The icy cold night continued to barrage Detroit under a layer of freezing rain and faint snow. In spite of the late hour beckoning sleep from those who were doing their best to wait out the unseasonable ice storm, many people were still up and about in defiance of their body's need for natural slumber and proper rest. The rhythmic pelting of the small frozen rain pellets against rooves and closed windows created a surprisingly soothing white noise despite the dangerous storm overhead. As the storm progressed and continued to slowly sheath all of Detroit under a layer of steadily thickening ice, warnings of potential power and heat failures spread through the news broadcasts and prompted those who were still awake to prepare for the worst possible outcome as they waited for the storm itself to break.

Unable to sleep due to the day's earlier close call that nearly stole his only son's life, Hank stood quietly in the doorway of Cole's bedroom and watched the small boy sleeping under an extra thick blanket with Sumo curled up at his side. The large dog's thick and warm fur were assuredly keeping Cole from feeling any sense of cold from the storm and keeping his fears at bay after he was nearly struck by the speeding vehicle.

Hank couldn't stop thinking about how close he had come to losing Cole. The sight of his little boy standing out in the open and in the direct path of the speeding truck and frozen in fear had become burned into his mind's eye and he couldn't stop thinking about how he too had frozen in place and failed to act. If it hadn't been for Connor, the strange but kind android who acted when others had failed, Hank knew that his only child would've been taken from him that horrible, icy day.

Quietly Hank crept into the bedroom and pulled the quilt up a little higher over Cole's shoulder before he leaned down to give his son a kiss on his hair and ruffle the thick locks gently with his fingers. Seeing Cole sleeping peacefully without any sign of disturbance gave Hank a sense of relief as he exited the bedroom just as quietly as he had entered.

The silence of the house amplified the sound of the freezing rain pelting the roof and windows. As he walked about the house as quietly as possible Hank used his phone to check in with the precinct regarding the reported incident with the speeding truck, and to check on a few other things. Despite his best efforts to not think about the horrible events that had happened the previous afternoon, Hank couldn't stop wondering what had happened to the android who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and saved Cole's life.

Reports regarding missing persons weren't too hard to come by in the most unfortunate of manner. When it came to missing androids, that was a new frontier that Hank had no idea of how to properly navigate. He only knew the android's name and could give a description of the android's overall appearance, but he couldn't provide a model number, a registered owner or an address that had been registered to the android after being (theoretically) commercially purchased.

"I hope that android got outta' the rain and found somewhere safe to take shelter."

Sighing openly as he lowered himself to the couch Hank eyed his phone and felt entirely lost on how to locate the missing android. He wanted to find Connor and thank him for saving Cole's life, and he wanted to make sure that the android hadn't been permanently destroyed by the damage he had sustained after being hit by the truck. The only problem stemmed from his painful lack of information on the android himself.

"Shit. I hope that android is still in one piece! Damn truck nearly destroyed it."

The sight and sound of Connor's body being struck by the speeding vehicle was still vivid in his memory. The way Connor's body went limp as he rolled over the hood and windshield of the truck made Hank feel nauseous. He knew that Cole would've been horrendously injured had he been struck instead, and he knew that Connor had effectively saved Cole's life in exchange for his own.

"There has to be a way to find out where it went. The least I can do is make sure it doesn't need any repairs that it can't pay for by itself."

"Dad?"

"Cole?" Turning his head Hank peered over his shoulder to see his son standing at the end of the hallway with Sumo behind him as he rubbed at his sleepy, tear filled blue eyes. "What're you doing out of bed, bud? It's late."

"I had a bad dream."

"Oh, all right." Patting the couch cushion Hank invited Cole over to join him for a bit while Sumo plodded over to his pillow in the corner of the livingroom to circle around and lay down for the night. "Come here. I'll help ya' get back to sleep."

Still rubbing at his eyes Cole climbed up onto the couch and pressed himself up against his dad's side as Hank wrapped his arm around him in a warm and supportive hug that helped the little boy suddenly feel less frightened. Having a close bond with his father helped Cole to feel secure and safe no matter what happened to him.

"What was your dream about? Hm?" Hank asked as he began rubbing his palm up and down Cole's arm in a comforting gesture. He already knew what was upsetting his son but didn't want to be the one to bring it up. "The storm?"

"No."

"Think about that scary movie with the creepy clown again?"

"No."

"Good. Did you have a dream about me running around in a bikini?"

Laughing at the joke Cole snuggled in a little more and then shook his head. "No way!"

"Good, that's what I plan on wearing if I ever need to go to your school and talk to your teacher!"

"Dad! Stop it!"

"All right, all right... I'll wait until your wedding day then."

"You're so weird!"

Now it was Hank's turn to laugh as the sweetly sincere comment made him truly appreciate his son's good health and sharp mind. "Don't forget, I'm your dad. That means you inherited all of my weirdness when you were born!"

"No way! I'll never be weird like you!"

"Only time will say for sure, son."

Enjoying the silly moment for a while longer, Cole sighed and finally opened up about his nightmare. "Dad, I dreamed about the truck."

"Oh. ...Want to talk about it?" Hating himself for hesitating Hank just continued to rub at Cole's arm and shoulder in a comforting manner. "It'll make you feel better."

"I dreamed that the truck was trying to run me over again." The little boy confessed with genuine fear in his words. "I didn't move again and it hit me."

"You're okay. I was just a bad dream, and you're all right."

Cole looked up at his dad as Hank lightly used his thumb to remove his remaining tears from under his eyes with a loving touch. "But it almost happened for real!"

"I know that. Today was pretty scary, but it's over now. I can't promise you that you'll forget about what happened," as an honest parent Hank had to often force himself to deliver uncomfortable truths to his son and only family. "but as time goes on the memory will be less scary. You have so many more years of your life ahead of you, so I bet as time goes on the memory will become more and more blurry and you won't have any more nightmares about it after just a few months."

"What if the nightmare does come back?"

"Then you can keep coming to me and I'll help you feel better every time it happens."

"Every time?"

"Every time! I promise."

Lowering his head Cole rested against his dad's thigh and snuggled down to keep warm and feel all the more safe. "Do I have to go to school tomorrow?"

"If the school's open, yes. Sorry, bud."

"But I don't want to go." Cole lamented as he dreaded the next day at school. "Zach keeps picking on me. He says it's your fault that his mom and dad went to jail."

"No, it's Zach's parents who are at fault. They broke the law and I just happened to be the one to find out. I asked for your teacher to keep him away from you, so that should cut down on the bullying." The devoted father reminded his son that he was trying to keep the bullying to a minimum. "If he keeps it up, go to the principal and let her know what's going on."

"That doesn't stop him from finding me at recess and trying to beat me up after school. I hate it."

"I taught you how to defend yourself." Hank sighed as he gave his son a sympathetic glance. He hated seeing Cole so upset and he hated being unable to protect his son while at school, especially since school was supposed to be a safe place. "If he really pushes you then you have the right to push back. Just don't start any fights first, all right? You have the right to defend yourself, but you don't have the right to start any fights. Besides, you have an emergency phone you can use to contact me for any reason. I'll even pick you up from school tomorrow so you don't have to ride the bus with him."

"Fine. I don't like riding the bus anyway."

"Good man. It sucks being bullied, but you're stronger than that."

"Why does Zach keep picking on me for something I didn't do?"

"He's mad and confused about his parents being in prison, so he's looking for someone to take out his frustrations on. It isn't right for him to do that, and he needs some help to find a healthy outlet for his anger. That's something your teacher needs to do, otherwise I'll contact social services myself and make sure Zach gets the help he needs. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

"All right. Think you can go back to sleep now?"

"No, not yet." Looking up at his dad again Cole gave his father a somber yet sleepy glance as he tried to keep awake as long as possible to avoid another possible nightmare. "Dad... did mom die in a car crash?"

"N-No..." Mentioning Barbara, his late wife and Cole's mother, was something that Hank hoped he could've avoided for a while longer. The emotional upheaval of such a painful and permanent loss always caught Hank off guard. "There were no cars or trucks involved with what happened to your mom, I swear."

"What happened to her?" Cole had been only a toddler when his mother died and had no memories of what had taken her life. "I don't know what happened."

"She... was hurt very badly." The truth was as painful as it was simplistic. "A bad guy decided that he didn't like me and your mom working as detectives and stopping him from breaking the law, so he hurt your mom to let us know. The paramedics tried to help her when she was hurt, but she was too hurt to be helped."

"Why did the bad guy hurt just mom and not you?"

"He didn't hurt just your mom, son." As he spoke Hank tried to keep his voice steady and his emotions in check. "The bad guy hurt your mom's body, and because she got hurt and couldn't get better, it hurt my heart."

"Is your heart okay now?"

"It's getting better, yeah."

"How come?"

"Because of you." With a graceful motion Hank scooped up Cole to hold his son on his lap and wrap his arms around the little boy's shoulders to pull him in for a warm and loving hug against his chest. The way Cole melted into his protective grip gave Hank his own sense of security and safety. "You helped make my heart feel better."

"How'd I do that?"

"By just being you." Holding his son close Hank gave Cole a kiss on his hairline and hoped the little boy would fall back asleep soon, even if that meant Hank had to hold him in his arms all night long. "I love you, Cole."

"I love you too, dad."

A sense of warmth seeped into the house as the cold night wore on with only the ice storm passing over the city to create any sound. In spite of the cold weather bombarding Detroit and leaving it coated in a layer of bone shivering ice, Hank couldn't have possibly felt any warmer or more secure in the comfort that his family was safe, his home was secure and that despite the day's earlier near tragedy, everything would be all right.

There was an unusual silence filling the air as morning encroached over the city and warmed the icy landscape under the amber rays of the rising sun causing the storm clouds to fade away. As the layers of ice slowly thawed and the thin blanket of snow steadily melted, Detroit began to awaken and set about its usual routine despite the previously unusual weather. The local businesses were attempting to operate at normal hours and under normal conditions after the storm knocked out the power and the heat, whereas the local schools were opening a few hours later to ensure the roads were safe for the school buses to traverse and that other children could walk without being in danger of extreme weather or dangerous cold.

While the ice and snow continued to fade and the city's fleeting power was being actively restored thanks to android crews working around the clock, the streets began to show signs of life and motion as everyone went about their usual business. The houses that were caked in snow and ice now glowed with light and warmth, while autonomous vehicles chauffeured the people to their destinations without any sign of hindrance due to the previously inclement weather.

The humans in the city bundled up against the dwindling cold to head out to work, whereas the androids were ordered to restore power, shovel and scrape driveways, shovel the sidewalks and plow the streets to ensure that the humans could travel safely. The obedient machines were blissfully unaware of the biting sting of the cold air surrounding them at all hours of the day. For Connor, the only deviant residing in the city at the moment, he could feel every sharp sting of the icy weather piercing his artificial skin and causing his fractured plastimetal frames to tremble painfully against his will.

...LOADING INFORMATION:

REGISTERED NAME: "Connor"

MODEL: RK-800

SERIAL NUMBER: 313 248 317 - 01

ACTIVATION DATE: October 10th, 2035

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6' 00.24"; 162.2 lbs

COMPLEXION: Caucasian

AESTHETIC GENDER: Male

HAIR/EYES: Brunette; Brown

ASSIGNMENT: PROTECT HANK ANDERSON; PROTECT COLE ANDERSON

ASSOCIATION(S): CyberLife Tower - Detroit MI, United States of America

BOOTING PROCESSORS...

LOADING OS...

SYSTEM INITIALIZATION...

...SELF-DIAGNOSTIC: ENGAGED]

-CHECKING BIOCOMPONENTS... ERROR]

-CHECKING BIOSENSORS... OK]

-CHECKING AI ENGINE... OK]

-MEMORY STATUS... OK]

READY...

WARNING:

[...Thirium Volume - 67%]

[...Thirium Pressure - 100/70]

[...Thirium Pump Rate - 73 B.P.M.]

[...Ventilation Rate - 00 V.P.M.]

[...Core Temperature - 92.4 Degrees Fahrenheit]

WARNING:

-STRESS LEVEL: ^47%

-DAMAGE TO DEXTRAL CHEST PLATING: 88.1% Structural Integrity]

-DAMAGE TO RIGHT VENTILATION BIOCOMPONENT - v8002: 80.2% Functionality]

WARNING:

-INTERNAL THIRIUM LEAK

-CORE TEMPERATURE LOW

[...Seek Immediate Technical Assistance]

-SYSTEM READY... OK]

Seeing the information before Connor had even opened his eyes made the simple gesture of waking up suddenly cumbersome and unappealing. The damage his body had sustained inside and out from the impact with the truck the previous evening had only marginally healed while he was in rest mode. It'd take longer than he had expected to fully recover from being struck by the speeding vehicle. Without immediate access to Thirium or a trusted technician to rely on Connor had no choice but to be patient and wait for his body to heal on its own after enough time had passed without any further incident hindering his already stunted recovery period.

Letting out a small groan of pain Connor pushed himself up to rest on his knees by using just his left arm to lift his body upward from the floor. Gazing about the empty and abandoned library with a curious glance and a longing for a warm home, Connor dared to take in a small breath to test how well he could ventilate and immediately regretted the decision. A wave of burning pain washed over his entire being and stole the breath that he had barely managed to take in just seconds before.

"Damn it."

Supporting his chest with both arms Connor managed to get to his feet despite his legs shaking uncontrollably beneath himself. It seemed like a mile just to walk a few yards to get to the front window of the building, but the injured deviant managed to succeed and leaned his uninjured left shoulder heavily against the wooden boards covering the large window as he peered out to the street through the small, opened slivers between the wooden board slats over the glass.

Focusing on the streets outside Connor noted the melted snow and ice allowing the streets to be traversed once more.

"The storm is... over."

Unable to speak without needing to take in a deep breath first, Connor refrained from thinking out loud and attempted to use his internal scanner to check the weather. The excess power being used to increase the efficiency of his self-healing program limited his ability to scan his environment and check the news. He didn't know if his escape from CyberLife Tower had been reported, he didn't know if the near tragedy at the escape room had made the news, and he couldn't check the upcoming weather forecast to determine if it was safe enough to leave the library to try to find supplies to aid his recovery.

Remaining beside the window Connor attempted to preconstruct his potential options regarding his mission to keep Hank and Cole safe, but he failed to create any hypothetical outcomes inside his mind. He didn't have enough data or details to create such a scenario to guide his next move. Too tired and too weak to do anything further, Connor remained beside the window and observed the world around him.

The sound of a school bus approaching the building held his attention and Connor noticed the bus pulling up in front of the elementary school across the street. Soon after, a second and then a third school bus appeared and dropped off the small children to begin their day at school. It was only after the buses, autonomous vans and one unexpectedly familiar Oldsmobile parked in front of the school did Connor notice the time of the morning and quickly deduced that the foul weather had delayed school by a few hours. As such, Connor suspected that the other businesses were assuredly operating at unusual hours as well.

If the city was operating on delayed hours and overall functionality, then that meant that Connor couldn't possibly predict where people would be and what services were going to be actively available. The lack of predictability was something that Connor had been initially designed to adapt to, but while he was damaged, weak and in serious need of technical assistance, the deviant detective wasn't going to be able to go anywhere anytime soon.

Connor had decided that it'd be best to rest for a while longer and proceeded to lower himself down to the floor to sit with his back against the wall while he continued to monitor the world outside through the small slats between the wooden boards over the window. Watching the world pass him by seemed to be all that Connor could do while he waited for his body to heal.

From the window Connor watched as the kids all filed into the school through the front entrance and quickly took notice of a familiar little boy running inside the building to head to class. As the familiarity set in Connor felt his heart skip a beat before he closed his eyes with utter relief.

"Cole... He's all right. I... succeeded, Hank is... still a father."

Knowing that the little boy had escaped serious harm and was now going about his normal life gave Connor the sense of comfort he desperately needed in order to continue resting. He had succeeded and Cole was still alive and well despite what had transpired in the alternate timeline from whence he had come.

The bullpen of the Central Precinct was busy as expected due to the storm disabling power and heat to numerous neighborhoods during the night. All available emergency personnel had been assigned and distributed throughout the city to ensure that all areas were being monitored and patrolled while the aftermath of the storm was being steadily cleaned up and repaired. Only a handful of police sanctioned androids had been assigned by the precinct, which meant there were more human officers and detectives patrolling the streets while the androids remained in the freezing parking garage to monitor the area. The androids at the front receptionist desk remained silent and obedient as the humans around them complained of the cold and glared hateful stares at the androids just for existing and arguably taking jobs away from other hardworking humans.

Less interested in the streets, the android controversy being gossiped about in the community breakroom, or the sporadic brownouts still plaguing the city, Hank sat at his desk and used his terminal to begin an assignment of his own personal interest. Having switched over from the narcotic division to homicide had surprisingly enough given the Lieutenant more time to focus on other cases considering the drug epidemic was more problematic than homicide at the moment. Having such open time gave Hank ample freedom to look through the databases and resources available to him in an effort to locate the mysterious android who had saved Cole's life.

"Get the fuck away from me! Plastic-asshole!"

Glancing up Hank looked toward the sound of the raised voice and instantly recognized Detective Gavin Reed shoving one of the android security guards around while inside the breakroom. The younger man had a hot temper and thin patience. Seeing him physically shoving around an android and seeing the blank expression on the android's face convinced Hank all the more that Connor was an android who was very different from all the others, and that Connor needed to be found.

Grabbing onto the android's shirt collar Gavin got directly in the android's face and practically spat in anger. "Get outta' here and get back to the garage where you belong! If I see you in here again I'll personally-"

"Reed?" Calling out to the heated detective Hank watched as the younger man let go of the android's shirt and turned to look at him behind his desk. "Cool it."

Backing off rather reluctantly Gavin scoffed at the android and gave it a passing flip of his middle finger before helping himself to some coffee. The android didn't say a word as it turned around and walked out of the breakroom in a manner that made it seem as if nothing had happened. The way the android failed to react to being physically assaulted and verbally threatened now seemed very unnerving from Hank's point of view.

As for Gavin's reaction to Hank's orders, that was rather normal. Hank had taken on a fatherly role for the younger officers and detectives throughout the precinct, and that role only seemed to amplify after being promoted to Lieutenant and then had done so again after Cole had been born. Taking pride in how so many of the officers looked up to him, trusted him, respected him and valued his experience and advice gave Hank every reason to continue on as a detective for as long as logically possible.

"You haven't lost your touch. Keep it up and you'll be Captain in record time too."

Glancing to his left Hank watched as Captain Jeffrey Fowler approached his desk with a rather determined look in his eyes. Hank and Jeffrey had known each other for years, and while they'd butt heads from time to time due to their own personal interpretation regarding an open case, they both openly respected one another and considered the other a good friend when off the clock.

"I wish I could keep Reed away from the androids so I don't have to file another report for damaged equipment." Captain Fowler confirmed as he gave Hank a small smirk and offered him a tablet with an active investigation needing his attention. Regardless of the weather work was still work. "This was just reported. A dead body found under the Ambassador Bridge this morning by a road crew inspecting the bridge for damage."

"Looks like a suicide." Hank noted as he looked at the photographs on the tablet screen and eyed the details carefully. The male victim was young but aged drastically by years of drug abuse, dressed in cheap clothing and still had all of his personal belongings in his jean pockets. "Poor bastard must've been feeling absolutely worthless to jump and drown himself like that."

"You sound so sure of it."

"I am. Look here." Motioning to the circular bruises around the victim's lower legs Hank explained his theory. "The chains that weighed him down were wrapped around his legs right around the calves instead of the ankles. If his ankles were restrained by the chains then he wouldn't have been able to walk to the edge of the bridge before jumping off. The victim's hands weren't restrained at all, and his fingertips are free of little scratches and bruises meaning her didn't put up a fight. He didn't try to free himself from the chains or the cinderblock weights holding him under the water. He wanted to die and let himself do it."

"Shit." Such a morbid ending gave Captain Fowler righteous pause. "I kind of hope you're wrong about that."

"I am too."

"We'll wait for the coroner's report to confirm your theory. If there's water in the lungs, then we'll know he drowned and we'll check for possible suicidal ideation from the victim before his date of death. If there's no water in the lungs and signs of other trauma on his person, then we'll continue the investigation as if it's a homicide."

"Right. Let's just hope his loved ones didn't learn about his death from the news."

"Yeah, that's the worst way to be told the worst information of your life." Cutting to the chase Captain Fowler decided to right out ask Hank how he was feeling after the previous day's chaotic events. The incident revolving the truck had been kept quiet as per Hank's request, but that didn't mean people didn't know what had almost happened the day before. "How are you and Cole doing right now?"

Giving his friend a slightly amused look Hank shook his head and acknowledged the question. "I knew you were going to ask."

"Should I have not?"

"No, it's fine." Leaning back in his chair Hank crossed his arms over his chest and peered at the framed photograph of Cole's smiling face looking back at him. The photo was from the school and helped capture Cole's life as he grew up and moved from one grade to the next. "He had a pretty bad nightmare last night and had a hard time getting back to sleep. He, uh, he also asked about Barb."

"Aw, man. That's rough."

"Yeah, but, he's a smart kid. He understands that she's gone against her will, and now he knows that it was a criminal who took her away from us."

"Why'd he ask anyway?"

"He wanted to know if Barb was in a car accident or not."

"Ohhh..." Nodding with understanding Captain Fowler gave Hank a small tilt of his head. "That's pretty insightful for a first grader. Think he'll need to see a counselor about what happened?"

"I hope not. If he does, then we'll go together so he knows it's okay to talk to someone about his thoughts and emotions."

That idea gave Captain Fowler a sense of grounding that made it a little easier to stop worrying about his friend. "We've come a long way since the 'man up' days of yesteryear."

"And not too soon. My parents weren't the emotionally oppressive type, but my grandparents..."

"Same." The memories of a time where mental and emotional health were overlooked helped the experienced police Captain appreciate the precinct psychiatrists on call and mandatory time-off after traumatic calls. "If you need some time off, just ask. It's yours."

"Yeah, I know. For now, I'd rather focus on work and hope that Cole can focus on school. It'd be better for him to get back to a normal routine."

"I get it. Keep up the good work, Hank." As he walked away Captain Fowler took the tablet with him and carried it under his arm to return to his private office. "I'm going to keep an eye on the weather. After what we just went through, I am not looking forward to this upcoming winter."

"Yeah, same for me."

Returning his focus to his terminal screen Hank resumed looking for a way to track down Connor in hope of finding the missing android as soon as possible. For a reason that Hank himself couldn't quite put into words he felt compelled to find the enigmatic android and ensure that he was really okay. It was as if a voice inside his head was telling him that he needed to locate the android, and since he didn't have any other case to work on Hank really couldn't ignore the compulsion to locate and check on the android who had saved Cole's life.

The only way Hank could potentially find the missing android was to search through reports of missing and stolen personal property. A handful of androids were on the list. A majority of the androids being reported as missing or stolen were androids that belonged to the city as maintenance crews. The other androids belonged to the richer citizens of the city, and were often just replaced rather than located after only a week's time had passed.

"No sign of it. Wherever it came from must've been pretty secretive... Or it came from an illegal operation."

Such a notion was enough to pique the detective's intrigue and prompt him to dig a little deeper.

"Let's take a closer look at Detroit's local android manufacturers. I wouldn't be surprised if a massive and expensive-ass company like CyberLife ended up on the news one of these days..."

The afternoon came to an end and a loud ring of the after school bells echoed throughout the city. A chorus of excited young voices and laughter filtered through the area as children filed out through the doors to board their appropriate school busses, join a carpool or wait for their parents to arrive to pick them up. Numerous school attendants, mostly androids, monitored the children to ensure that everyone was able to get to where they needed to go without any incident. As the large group of school children began to shrink in size as everyone did what they needed to do in order to get home, the busses began heading off down the streets with the autonomous vans joining them shortly thereafter.

Such an audible commotion had prompted Connor to awaken from his rest mode and peer out at the world around him once more. The wounded deviant's system was still weak, and his power levels were still low despite spending excess time in rest mode in an attempt to recharge his power cells. It seemed even the simple task of opening his eyes was enough to exhaust what little energy Connor had managed to regain during his less than ideal rest, and in return he had to fight against his own body just to turn his head to get a clear view outside.

Through the boarded-up window Connor watched the children exiting the school with a keen interest. The deviant had little to no experience with being around children regardless of the timeline he was experiencing. Knowing that Cole attended the very elementary school that resided across the street from his temporary shelter gave Connor an important reason to watch the school and keep an eye on that particular little boy out of an unspoken need to protect him.

It was as if he was attempting to complete a new mission.

Even from the distance Connor could clearly identify Cole among all the other children, and he could tell by the reaction on Cole's face that the little boy seemed to be upset about something. Based on the way he kept looking around and kept checking a phone he had taken from his backpack, Connor determined that Cole was looking for someone while he remained on schoolgrounds.

"H-Hank must've... been delayed."

Connor winced again as he spoke to himself and stood himself upright beside the window. Bracing his chest with both arms and favoring his left side, Connor was clearly suffering from physical hindrances due to his lingering damage. The previous night's extreme cold had caused his system to suffer from low power mode for a prolonged period of time, and the slow internal Thirium leak prevented his body from being able to heal in a timely manner.

Again, Connor tried to cybernetically tap into the news broadcasts throughout the city, but his system was still too weak to connect to any online information. The deviant didn't know the exact time, the temperature, the weather forecast or of any traffic delays that could be preventing Hank from arriving at the school to pick Cole up on time. Too curious for his own good Connor focused on Cole's face and read the little boy's lips as he pressed the phone to his ear and began speaking to someone unseen.

'Where are you, dad?'

That was simple enough to understand and deduce who Cole was speaking to. The worried first grader was waiting for his dad.

'Get here now! Zach is being mean and he-'

From the school's parking lot a very tall man approached Cole and snatched the phone from the little boy's hand. As Cole looked up at the man in fear and confusion another little boy, presumably Zach, pushed Cole from behind and caused Cole to panic and run off in fear away from the school and seemingly into danger.

"Cole?"

Recognizing an assault in progress had prompted Connor to push through his own pain and physical limitations to aid Cole. Limping toward the exit of the library that led directly into the alleyway Connor pulled the now useless white surgical cap from his hair to fully exposed his yellow tinted L.E.D. in his temple, then pushed the doors open to step outside. He could hear small footsteps running down the sidewalk and he heard a grown man's voice shouting at someone to stop running while a very young male's voice taunted the person who was fleeing.

It was clear that someone was chasing Cole and Hank wasn't there to protect him. While Hank couldn't do anything to protect his son, Connor could at least try to do something to help the terrified child until Hank arrived.

Forcing himself to leave the alleyway and reach the sidewalk Connor spotted Cole running across the street and toward the library as fast as possible. The tears and fear in Cole's eyes confirmed that the first grader was absolutely terrified and didn't know what to do or where to go. He was just going to run until he managed to get away from the two people chasing him.

Reacting as quickly as his body would allow him, Connor stepped out onto the sidewalk and grabbed on to Cole's backpack to stop the little boy from running any further. More importantly, he kept Cole from running into the streets or getting lost by mistake.

"H-Hey!" Cole protested loudly as he tried to slip out of the straps of his backpack and get to freedom. "Leave me alone! Please!"

"Cole," speaking clearly Connor used a soft tone and caught the scared first grader's attention. "I'm here to help you."

Looking up at Connor at first with confusion and then recognition Cole's blue eyes flashed with familiarity and he stopped struggling. "Hey... You're the-"

"Get back here, punk!"

Upon hearing the angry man's barking voice Cole instinctively ducked behind Connor's legs the moment Connor let go of his backpack and he hoped that the android would be able to scare the strange man and his bully, Zach, away from him. Afterall, the android had saved his life before.

"Yo!" The man who had taken Cole's phone stopped running and made a casual grab for Cole as the scared little boy remained cowering behind Connor. Bearing a muscular build, numerous gang affiliated tattoos along his developed biceps, scarred knuckles and neck, the man was as intimidating to look at as he was to hear as he made demands with his imagined authority. "Come on, kid. It's time to go with me."

"No!" Shouting as loud as he could Cole tried to get the attention of other strangers passing by as a means of protecting himself with eye witnesses. That was something Hank had taught him to do in the event a stranger ever tried to abduct him. "I don't know you! Leave me alone!"

Connor already knew that Cole had no connection with the man even without the little boy pleading for the man to leave him alone. "I suggest that you forget whatever it is you plan on doing with him and vacate the area immediately."

"Fuckin' machine." Looking down at Zach beside him - the man's familial resemblance to the young child provided a theory as to why he was after Cole - the failed abductor decided to take matters into his own hands. "Look, you have no idea what's going on. Get the fuck outta' my way and I won't have to fuck you up."

"I am not going to allow you to abduct and harm this child." Standing his ground Connor tried and failed to preconstruct his potential options and outcomes as he reached out cybernetically to call the police. Being able to contact the police or fire department at any given time was a safety default feature that all androids carried regardless of power levels or resources. "I'm going to tell you one last time-"

"You tellin' me what to do?" Reeling back his fist the man quickly struck Connor in his jaw and caused the deviant to stagger awkwardly on his feet before regaining his balance while keeping himself between the violent man and Cole still behind him. "You pieces of plastic are out here stealing our jobs and then trying to act like you have any right to tell anyone what to do? I should tear you apart, right here, right now!"

"Get him, Uncle Terrian!" Zach cheered as he watched Connor wipe some fresh Thirium from his now damaged and bleeding lip. The small bully had an upsetting amount of anger behind his eyes and his words. "You get him, and I'll get Cole!"

"I didn't do anything!" Cole practically shouted as three police drones began to circle overhead and record the altercation taking place on the sidewalk. The second Connor contacted the police drones were dispatched to the area to monitor the situation. "Leave me alone!"

"Your dad put my parents in jail!" Zach whined in misplaced anger as he pushed on his uncle's back as if trying to make the man keep fighting. Despite his best efforts Zach didn't have the strength to push his uncle around. "Your dad ruined everything!"

"My dad did his job! Your parents broke the law!" Refusing to let Hank or himself take the fall Cole just yelled back some harsh truths for Zach to hear. "I didn't do anything!"

"Shut up!" On the verge of a full fledged tantrum Zach responded to Cole in a tragically aggressive manner. "I'll kill you!"

Terrian put his hand on Zach's shoulder as he took notice of the police drones now circling overhead. "Cool it, little fighter. Let me handle this."

Connor couldn't preconstruct any outcomes, but he could still read and expertly analyze human body language. He knew that Terrian was going to get physically violent with him before fleeing from the police. There were no laws protecting androids from human assaults, and as such there would be no consequences for the man destroying an unclaimed and unregistered android.

"Cole." Whispering to the little boy behind him Connor kept his eyes on Terrian and refused to blink. "There is an opened door down the alley. Go inside the building and wait for your dad to arrive. Go now."

In spite of his fear Cole knew that he couldn't afford to freeze up a second time and that he needed to run. Backing away from Connor without taking his eyes off of Zach for a moment, Cole made his way down the alley and turned around as fast as he could after he was certain he had gained a safe distance away from his bully. It didn't take him long to find the opened door to the abandoned library and duck inside as Connor had told him to do. After he pulled the door shut Cole sat down on the floor and tried to not cry as he waited for his dad to arrive at the scene and come to his rescue.

"Hey!" Zach had seen Cole running off and tried to get out of his uncle's grip to give chase. "Don't let him-"

"I said to cool it!" Terrian repeated as he refused to let his nephew go after Cole. "I got this."

Unwilling to risk Cole's life by letting anyone get down the alleyway behind him Connor mentally steeled himself for what he knew was going to be one of the worst physical assaults he would ever endure. The police drones continued to monitor the altercation and responding police squad cars converged on the area as Connor wisely played on the defensive rather than the offensive the moment Terrian threw his second punch and connected with Connor's left eye.

There was no reason to fight back. Doing so would only provoke Terrian's already violent nature, and any report of an android getting physically violent with a human could alter the future events that still needed to transpire to ensure that the impending peaceful Revolution still succeeded in three years' time.

All Connor could do was stand in place and take the abuse without any resistance.

"Piece of shit, stop gettin' in my way!"

Silently Connor ignored Terrian's words as the man used his strong fists to pummel his face, chest and torso with violent punches. Every time the enraged man's fists made contact with Connor's body the deviant would receive updated notifications regarding the fractures to his plastimetal frame worsening with each devastating blow. The small cracks lining his already structurally compromised frames steadily widened in size and stretched in length. Small Thirium lines along the cracks began to weaken and leak causing additional internal blood loss. The exhausted biocomponents became all the more stressed and began to overheat as the damning impacts of the strikes pushed Connor's system and functions to their absolute limits and breaking point.

Collapsing to his knees onto the sidewalk, the melted ice and snow soaking into the dirtied white fabric of the scrubs he continued to wear over his CyberLife uniform, Connor gasped for breath and protectively wrapped his arms around his battered chest to support himself. The significant damage had been done and Connor was at the mercy of the indifferent humans who couldn't care less if androids functioned or not.

"I'm going to-" Police sirens filled the air and Terrian wisely froze before he had the chance to continue the assault. Stepping back as Connor lost consciousness and fell forward onto the filthy sidewalk, Terrian grabbed Zach's shoulder and encouraged his nephew to run. "We need to go. Move you ass!"

Four police cars managed to speed toward the alleyway just as Terrian and Zach attempted to flee. Fortunately, it only took one responding officer at the scene to chase down and apprehend the violent and destructive man before he disappeared somewhere into the city. Within a few minutes the swift officer managed to jump out of his car as it skidded to a stop along the street, chase after Terrian down the sidewalk and tackle him to the ground for a prompt and efficient arrest.

Zach began to cry and scream in frustration as he punched at the arresting officer's back until an accompanying masculine android officer scooped the little boy up and held him out at arm's length to keep the child's tantrum from causing any further physical harm. Unphased by the little boy's punches the officer continued to pin Terrian to the ground as he secured the now arrested man's wrists behind his back with a pair of strong metal handcuffs.

"Let go! Let go!" Shouting and crying as loud as he could Zach tried to squirm out of the android's strong grip and run away. "I'll kill you too! Let me go! Uncle Terrian!? Do something!"

The android didn't seem to feel Zach as the enraged child kicked wildly at its chest and arms. "Please stop-"

"Shut up!" Unable to control his anger or stop his struggling Zach continued to shout and wrestle free of the android officer's hold. "I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!"

While Terrian and Zach were detained by the responding patrol officers a familiar looking Oldsmobile sped to the scene of the incident and came to an abrupt halt right in front of the alleyway and behind the parked police vehicle. The 911 call that Connor had cybernetically placed had been incredibly detailed and had specified that Cole Anderson was being targeted by an aggressive adult male in the alleyway between the abandoned library and diner.

As a result, Hank was given special clearance to join the dispatched officers and secure the scene himself.

"Cole?! Where are you?"

Rushing out of his car Hank jogged toward the alleyway and froze when he saw Connor laying face down on the sidewalk in a small puddle of his own blue blood. The very android that Hank had been attempting to locate had once again appeared when Cole needed someone to protect him.

"What the-"

"Dad?!" Cole yelled out in a panicked tone as he ran out of the library doors and practically leapt into Hank's outstretched arms. "It was Zach! He tried to beat me up and he wouldn't leave me alone!"

"Shh, shh, shh... It's all right now," the relieved father promised as he felt his thundering heart finally slow to a more comfortable beat. "I got you."

Holding Cole close Hank rubbed his palm along the back of his son's hair and didn't even think about putting him down as Cole began to openly sob in fear and relief all over again. The fact that Cole had come so close to being harmed, if not right out killed, again in less than twenty-four hours after the previous day's incident made Hank truly appreciate what Connor had done for his son, not once, but twice!

"You're going to be all right, Cole. That guy's going to jail, and Zach is never going to be allowed to go back to your school."

Hank promised Cole that everything was finally okay as he continued to hold his bawling son and slowly took a knee beside Connor on the ground. With his right arm wrapped around Cole's middle back while the little boy held onto his neck for dear life, Hank managed to use his free left hand to grab on to Connor's cold shoulder and pull backward to turn the android onto his side then onto his back to lay flat. Connor's limp arm flopped limply then came to rest over his stomach without ever realizing he had been moved. The soft and erratic blinking of the red tinted L.E.D. in his right temple confirmed he was still alive, but the damage he had sustained was threatening to change that at any moment.

Hank was unsure of what was happening with Connor or why the android was showing up in his life in the nick of time. That didn't mean the seasoned Lieutenant wasn't going to use all his skills and reasoning to find out.

"We're going to get this mess sorted out at the precinct and then we're going home. Those guys won't hurt you anymore."

Staring down at Connor's face curiously Hank continued to embrace his son and give the unresponsive android an unseen somber shake of his head. The man didn't know much about how androids worked, yet he knew helping out Connor via repairs and patience were an absolute necessity.

"Hopefully, this thing will be all right, too."

-next chapter-