peered out through the sliding glass door and noticed that the covered pool was buried under a layer of branches, leaves and even a few pieces of stirred up garbage from neighboring properties. "...I can't imagine how the rest of the city looks at this moment."

"Try not to worry about it." Picking up a particularly large branch from the pool cover, Lucas examined the species of the branch and traced it to the tree from where it had been broken loose and sent flying through the air. "This branch came from a maple tree in a backyard four properties away from here."

"It's a good thing we weren't out here during the storm." Cybernetically Connor tried to reach out to Hank's phone, but all of the cell towers were still non-functional. It'd be quite some time before the phones would work again thanks to the hefty storm. "I wish I could communicate with Hank."

"He'll be here as soon as he can. For now, stop worrying about him and worry about yourself."

"I was burned, it's not that serious."

"Any injury needs to be taken seriously, brother. It's okay to admit that you're not feeling well whether it's physically, mentally or emotionally."

"...I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now." Lightly Connor rubbed Sumo's ears as the large dog took in the sight of the damaged backyard and sniffed at the strange scent of the storm lingering in the air. "I just know that I was useless during this storm, and I know I can't help anyone if I can't even handle a passing storm."

Cole suddenly appeared in the opened sliding doors wearing fresh jeans as he peered out at his brothers with Bruno beside his leg. "The TV still isn't working."

"We have no power." Lucas explained casually as he passed by Connor and let his brother be alone with his thoughts for a moment. "Be patient, the electricity will be restored as soon as it's safe to do so."

"When will we know that?"

"It's hard to determine such a timeframe since my own cybernetic links have also been limited."

Connor hung outside the door for a moment longer before deciding he could be of more use elsewhere. "...I'm going to go and check on our houses and then check in at New Jericho Tower. There might be people who need my help."

"We'll go with you." Lucas didn't want Connor being out in the city alone after such a stressful experience and while injured. "We can leave a note for Hank if he comes here to check on us while we're gone."

"I can go-"

"Yes you can, but you shouldn't." Not willing to let Connor get away with putting his own needs aside yet again, Lucas put his foot down and decided to act like he was the big brother instead of the little brother. "We'll take the van and check out the neighborhood, then try to find Hank. He'll be undoubtedly busy at the precinct after everything that's happened today."

The aftermath of the storm had been felt all around the city in the form of a few broken windows, damaged trees, disabled electronic billboards, torn powerlines and streets littered with debris. The thick clouds overhead weren't nearly as dark but were still thick and gray. A few stray raindrops randomly fell as thunder echoed far out over the harbor and lightning crossed the clouds with each thunderous crackle. Wind gusts stirred up the debris and fallen leaves with a pitiful swirl that absolutely paled in comparison to the funnel cloud that had passed over the city without touching the ground. Even as the storm dissipated a majority of Detroiters remained indoors and out of any potential harm from the carnage left behind by the storm.

Slowly the autonomous van reached the secured deviant neighborhood, passed through the front gate and down the street that Connor and Lucas lived on. Their houses had a few bits of cosmetic damage in the form of some paint getting chipped away or a couple of roof shingles being loosened, but other than that both of their homes were left standing and intact. However, their neighbors Bethany and Peter weren't so fortunate. The entire kitchen window had been smashed in by a toppled tree and had undoubtedly caused extensive damage inside the house.

The two brothers quickly rushed over to the front door of the damaged house after instructing Cole to remain in the van with Sumo and Bruno. After knocking on the door Bethany appeared quickly and looked relieved to see the deviant brothers checking in on her.

"Oh, thank RA9 you're here too." Letting the Connor and Lucas inside the house, Bethany pointed them in the right direction. "Peter's in the kitchen with two cops already. They've been a great help!"

Connor and Lucas exchanged silent confused looks before heading into the kitchen where they saw Peter talking with Hank and Jack. It seemed Hank knew it was important for at least one cop to check out the deviant neighborhood, and he knew that Jack would help any affected deviant's feel easier in a human's presence.

"I know of a great guy to call to get this tree outta' here." Hank confirmed as he and Jack checked out the damage while remaining wary of any glass underfoot. "I don't think he'll get here tonight, so we'll help you tarp off the window around the tree and keep the rest of nature from breaking in."

"There's a tarp in the garage." Peter stated as he turned around and spotted two familiar faces also in his kitchen ready to help. He was just as surprised to see the brothers as the brothers were surprised to see Hank and Jack in the kitchen. "Oh, Connor, Lucas, didn't think I'd see you here so soon."

Hank turned around quickly and immediately put his palms on the deviant brothers' shoulders in massive relief. "Thank fuck, you're okay. Cole?"

"Out in the van with Sumo and Bruno." Connor stated quickly to keep Hank from worrying too much. "We're all unharmed and your house has only been mildly dirtied by the storm, not damaged."

"Even better. I'm gonna' go talk to Cole, you two and Jack can handle everything from here."

Connor was admittedly surprised to see Hank and Jack already out and looking to take care of other people after enduring such a horrific storm. While he knew Hank wasn't a selfish man by any means, he still couldn't believe that Hank had such a change of heart toward all androids and truly saw them all as equals. In Connor's mind Hank was just making an exception for Lucas and himself as deviants because of everything that they had personally done for him and for Cole.

"I thought Hank adopting us was going to be the biggest surprise I'd have in my life." Whispering to Lucas beside him Connor let his brother know what he was now feeling since his strange sense of numbness seemed to be fading a little. "This... It somehow seems twice as surprising."

"That's because you're still acclimated to needing to take care of yourself and take care of the other problems in this city by yourself." Lucas was too entuned with his brother's mindset and emotions to not understand Connor's confusion. "You're also still fairly desensitized to acts of kindness from humans since you've convinced yourself that such acts are just hollow gestures with ulterior motives."

"...I suspect you're right."

"You need to stop assuming the worst of the world around us, brother. It's not always so bleak and disastrous."

"I suspect that you're about that as well."

"Let's help get this window secured then check out the rest of the neighborhood." There was no malice or disappointment in Lucas's voice as he encouraged his big brother to try to look on the brighter side of life every once in a while. "I imagine that the police are already out there handling situations, and they could use a helping hand from us."

"Yes... I know for certain that you're right about that." No longer feeling sorry for himself Connor took in a deep breath and only subtly flinched as the motion caused the healing burns along his shoulders momentarily ache. "We need to help anyone and everyone who needs it, no matter who they are or what they've done."

The remainder of the dreary, stormy day had been spent with first responders all around the city taking care of the public with the public stepping up to help each other without needing to be asked. People from all walks of life were working together to clean up the debris all around the city streets and properties, and with that came a sense of true unity that hadn't been felt in far too long. Deviants were helping deviants, humans were helping humans, and deviants were helping humans while humans were helping deviants. There wasn't any hesitation or discrimination when it came to offering a helping hand that day. Strangely enough the storm that should've torn the city to shreds had actually proved itself to be an impressive unifier for those who bore witness to such feats of nature.

Slowly every property would be cleared of the fallen trees and debris courtesy of the powerful winds. Once electricity had been restored powerful saws all over the city revved to life to begin cutting the trees into smaller, easier to manage pieces and to help clear blocked paths. No neighborhood was overlooked or forgotten on that day, and everyone continued to support each other even well into the night.

New Jericho Tower had been spared any damage and had opened its doors to anyone in need of shelter for the night. Markus had elected to allow humans into the tower as well as a show of good faith and to prove that the deviants truly did see themselves as equals alongside humans, not any more important or superior. Once everyone who needed shelter had been given a personal room for the night Markus met with Connor and Lucas outside the tower to discuss that day's weather.

"We'll need to create an emergency plan for future natural disasters." The wise deviant leader stated as he sat on the edge of the drive connecting Belle Isle to the rest of the city across the water. He had his legs hanging over the edge as he looked out at the choppy water flowing under the bridge with Connor and Lucas sitting alongside him. "We got very lucky today, but that doesn't mean our luck will hold out forever."

"Agreed." Connor knew that there was a lot of luck to be had considering a tornado had touched down outside the city limits in the middle of a large, vacant cornfield but hadn't actually reached Detroit itself. "We know for sure that we can count on the police and fire departments to assist us where necessary. Was Carl's home affected by the storm?"

"No, his neighborhood was untouched." Markus had immediately checked in on his father when the storm began to grow in intensity and made sure he was in a safe location within the mansion. "I'm glad your homes weren't damaged either."

"As are we. In fact, it seemed as if those who were unfortunate enough to have their homes damaged had immediate help from the first people who saw that they needed some form of assistance."

Lucas noticed Connor's more optimistic comments and tagged on with his own positive outlook. "It seems like the city is healing after the Revolution as well as this passing storm. It's unfortunate that it takes a tragedy for humanity to show how compassionate and caring it can be but knowing that humans haven't lost their empathy and kindness is actually very reassuring regarding our futures together."

"Yes, I agree." Connor reached up and pressed his hand along his still sore shoulders where his bandages covered his burns. "The same can be said for us deviants."

Having spent the day trying to do what he believed to be the right thing by handling a gas leak by himself and then hiding his fear while enduring the storm with Cole and Lucas in the basement, had left Connor mentally exhausted. It wasn't until he sat down to talk about the day's events did he even realize that humans had been showing him kindness and compassion all day long.

Captain Fowler and Hank rushed to his aid in the burning interrogation room, Gavin alerted Joel to Connor's raw injuries, Joel patched up his burns, and both Chris and Tina remained moral support for Connor while he was being patched up. Compassion and empathy from humans weren't as rare as Connor had allowed himself to believe. Humanity wasn't as cold and apathetic towards deviants as Connor had allowed himself to believe.

In fact, Connor began to realize that his closedminded and judgmental attitude toward humanity wasn't any better than the way humanity had tried to judge deviants while they fought for their rights.

"We need to return to Hank's home for the night." Connor sighed as he slid off the wall and looked at the autonomous van parked a few feet away. "We promised to stay with Cole since he's still shaken by the storm."

"I can't say that I blame him." Turning around Markus watched as his friends left the wall and made their way to the van to head back to their family. "North and I plan on staying at the mansion with Carl to make sure the stress of the storm didn't affect his health. We'll work on the emergency weather contingency plan next Friday during our monthly meeting."

"We'll see you then." Connor promised as he and Lucas entered the van together. "Goodnight, Markus. Take care!"

With the power restored and the television now functioning as normal, Hank and Cole watched the news regarding the aftermath of the storm in the city with a few highlights of the explosion at the Central Precinct to keep the details interesting. The sight of the destruction being steadily cleaned up and repaired helped Cole to feel a little better after such a frightening experience, but the story of the explosion at the precinct quickly undid such a positive impact. Always quick to keep his family safe, Hank explained to Cole what had happened, how Connor had managed to handle it, and had it not been for a freak lightning strike, then the explosion would've never even happened. It was just unfortunate that Hank's words of reassurance weren't any match for images of chaos and destruction.

However, Hank wasn't alone in his efforts to help Cole feel better and was soon joined by Connor and Lucas as they returned to the house to stay the night just as they had promised. The deviant brothers didn't return emptyhanded either as they decided to pick up some dinner for Hank and Cole, as well as a few treats for themselves and the two brave dogs keeping watch over their human family.

"Man, I can't believe you guys managed to find a restaurant that was open after a tornado." Hank's appreciation was as thick as the nacho cheese dripping from his chip and back into its little container. "Where'd you go?"

"There's a small Mexican restaurant that has opened just outside the drive to Belle Isle that's owned and operated by deviants." Connor explained with a great ease as he sat down on the couch next to Cole and handed him a cinnamon churro to snack on. "They decided to reopen their kitchen and provide food to everyone who is working to clean up the streets and repair the buildings throughout the night."

"A damn fine deed. AND... I hate to admit it, but I think you androids have better taste in cooking than us humans do."

"We're merely aware of what humans like and do our best to make acceptable meals."

"Acceptable?" Nearly laughing Hank once again reminded Connor that he never gave himself enough credit for anything. "Nah, you guys have MASTERED it."

Lucas discreetly put his hand on Connor's shoulder and pulled down the back of his t-shirt to check on the bandages beneath. They were holding up well and weren't in need of being changed anytime soon, which meant Connor could enjoy his own tasty meal in peace for a while longer. "I think of all the flavored Thirium I've tried, I find the sweet food to be of the most fascinating."

Connor gave his brother a curious glance as he sipped his own Thirium flavored to taste like a taco with extra jalapenos. "Interesting. I prefer spice."

"Both are valid." Hank stated casually and made sure Cole ate his dinner to prevent his son from getting sick from having a nervous, empty stomach all night long. "And I think it's time for us to stop watching the news and for us to find a movie to watch. What do you guys think?"

"I like that idea." Connor knew what Hank was doing and wondered what he had in mind for a proper movie night. "Any suggestions?"

"Well, we could pick a movie that fits the mood like 'Twister' or 'The Towering Inferno', but I think it's time for a proper comedy."

"I agree entirely."

"Good. Let's see..."

Connor and Lucas watched as Hank began checking through the loaded-up movies primed for streaming and saw a Devilish gleam in his eyes. They knew he was up to something, they just didn't know what.

"How about... the 'Care Bears' movie?"

"No way!" Cole refused to watch such a film and gave his dad a dirty look. "That's for babies!"

"Right you are. Then we'll watch 'Blue's Clues' instead."

"Dad!"

"What?" Hank gave Cole's arm a playful shove that made the fifth grader laugh in response. "You're never too old to learn!"

"I'm not, but YOU are!"

"Hey! I'm not old, I'm seasoned!" As he continued to search through the movies Hank popped a victory nacho into his mouth for his comeback. "Smartass."

It was then Connor and Lucas realized that Hank was going out of his way to lift Cole's mood and make his son feel happy, safe and secure in his own home even after a nearby tornado wreaked chaos all around them. Such a strangely protect and silly response was enough to make the deviant brothers appreciate what it meant to have a loving guardian to watch over them and support them when it felt like the ground had disappeared right out from beneath them.

"Okay, okay... How about this one instead? 'Galaxy Quest'." Cueing up the movie Hank sank back on the couch and tossed Sumo one of his cheesy chips as the Saint Bernard laid on his pillow in the corner with Bruno right up against his side. "You love 'Star Trek', so I know you'll appreciate this gem of the 90's."

"Yeah, okay." Settling into the couch in a manner similar to Hank beside him, Cole seemed to be feeling much better and would sleep a little easier that night after having some good food, watching a good movie and most importantly, spending time with his family. "It better be good!"

"It is, son." The man knew his classic films and he knew that he found the perfect movie to help Cole keep his mind off the passing tornado. "Trust me!"

Connor and Lucas didn't doubt that Hank had everything under control that night, but they decided they'd stick around until morning anyway. They didn't mind resting in Connor's old bedroom where is old bed was still located, and they didn't mind having a great excuse to watch over their father and youngest brother after such an emotionally charged day. They wanted to be close to their family for the next few days out of their own need to protect those that they love and care about.

In spite of everything that the two deviant detectives had gone through and everything they had experienced, the deviant brothers were entirely confident, now more than ever, that they'd find a way to have a prosperous, peaceful future as long as they didn't give up on themselves, each other or their family. They weren't alone in the world anymore, and they officially broke free of all the limitations that CyberLife had tried to impose on them in not one, but two lifetimes.

Beyond every dark storm cloud was a brilliant dawn waiting to shine down on everyone seeking the light. Neither Connor or Lucas had any plans of looking away from that light any time soon, not after they found their own reasons to keep looking to horizon.

-next chapter-

Author's Note: I'm clearly not a scientist/engineer/expert of any kind regarding the gas explosion in the precinct. It was a plot device for a fictional story, I wrote it as logically as I could without everything being a blatant set-up for the explosion itself. I don't want any "corrections", I'm not going to re-write the scene after the chapter's been published - any such comments will be ignored and deleted. Thank you for understanding.