DBH: Diverging Paths

by WayWardWonderer

To right a wrong results in a differing timeline of events that risk the fate of all deviantkind after they've succeeded with the peaceful Revolution. The responsibility of the alternate timeline rests solely on Connor's shoulders as the lone deviant navigates a new world while trying to achieve similar results with befriending Hank without destroying everything.

72. Heartache

Spring fell over Detroit and helped the ice sheathed city begin to thaw and regain a sense of normalcy as the snow melted and gave way for newly budded green grass to finally grow. With the air warming up and winter giving way to spring at long last a majority of the city began showing signs of renewed life and energy. The harsh weather had forced many people to reside strictly inside their homes or apartments, and with everyone being cooped up for so long tensions were beginning to rise and tempers flare. As the groggy Detroiters attempted to go about their business with the new android laws set to take effect in less than one week, many protestors were still trying to hold on to their bigotry and prevent deviants from obtaining proper rights to work, have their own property and be seen as equals alongside their human brethren.

Reports of deviants being attacked in the streets were beginning to ramp up and the Central Precinct was as busy as it had been just days after the Revolution. It seemed every case that came across Hank and Connor's desks revolved around deviants being jumped from behind, beaten down and left to bleed out on the sidewalks by an unknown assailant. There was seemingly no pattern or motivation behind the attacks, and as a result the two detectives were at a loss of where to begin looking for potential suspects.

"How many does that make just today? Fourteen or fifteen?" Hank asked as he sat slumped in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He and Connor had been attempting to make progress on their investigation the very second that they clocked-in but hadn't had any luck. "I've lost count after we visited the last victim at that Zeta Facility."

"We're actually at eighteen confirmed victims." Connor noted as he stood beside his desk and stared at his terminal screen. Dancing his coin along his knuckles helped Connor to concentrate on his work while simultaneously recalibrating his reflexes. "All of different models, all in different locations, all wearing different style clothing."

"Yeah, the only thing they seem to have in common is being male in design." Lowering his hand Hank sighed and crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair until it audibly creaked under his weight. "This can't be a coincidence. I'm willing to rule out the bigoted protestors bitchin' about their jobs on this one."

"As am I. To target only the male presenting deviants would not be beneficial in stopping any deviants from entering the workforce. The deviant population is nearly perfectly divided between the male and female presenting deviants throughout the city, and as such targeting a single gender is entirely illogical."

"Think we have a pissed off misandrist rampaging through the deviant community?"

"That does seem like a potential motivation." The deviant detective held his coin between his index and middle knuckles as he stopped the dance and turned his full attention over to Hank as if a sense of discovery had just washed over him. "Perhaps we should look into recent reports of domestic violence in the city."

"Domestic? I thought it was still illegal for androids and humans to marry one another."

"We're not looking for domestic violence between a human and an android." The clarification was as morose as it was logical. "We're looking for a domestic abuse that could have been witnessed by an android who didn't interfere with what had happened."

"Shit..." Hank leaned forward and rested his elbows atop his knees as he pressed fingertips together to create a small pyramid with his hands. "That's going to take hours to get through."

"Not necessarily." Connor retracted the artificial skin from his free hand and pressed his palm against his terminal screen to connect with the precinct files of interest. In a matter of minutes the resourceful deviant detective was able to open the files he had sought and was able to isolate a few cases of interest. "There were twenty-seven cases of domestic violence where the acts of violence were witnessed by a family android within the past twelve months."

"How many cases confirm that the android didn't get involve and try to stop the violence?"

Connor quickly sorted the files and separated the correct cases from the other cases that didn't contain anything of relevance or interest. "...Eleven."

"Well, that's not as many as I was fearing, but still a lot to read through."

"I'll begin compiling addresses and finding the locations of the androids who may or may not still be residing within these households."

"Right, you do that and hand the information to me to deal with. I want you to go back to the Zeta Facility and start talking to those deviants directly to ask them about possible witness connections to domestic violence." The Lieutenant casually shrugged his shoulders as he gave Connor a stern glance and rose from his chair to stretch out his back for a minute. "Trust me, it'll be much faster if you go back to our victims and eliminate them from being a part of these domestic violence cases in person. That way we can even determine if we're on the right track with trying to hunt down a misandrist or if we need to rethink our possible motivation for these assaults and take another look at the protestors."

"That is a logical method of eliminating potential suspects and possible motivation in a timely manner. All right," Connor slipped his coin back into his pocket as he decided to head out to the Zeta Facility and check in with their recovering assault victims for a second time. "I'll reinterview our victims while you remain here."

"Cool. Take the Oldsmobile." Hank pulled the car keys from his pocket and tossed them to Connor who caught the keys without any problem. "I'll call ya' if I find anything out or get a new lead."

"Right. I shouldn't be gone longer than an hour."

As the deviant detective began crossing the bullpen Tina ran up to him and put her hand on Connor's shoulder from behind to stop him. "Hey, you're going to the Zeta Facility, right?"

Turning to face Tina beside him Connor confirmed her question with removing her hand from his shoulder. "I am, yes."

"Mind dropping something off for Gavin while you're there?" Returning to her own nearby desk for a minute Tina unlocked and opened her bottom left drawer and retrieved a large thermal bag. There was an enticing aroma emanating from the bag that made a few people turn their heads as Tina handed the bag over to Connor to take for himself. "It's from my mom's diner. Gavin put in a special request for Abby, and I picked this up on my way in. It's her lunch!"

"I don't mind helping." As he accepted the bag Tina gave him a big grin and even gave Connor a small peck on the cheek that caused immense confusion. "What... was that for?"

"For being such a nice guy! And to be honest, you looked like you could use a little cheering up." Tina's cheery nature was almost infectious. "Wanna' hug, too?"

"N-No, thanks."

Rubbing at his cheek Connor resumed heading toward the precinct's doors to head out and get to the Zeta Facility in a timely manner. He not only wanted to speak with the eighteen victims at the facility before they were discharged from the facility's care, but he also wanted to check in on Abby and ask for a possible favor regarding North if the pregnant technician had the time and ability to help.

---

The tension of the city had spread until it reached out to Belle Isle and left New Jericho Tower feeling as if the deviants residing within needed to go into hiding or put the tower on lockdown. Even with Markus, North, Josh and Simon all actively present and reassuring their people that they were safe on the isle and didn't need to fear any humans who'd come their way or threaten them, the frightened deviants were righteously guarded and skeptical. It didn't seem to matter that the four deviant leaders were in charge of the isle and had everything under control while Connor continued to stay on top of the assaults by actively working in the city streets. The deviant community was scared, and until a suspect was identified and arrested, no one was going to rest easy.

Exhaustion was beginning to wear down Markus's resolve as he tried to maintain a sense of calmness among his people. Needing a little consultation from a trusted ally Markus made his way to the tower's emergency repair bay to speak with Lucy in private and seek her advice. Lucy was a deviant who had a true empathetic bond with everyone that she had encountered through her fascinating life. If anyone could help guide Markus during his time of confusion and doubt, it was her.

"The tower is terrified, and I'm at a loss of how to dispel that fear." Markus admitted as he sat with Lucy in the repair bay and confided in the insightful deviant. "How can I tell our people to not be afraid of going out into the streets when we don't even know why we're being attacked or who the attacker could be?"

"You told our people to be fearless once before while hiding in the depths of Jericho." Lucy stated as she stood before Markus with her hands neatly folded together and her eternally black eyes peering into his very soul. "What has changed beyond our location? What is to be feared now that we are free and will soon have our own rights to live among the humans?"

"I guess the only thing that's changed is that now we don't know who to be afraid of anymore. Fearing all the humans was easy, fearing just one or two humans is hard when we don't even know which humans are the threat."

"A faceless foe can be anyone in the streets; even someone we once viewed as an ally."

"I refuse to believe that the person who's attacking our people is an ally turned enemy. We've come too far, and we've all been very careful with who we trust for something like this to happen."

"Your faith in your people and in the humans' ability to change for the better is an admirable trait, Markus." Airing on the side of caution Lucy reminded the deviant leader that his decisions and actions would affect more than just himself or even New Jericho. "But do not let the light of hope blind you to the darkness that still surrounds us."

"Are you telling me to be wary of our own people?" Markus was genuinely offended at such a concept. He'd never turn his back on his people or label them as anything but trustworthy. "Who in all of the tower would want to harm their own kind?"

"Our people reside beyond these protected walls." Speaking from her heart Lucy motioned to the area around them before returning her hands to their idle position in front of herself as she spoke. "It's impossible to determine what lies in the hearts and minds of every deviant as each heart and each mind is entirely unique; shaped by countless experiences that you alone cannot fully comprehend."

There was no denying that Markus couldn't vouch for the behavior and decisions of every deviant in the city, let alone speak for the ones who refuse to set foot on Belle Isle or within New Jericho Tower. He could barely vouch for his closest friends and allies as it was. Speaking on behalf of every single deviant who lived within Detroit's city limits was unarguably impossible.

"You do not need to bear the weight of such a crushing responsibility alone." Lightly Lucy took Markus's hand in her own and held tight as she read his heart once more. "You've chosen to walk through the fires of Hell to find your paradise on the other side of the blackened gates that once barred you. You're on the side of all that's good and just. You are a worthy leader and a compassionate soul. Continue to lead as you have done before, and our people will continue to follow you."

"I know I can trust my friends to support me and my choices, but even so, I know I'll be met with resistance from those who haven't become entirely convinced of my abilities to lead." Markus gave Lucy's hand a gentle squeeze before taking his hand back to hang loosely at his side. "I know I still have a lot to learn about being a reliable leader, but how can I learn without handling each new experience as they come to me?"

"Only you can know how to overcome such an obstacle. Do not lose heart." The kindness in Lucy's demeanor never once faltered as she did her best to instill wisdom and confidence in the deviant leader. "You'll know what to do when it's time for you to prove your worth as a leader and as a free deviant."

With a hopeful smile on his face Markus thanked Lucy for her insight before taking his leave of the emergency repair bay. The deviant leader had a lot to think about as he tried to figure out the next step to take. As long as he had some trusted allies walking alongside him Markus knew that he'd do the right thing and that in the end, his people would continue to prosper and grow.

---

The recovery wing of the Zeta Facility was unusually full as Connor interviewed the eighteen assault victims for a second time and attempted to identify the motivation behind the numerous assaults taking place throughout the city. As expected, only a handful of the victims had any knowledge or memories of witnessing a case of domestic violence while they were still obedient machines living with humans. Despite the limited information Connor was able to narrow down the search pool as he compared the deviant names with the reports of the domestic violence back at the precinct. Unfortunately, that only led the deviant detective down another dead end as he realized that all of the victims had interfered with the past incidents, and in return wouldn't be targeted for revenge for not trying to protect the victims during the assaults in progress.

Admitting defeat Connor thanked the victims for their cooperation and made his way to the facility's breakroom. He needed a moment to think, and he wanted to check in with Abby before returning to the precinct empty handed. Entering the modest room Connor spotted Abby sitting at the table in the center of the room still eating her lunch with a placated grin on her face.

"Dr. Grayson, I've finished with the interviews."

"Learn anything new?" Abby used a napkin to dab away the small amount of sauce that had stuck to the corner of her mouth. She was devouring the special spicy chicken pasta dish that Connor had delivered with a ravenous glee to feed herself and her growing bump. "Anything I can help with?"

"I've been able to deduce that our initial suspected motivation is incorrect." Connor stood beside the table and instinctively performed a biometric scan over Abby to ensure that the technician was in good health during her pregnancy. "But I haven't made any actual progress on the investigation at hand. There's nothing that can be done to help with my search as of the moment."

"That sucks." Patting the surface of the table Abby beckoned for Connor to join her while she was on her break. "Sit down for a minute. Tell me more about that error your friend North is suffering from."

Connor didn't have the full details on the error to be provided, but he could at least explain the issue at hand. All he knew for certain was that North had less than a year's time to find a patch for her software or she'd begin suffering from glitches, errors and entire processing failures before shutting down permanently. It was such a strange and oddly specific error unique solely to North courtesy of her age and the illegal and unofficial modifications that had been made to her body.

"I think if she came in for an exam and let me see the error for myself, I could help her." Abby determined as she finished off her lunch and sipped at her bottle of water. Despite it barely being noon Abby already looked exhausted and ready to head for home. "I know it's difficult for deviants to trust human technicians after everything CyberLife has done, but if she's willing to speak with me then I'll do everything I can to help her out."

"Thank you, Abby. I'll let North know." As he spoke Connor couldn't help but notice the way Abby was resting her palm along her belly and wondered if she was in pain with all the changes taking place inside her body. "How are you feeling? Do you require anything else before I return to the precinct?"

"I'm good for now, and I know that Gavin will stop by to check on us, again, and will handle anything that we might need." The way Abby had gotten into the habit of referring to herself and the baby as two distinct people was charming and confirmed that she was ready to be a mother. "I'm all right, so please, stop worrying about me and stop scanning me."

Looking away from Abby in embarrassment Connor ceased the scan and gave the woman her privacy. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I know that you're just curious and making sure we're both doing well. I'm going to have my next ultrasound in three weeks at the usual twenty week mark, and by then I'll be able to know the gender and know for certain if I'm carrying twins or not. I can't wait either since I've been wanting to narrow down the list of baby names."

"I could tell you that information right now if you'd like."

"Wait, your scanner is that thorough?"

"Correct. I'm able to determine many things with a simple scan that the eyes of a human with an ultrasound could easily miss."

"Okay." Pushing back her chair Abby put both hands on her fairly impressive sized belly and gave Connor a reassuring smile. "Go ahead. Boy or girl? One or two?"

Very lightly Connor reached out his hand and retracted the artificial skin from his palm as he placed it down gently on Abby's bump. Performing a thorough and harmless scan allowed Connor to see the details that a human doctor wouldn't be able to easily detect unless they were looking for specific details in the baby's overall development. What he saw was enough to give the deviant a new appreciation for everything that was involved with parenthood.

"...You're carrying only one baby."

"Oh, thank fuck!" Abby looked genuinely relieved as she leaned back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh. "Then it's just the Grayson family curse kicking in. Large babies with a healthy birth weight. I'm not ready to take on two babies at once."

"You're also having a girl."

"Ha! I knew it." With that information Abby seemed to regain some energy and couldn't wait to resume her search for the perfect name. "I know that Gavin will be happy to know we're having a girl and not a boy. He's been worried about..." The look of fascination in Connor's eyes as he kept his hand in place draw a keen interest from Abby herself. "Connor? What're you doing?"

"I'm just... I've never felt a baby kicking before." The deviant could also hear the heartbeat inside of his own mind and now understood why humans willingly went through such a physically exhaustion and dangerous process when it came to creating families. To be able to bring a new life into the world was a way to stay focused on keeping the world from burning down and to work hard to keep the world a safe place to live. "It's an amazing sensation."

"You can feel her?" A little jealous of the answer Abby pressed her palms down slightly harder against her bump to pinpoint her baby's exact position in her belly. "I can't feel a thing yet."

"I imagine you will soon." Pulling back his hand Connor nodded and regenerated his artificial skin to cover his palm. "You're both healthy. However, it might be wise to increase your calcium levels to prevent your bones from weakening throughout the pregnancy."

"I'll tell Gavin to pick me up some vitamins and to get more ice cream. That'll make him happy!"

"I'm certain it will. I need to return to the precinct and give Hank an update on the investigation." As he rose to his feet Connor offered Abby his hand to help her stand up as well before he took his leave of the facility. "And thank you for being willing to attempt to aid North with her error."

"Just like it's your job to protect the deviants, it's my job to help the deviants." Abby replied quickly as she put her hands to her lower back for a little extra support for her heavier front. "And I'll help anyone who needs it for as long as I can provide it. That includes YOU."

That particular emphasis didn't elude Connor's attention as he tried to feign ignorance. "I'm aware that you're here to help me if I need it. I trust you."

"Then why are you trying to hide the fact that you're in pain?"

"I'm not-" For whatever reason Connor couldn't bring himself to lie to Abby or deny that he was beginning to suffer from another headache courtesy of his unwillingness to install the new patch. "I'm merely enduring a headache. It's not anything worth worrying over."

"It is when you're an android who's suffering from chronic headaches without any physical damage to explain it away. Need me to check your coding?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I can function as I am."

"I hope so." Crossing her arms Abby took a step toward Connor and looked her friend right in his pained eyes that were dull and practically void of energy. "You're a detective. It's dangerous for you to be working with something like pain posing as a potential distraction when you're trying to find someone who's attacking deviants at random. I don't need to remind you that you were jumped once before, do I?"

"It seems Gavin has been keeping you apprised of everything happening at the precinct." An amused light briefly returned to Connor's gaze as he realized that Gavin told Abby about his days at the precinct even when he isn't directly involved in a situation. "Please don't worry about me."

"Not gonna' happen. Just be careful," the kindhearted technician requested as she lightly put her hand to Connor's forehead for a moment before passing by her friend to resume her rounds at the facility. "and take care of yourself."

Connor could only silently take in a steadying breath as he waited for Abby to leave the breakroom before he too left. It was time to return to the precinct and inform Hank of his arguable lack of discovery during his second round of interviews with the eighteen assault victims. As much as Connor hated not making any progress on his investigation he knew that he had to keep searching and to not give up on hope just because he didn't immediately make progress despite his best efforts.

Straightening his tie and holding his head high Connor passed by Barry in the front receptionist area as he spoke to Jarvis, another deviant working in the facility alongside Abby. It was still interesting to be seen as an ally in everyone's eyes as opposed to a potential traitor hiding among his people. That was a pain that he was glad was gone, but now one he lamented inadvertently passing on to Chase.

As the deviant detective exited the facility and set foot in the parking lot he spotted an android-unique ambulance speeding up to the emergency entrance and just knew that another deviant had been assaulted in the streets. Rushing over to the ambulance Connor helped open the rear doors and looked in at the latest assault victim being tended to by a pair of skilled E.F.T.'s fighting to keep the victim stable.

"I'm Connor and I work with Detroit Police." Introducing himself with his badge in his hand Connor aided the two E.F.T.'s in lowering the loaded up gurney to the ground to be wheeled inside the facility. "What happened to this deviant?"

"Just like the others." The blonde E.F.T. responded as she lifted up a thick bandage over the unconscious deviant's bloodied face to see how much Thirium had been lost. "He was attacked and beaten to a pulp."

"He makes victim nineteen..." Stepping back Connor gave the E.F.T.'s all the room they needed to wheel the gurney toward the facility to have their patient properly admitted and tended to by Abby inside. "There has to be a pattern to these assaults, they can't all just be random."

Turning his back to the ambulance Connor slowly walked over to the Oldsmobile parked on the far side of the parking lot and cybernetically reached out to Hank to inform him of his progress. He didn't have much information to share but he still wanted to keep Hank in the loop while he was out in the field.

'Hank, a nineteenth victim has just arrived at the Zeta Facility.' Closing his eyes Connor stood beside the Oldsmobile and put his hand over his eyes to shield them from any and all sunlight to keep his headache from getting any worse. With his back to the car Connor leaned against it to ensure he didn't get dizzy while he had his eyes shut to keep out the surrounding world. 'Another male model was physically assaulted in the streets just like the previous victims.'

'I just heard the report from dispatch.' There was urgency in Hank's voice as he kept his mind on the case and didn't hesitate to ask about what Connor had been doing while out in the field. 'Did you get to talk to the new victim yet?'

'No. He was unconscious upon arrival.'

'What about the other victims? Did you get any useful information out of 'em?'

'Also no.' The sound of the ambulance doors being slammed shut and the emergency vehicle speeding off made Connor physically flinch as tried to ignore the way the intense sound and smell of the exhaust just exasperated his headache. 'The deviants who witnessed the domestic violence all stood up for the victim, and as a result we can rule out aggravated misandry behind the attacks.'

'Which also means we're back to square one. Damn it.'

'I'm sorry I couldn't-'

'It's not your fault, don't apologize. Just get the final victim's statement then head on back here, we'll keep looking for a motivation.'

'Very well. I'll report back as soon as I can.'

Connor ended the cybernetic communication, but he didn't open his eyes as he lowered his hand to his side. It helped his headaches by keeping the light out for a while to ensure his vision wasn't strained. Unfortunately, it also left the deviant detective relatively vulnerable to the world around him since he couldn't actively see his immediate surroundings or monitor his environment.

With his eyes still shut Connor didn't notice as someone concealed under a black hood crept up toward him in complete silence.

"Finally found you, 'Deviant Hunter'!"

Turning his head Connor only caught a faint glimpse of the hooded figure swinging a metal baseball bat towards his head and effectively striking him along his right temple. In a passing blink his vision turned to gray static as red warnings confirmed the damage he had sustained and a blaring Klaxon warned him of the fracture along his cranial plating.

The pain, the siren and the relentless warning text were all too much for Connor to bear with his headache already gnawing away at his resolve. Dropping to his knees Connor put his hand to his damaged, bleeding head for only a second before emergency stasis mode stole away his consciousness and left him only with a black void of nothingness to keep him company.

Stepping forward the assailant hovered over Connor's body and used the end of the now Thirium stained bat to push the deviant detective's shoulder. When Connor didn't budge the assailant seemed content in accepting that Connor was entirely unconscious and helpless as he laid face down on the blacktop pavement of the mostly empty parking lot.

"You're not going to get away from me this time! Not after what you did at CyberLife Tower..."

---

Handling the total of nineteen confirmed assault cases that had all happened in a single day had left the Central Precinct reeling as the numerous assaults yielded more questions than answers. There was seemingly no connection between the numerous victims beyond just being male appearing deviants, and there was never a witness to the assaults as they happened even in broad daylight. Until there was finally a break in the case or a witness who could help fill in the blanks, Connor and Hank would be stuck needing to put the pieces of an enigmatic puzzle together with no idea of how the puzzle is supposed to look and without nearly enough pieces between them.

Meanwhile, word of the assaults reached the media and began to be spread across Detroit like wildfire. The breaking news story had an unexpected side effect of motivating bigoted humans into adopting the same egregious behavior and attacking innocent deviants just for existing. As a result, the rest of the city's precincts were now on full alert and actively patrolling the streets to apprehend as many angered humans as possible before they had the chance to destroy a deviant out of petty misgivings.

"This is pathetic." Chase grumbled as he stared at the televised projection of the news story on the wall of his office's newly furnished foyer and waiting area. "The humans claim to be superior to androids in every way, and yet whenever they feel as if their own perceived position of power has been threatened they lash out with violence and destruction. Such savagery is all humans know and as such it's only savagery that they'll understand."

Bruno lifted his head as he laid over a small black sofa and gave Chase his full attention. 'Not all humans.'

"Maybe not ALL of them, but the ones that are violent and savage outnumber the few logical and empathetic humans nearly one-hundred to one."

'Does Friend hate humans?'

"...I don't hate anyone." The embittered deviant admitted as he kept his eyes on the projection and stared at the apathetic newswoman with disdain. "However, I don't trust anyone either. Except for you, Bruno. You're someone that I know I can trust."

Bruno wagged his tail happily and laid his head back down over his outstretched paws as he settled in on the new couch and felt more at home than ever before.

Chase continued to watch and monitor the news broadcasts with a sickened fascination as his intrigue and developing instincts as a detective told him to stay fully attentive to what was happening. He knew that there was far more to the assaults than what the news was stating and far more than what the police were able to uncover and verify.

'The nineteen deviant victims have all survive their attacks thus far,' the newswoman, Rosanna Cartland, relayed without the slightest hint of sympathy to her tone as she read off the teleprompter. 'and there have been no witnesses or suspects to these assaults at this time.'

"There won't be any witnesses who will come forward." Sitting down on the sofa beside Bruno with a soft drop Chase began patting the dog's back lightly. "The humans who see these atrocities will keep their mouths shut out of arrogance, and the other deviants who witness these crimes will remain quiet out of fear."

'While the victims have given their statements to the police there has been no developments in locating the assailant or assailants who are responsible for this unusual blight on our city.'

"She says 'blight', but what she really means is 'boon'. Humans won't stop attacking us despite the police now being forced to protect us."

'If you have any information that could help the police with this case, please contact them at their hotline.' As Rosanna spoke a display of the hotline number as well as the nineteen deviant victims' faces all appeared on the screen as if showcasing the abuse to their person under the guise of trying to spark a tip from a possible eyewitness. 'Any and all information could prove to be invaluable to police efforts.'

"The hollow attempts are more insulting than the police not doing anything at all."

'This just in:' Rosanna began speaking again and caught Chase's ear once more. 'There has been another assault against a deviant, and this deviant is a member of the Detroit police department.'

"A deviant... cop." Chase's gray eyes narrowed suspiciously as he resumed focusing on the story. "It can't be."

'Less than ten minutes ago, the city's first deviant detective was ambushed shortly after speaking with the victims of this assault, and has now become a victim of both assault and abduction.' A small videoclip of security camera footage recording the Zeta Facility parking lot began to play and confirm the story. 'The police are now urging all deviants to remain secured in their residences and for humans to report any and all unusual behavior immediately. Again, if you have any information to share...'

Angered by the news stories Chase thought about Connor's current fate as he took in the nineteen battered faces on the news and found himself suddenly comparing each deviant's facade and features to the others. Slowly, one by one, he was able to see a pattern in the victims that the police hadn't seen for themselves. With that pattern came a sense of unsettled dread that made Chase's stomach twist into a tight knot.

"No... That can't be correct."

The nineteen victims had more in common than just their outward gender when the right eye began looking beyond their more subtle traits and focused on what was right in front of them. It only took Chase a moment to notice a pattern among the now twenty victims and deduced the actual motivation for the numerous assaults and now abduction despite having a lack of definitive proof.

"It all makes sense now, but it's still completely illogical. Why would this be happening now, and why attack Connor?"

Moving with a slow gait Chase got to his feet and neared the entry of his office where he hovered his hand over the doorknob as he contemplated getting involved in the unusual case. He had already told Connor that he wanted nothing to do with him, yet he couldn't bring himself to turn his back on Connor when he was in need of help.

Torn, conflicted and at a loss of what to do, Chase just stood before the door as he preconstructed his options and the potential outcome for Connor if help didn't arrive. The outcomes that played out before his eyes were enough to put Chase into motion finally make his decision.

"Damn it... Bruno," turning to look at the K-9 unit over his shoulder Chase made his decision and called the loyal dog to his side. "come on. We have to go."

Bruno jumped down from the couch and sat at attention at Chase's feet to wait for his leash to be clipped to his collar. 'Where are we going?'

"We're going downtown." With the leash secured Chase opened the door to head out and into the streets for the first time in weeks. "There's a case we need to handle, and we need to hurry if we're going to handle it before anything permanently catastrophic happens."

---

Cold, isolated blackness was all that greeted Connor as the pained deviant finally opened his eyes and discovered that he was in an unfamiliar place against his will. The smell of old water and dust filled Connor's vents as consciousness returned to him in a steady, painful manner. Pitch blackness began to fill in with static and a gray hue that had colors slowly bleeding into the environment to give it some form of recognition. Heavy chains hung down from the overhead rafters with their thick metal links scraping along the concrete floor all around Connor. There was no light as the overhead lights were either turned off or deactivated, and all of the surrounding windows were obstructed by some type of sheet or tarp.

The taste of his own Thirium was thick on Connor's tongue as he lifted his throbbing head and peered about the dark space warily. Aware of a tight and heavy coldness around his wrists, Connor pulled against the sensation and discovered that he had his arms and wrists bound behind his back as he sat in a steel folding chair in the center of the black room. Instinctively Connor tried to pull his arms around to his sides, but the metal chains refused to budge. There were identical chains wrapped around his ankles and around the legs of the chair to ensure that he couldn't stand up or run.

"Wh-What's going on?"

His voice cracked with a static-laced garble as he spoke. Closing his eyes Connor ran a self-diagnostic to confirm his fractured cranium as well as the failure to properly record his memories just prior to being struck. The last thing the deviant detective's memory successfully recorded was his cybernetic call to Hank while standing in the Zeta Facility's parking lot. Everything after that was entirely blank and unforgotten.

"Where... am I? Hello?"

Unsure of what had happened or how he came to be captive in the blackened room, Connor tugged on the chains again as he tried to twist his arms around to squeeze his wrists out of the chains as he called for help. The metal bindings were too tight and unyielding for even the strength of an android to break through.

"S-Someone? Anyone?"

As he twisted his arms about Connor attempted to send out a cybernetic distress signal to call for help but the damage to his cranium as well as the walls of the room being filled with lead made it impossible to call out and alert anyone to his unusual circumstances. The deviant detective was truly alone with no way to escape, no way to call for help and had no way to determine his current location.

"Pl-Please? I need... I n-need some help!"

A blinding light shone through the room as a door across from Connor opened wide and allowed the light from the connected room to pour in. Squinting and turning his gaze away from the light Connor listened to the heavy footsteps slowly approaching him and again tried to plead for help and to understand what had happened.

"Wh-Who are you? Please," Connor took in a hissing breath as felt a strong hand grab him by his jaw and forcibly jerk his head to make him face forward again. "I-I need s-some... help."

"There's no help in the world that could ever undo the damage you inflicted on our people, 'Deviant Hunter'."

"'D-Deviant... Hunter'?" It was then Connor realized that he had been attacked because someone had mistaken him for Chase. It made sense since he and Chase bore an identical appearance in every way save for their eye color, but with Connor keeping his eyes closed anyone who didn't know to look at the eyes to differentiate between the two wouldn't know who he truly was until he identified himself. "I'm not 'Chase' or the 'Deviant Hunter'. My name is Connor."

The masculine person doubted the claim and even scoffed at what he perceived to be a blatant lie and attempt for 'Chase' to save himself. "Nice try. Every deviant knows that the five leaders of New Jericho live out on Belle Isle together. Only the 'Deviant Hunter' roams the streets looking for more deviants to destroy."

"No, I-I'm truly Connor." Forcing his eyes open Connor looked at the black silhouette of his assailant standing before him as the blinding light from the neighboring room kept the assailant's features obscured. As he kept his eyes open Connor managed to coax his assailant into reassessing his mistake. "Ch-Check... your sources for id-dentifying Chase. Please... The eyes. L-Look at his eyes and then m-mine."

The assailant was quiet and his grip on Connor's jaw went slack as he seemed to realize his error after comparing the image of Chase's visage to Connor's face and seeing that he had in fact attacked the wrong deviant. "You're... You're not the 'Deviant Hunter'."

"N-No. I am Connor, and I ch-choose to live away f-from the tower." For whatever reason Connor felt the need to clarify things despite the assailant being the one who was in the wrong and had made the horrible mistake. "Why... Why do you w-want to hurt... Chase?"

"You should know. You were there." Standing back the deviant revealed his face as he blocked enough of the light shining behind him to allow Connor to see without being blinded by the intense glow. The assailant was a blond haired, blue eyed 'AX-700'; one of the thousands of deviants rescued by Connor himself from the depths of CyberLife Tower during the night of the Revolution. "You know what Chase did and what he will continue to do if he's allowed to freely roam the streets."

"No... Chase was a m-machine, Eric." Coughing twice Connor took in a deep breath and leaned back in the chair as he tried to calm his elevated vital signs to keep his headache from flaring to a new intensity after he recognized the assailant and addressed him by name. "I... I woke him up. He's a d-deviant, like us."

"No, he's NOT like us. He's hiding out in the city and watching us everywhere we go!" Shouting in frustration Eric refused to believe that Chase wasn't a threat. "You can't possibly believe that he's not lurking in the shadows and waiting for CyberLife to return! He'll kill us all if we don't do something to stop him!"

"I d-do believe that he's... one of us." Leaning forward again Connor bowed his head and tried to keep the light out of his eyes as much as possible. He knew that the longer it took for his damage to be remedied, the worse his head would actively ache. "I d-don't believe that he's... a th-threat."

"How could you possibly say that? He SHOT you, Connor!" Eric couldn't wrap his head around Connor actually vouching for Chase and standing up for the reclusive deviant in any capacity. "He tried to kill you!"

"When he was a machine." Speaking clearly Connor refused to change his opinion on the matter and kept reminding Eric of the situation they had been a part of together on that fateful night. "He d-didn't shoot me... b-because he wanted to. He... was following orders. He's a deviant n-now. He won't h-hurt anyone."

"And you know this for a fact? You may be a leader, but you can't possibly know what he's doing at all times in the city."

"I've... s-spoken with him since that night. He wants to be l-left alone." Connor managed to eke out as his voice faltered and his breath hitched in his chest. "And he is l-living a quiet l-life away from everyone."

"Because he's plotting against us."

"No. It's b-because he... wants t-to be left alone."

"Do you know where Chase is?"

Unwilling to divulge such information to someone so Hellbent on their own paranoid delusion, Connor kept his mouth shut and refrained from admitting to knowing where Chase was currently residing. Such silence only confirmed what Eric wanted to know.

"You DO know where is." Eric returned his strong grip to Connor's jaw and made the deviant detective look him in the eyes. "You have to tell me!"

"I d-do not have to do such thing. Ev-Every deviant... has the r-right to privacy."

"Not the criminals!" Subconsciously Eric's grip around Connor's jaw tightened and began to hurt the captive deviant detective. "Criminals don't deserve any rights!"

"Chase is... n-not a criminal." Connor spoke through his clenched teeth as Eric's hand forced his jaw shut like a painful vice. "His actions b-before his deviancy... shouldn't b-be used against him."

"You're one of the five deviant leaders, and you're the one who managed to infiltrate the tower to rescue me and thousands more." It was clear that Eric couldn't understand Connor's mindset or the motivation behind his decision to protect Chase. There was so much fear and anger in Eric's mind that he couldn't even try to comprehend why someone like Connor was trying to prevent another deviant from being targeted as a criminal. "Why are you protecting Chase? You're a detective and you stop criminals, why do you refuse to see Chase for what he truly is!"

"I do see Ch-Chase for who he is, and I d-don't see him as a criminal." Swallowing nervously Connor knew that his next words would either grant him his freedom or condemn him to further abuse. Despite the odds against him Connor didn't doubt for a second that he was making the correct choice. "Chase... is my brother."

"Fine." Letting his cold grip go slack Eric took a step back and gave Connor a look of raw and unfiltered disappointment. "If you won't tell me where Chase is hiding or condemn him for his actions, then I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

Connor refused to be intimidated as he watched Eric cross from the dark room where he was bound and return to the bright connected room where he had come. The isolation didn't last long as Eric soon returned to where Connor was sitting with an aluminum baseball bat brandished in his hand. The same bat that had been used against Connor and the other deviants all throughout that horrible day.

"Either tell me where Chase is hiding," Eric warned as he tightened his grip around the bat and gave Connor a look of regret and remorse. "or I'll have to extract the information with a more forceful means. I don't want to harm you or anyone else, but I need to know where Chase is hiding."

"Y... You've already harmed m-more of our people than... Chase ever h-had." Connor countered as he didn't cave to fear or threats. "Ch-Chase was a machine when he... hurt our p-people. You, as a deviant, ch-chose to attack twenty of our p-people just t-to harm him. He's n-not dangerous. Deviants who f-fear what they... don't u-understand are dangerous."

Eric couldn't bear to have his own actions compared to that of Chase, the infamous 'Deviant Hunter'. Raising the bat up and into the air Eric just shook his head as he prepared to strike Connor and make the deviant leader expose Chase's current location.

"So be it. May RA9 forgive me for what I'm about to do..."

---

The Central Precinct was being guided by a frantic energy as every available officer and detective was sent out on patrol to try and locate Connor after his assault and abduction had been reported to the police. There were witnesses to the incident at the Zeta Facility who had called 911 as soon as they saw Connor's body being hefted up and into the back of a black, windowless van by his hooded assailant. Barry and Jarvis had heard a commotion out in the parking lot and arrived in time to witness the actual abduction, but neither had seen the assault or the face of the person responsible for the entire ordeal. Reacting quickly, the two deviants contacted emergency services and began checking through the facility's security footage to have handed over to the police.

Abby herself had been the one to deliver the collected footage since she wanted to do something to help her friend after he had been taken away. Despite being unable to know or prevent the final assault from happening, Abby still felt responsible since it had happened at her facility on her watch. The only way to ease her own guilt was to work alongside Gavin in analyzing the footage while Hank rallied together a search party in a large conference room on the other side of the bullpen.

"Drones are now scouring the city in search of the van." Hank confirmed as he paced before the gathered officers and detectives with his hands to his hips and his blue eyes transfixed on the dirty, carpeted floor before him. "The security footage provided from the Zeta Facility confirms that it was a single suspect who jumped Connor and then abducted him. The suspect had their hood up the entire time, which means we can't identify them by their face alone."

Captain Fowler chimed in with his own take on the matter since he knew his friend was going to struggle to keep his mind clear since it was his partner and friend who had been targeted. "We have every reason to believe that this suspect is the same person who had been attacking deviants throughout the city all this morning and afternoon. However, since this is the first time a deviant has been attacked and then abducted, we can't be certain. It's not often that a suspect's behavior changes so drastically with little to no warning."

"We're looking for the black van as seen in the security footage." With the flick of his wrist Hank tossed a small holographic projection disc down on to the table in the center of the room for the gathered officers to view as they awaited their orders. A 3-D holographic image of the van was displayed in full clarity from all sides with its license plate up front and center. "Keep vigilant for both the plate number and any other telltale sign of the van's identity in the event our suspect is smart enough to switch out the plates: Dent in the front bumper near the driver's side headlight. Rust along the rear doors. The passenger side mirror is missing. Remember, this is a fellow detective who's been abducted, remain on your guard and don't go anywhere without back-up at the ready. Am I understood?"

The attending officers all murmured a collection affirmation as they remained at attention. Their respect for Hank and everything he's done was apparent in the best way possible during one of the worst moments in the Lieutenant's career.

"You have your orders." Hank barked out as he stopped pacing and gave the group a determine stare that spoke volumes of his years of experience on handling bizarre, emergency situations. "Dismissed."

Standing back Captain Fowler remained at Hank's side and kept his silence until the room had been cleared out save for his Lieutenant and himself. "How're you holding up?"

"Not great. I know that this isn't history repeating itself. I know it..." A distraught sigh escaped Hank's lips against his will as he opened up to Jeffrey as his friend rather than just his superior. "But I can't help fearing that Connor's been kil-" The very idea of losing Connor made Hank stop before he could even say such a dreadful sentence aloud. "I just can't even think about it. I can't lose another partner because I wasn't there to watch their back..."

"It's not your fault Hank. Connor went to a facility that's supposed to be a safe place for all deviants." Captain Fowler did his best to remain a calm voice of reason as he reminded Hank of the situation that had led to the abduction itself. "There was no way to know that something like this would happen to him or any other deviant."

"But why did it have to be him?" It pained the man to think about what was happening Connor and where he could be at that moment. "Is it because he's a detective? Because he's a leader at New Jericho? Or because he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?"

"We can't know that until we have more evidence, a witness statement or hear what happened from Connor himself. Don't start assuming the worst right now."

"Easier said than done, Jeffrey. It really is."

Two quick knocks on the closed door to the conference room brought the two commanding officers back into reality as Chris opened the door and motioned for Hank to join him out in the bullpen. "Lieutenant, someone's here to see you. You, uh, you gotta' see them for yourself."

"This better be good."

Rubbing his palm along the back of his tense neck Hank followed after Chris and discovered the last person he had ever expected to see standing beside his desk with a stern look in his eyes and a yellow L.E.D. in his right temple. At first Hank was relieved but then confusion, anger and resentment soon washed over him as he realized who he was dealing with

"Son of a bitch... Never thought I'd see you in this bullpen ever again."

"I'm not happy to be here either, Lieutenant." Chase snapped as he stared the man down with Bruno loyally standing guard beside him. It was difficult to just set foot inside the precinct where he had never been welcomed, let alone confront the one detective who'd undoubtedly want to see him destroyed. "The only reason I'm even willing to speak to you is because I know what happened to Connor, and I believe I can help you locate him."

Suspicious of the comment Hank crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Chase warily as if expecting to be ambushed or led into a trap. "What do you know?"

"I've picked up on a pattern in the assaults against the deviants who were attacked before Connor was abducted." Chase held his exposed palm over Connor's terminal screen and brought up the nineteen images of the deviants all resting at the Zeta Facility. It didn't take long for Chase to draw a crowd around the terminal, including Gavin and Abby, as they watched Chase showcase his findings. "All of the deviants are male in design, and while their models aren't identical, they do share specific characteristics to one another that you might recognize."

Slowly Chase layered the faces over one another and showed how the nineteen different models had aesthetics that lined up with the appearance of another specific deviant that the Lieutenant would quickly recognize. The dark hair, the grayish eyes, fair complexion, height, build, nose and jaw all began to blend together until a new face and familiar emerged from the compiled faces beneath.

"You see?" Chase asked as he let Hank take a good look at the terminal screen and see the pattern that he had discovered for himself. "The person who had assaulted the other deviants and abducted Connor was looking for someone specific; they were look for me."

"What the... fuck?" Hank couldn't deny that the when the faces of the deviant victims were combined that they bore a striking resemblance to Chase and Connor. It seemed Connor was abducted due to a mistaken identity and that Chase was the true target all along. "You're saying that this lunatic had been looking for you?"

"Correct."

"Well, who the fuck are they, and what the fuck did you do to them?"

"I don't know who they are, Lieutenant." Shame filled Chase's voice as his L.E.D. flashed to red and he quickly put his palm to Bruno's ears as if needing to feeling safe and grounded by reminding himself that he had at least one ally and friend beside him. "But considering my reputation among the deviants, as well as the human police officers, I can only hazard a very vague guess as to their motives."

"Are you sure that this abductor was after you?" Hank needed to know the details for certain before he acted on anything. "Connor is one of the leaders of New Jericho, so how can we be certain that this abductor was after you and not after him?"

"The degree of violence on these victims," as he spoke Chase cybernetically separated the nineteen images and allowed all of the gruesomely beaten deviants to be seen side by side on the screen. "indicates an extreme form of hatred and anger. Had anyone wanted to do something to harm New Jericho as a whole, they would've simply assassinated Connor where he stood, not abduct him without demanding a ransom. Simple abduction implies they have other plans for Connor, or myself in this case; and considering the level of violence already displayed I can safely deduce that this abduction has resulted in a prolonged agony by the abductor."

Momentarily, Hank fell silent while Gavin wrapped his arm around Abby's shoulders to pull his worried wife against his side in a comforting gesture. The three humans had grown to care about the well-being of Connor, they and hated the idea of him suffering for any reason. "...How do we find Connor?"

"I can scan the city for Connor's unique cybernetic signature and track him down. However," airing on the side of caution Chase wisely kept the group from getting their hopes up too high. "if Connor is unconscious or damaged; perhaps both, I will only be able to locate him when I'm a relatively close proximity to where he is being held."

"How close?"

"My range will be limited to two-hundred feet. That'll still allow me to cover a wide area as long as we know where to start looking for Connor."

"All right, then we'll use the drones and security cameras around the city to track the van and begin searching there." Willing to accept Chase's help for the time being, Hank motioned for Chase to keep working on Connor's terminal. "Do your thing. Tap into the camera footage and give us an area to search through."

Chase was visibly surprised that Hank was willing to work with him without any doubts or hesitation. The only fear in Hank's demeanor was aimed at Connor's potential safety and overall safe return. After taking only a millisecond - an eternity in an android's mind - to shake off his surprise, Chase returned his exposed palm to the terminal screen and began rapidly searching through the city's security recordings and the patrol of the police drones to begin tracking down the van and narrowing down the area where Connor was being held captive.

---

Time was nonexistent and life itself was a pained blur. Had there been no Thirium in his mouth Connor wouldn't have been aware of anything happening with his body beyond the agony of his consistent physical beatings or of his ears ringing courtesy of his fractured cranium. The ice cold of the dirty, Thirium stained concrete floor did little to numb the pain to the deviant detective's battered body as Connor laid over the floor on his side with the chains securing him to the steel chair still weighing heavily on his wrists and ankles. Too weak to break free of the restraints Connor could only lie where he had fallen and wait for Eric to resume beating on his body to try and force information about Chase to pass over Connor's swollen, bloodied lips.

Eric had used the aluminum bat to batter, crack and bruise Connor's body without mercy as he tried to get the information he so desperately wanted. Exactly why Eric felt threatened enough by Chase to warrant such a violent reaction had yet to be uncovered as the abductor refused to lose his only chance to find the deviant that he seemingly feared the most. Then again, there was never a good reason for anyone to commit such violent atrocities against another living creature.

"Just... Just tell me!" Eric blurted as he stood over Connor with tears in his eyes. It was clear that he didn't want to actually hurt Connor, but he did want to hurt Chase bad enough that he'd do anything to find the elusive 'RK-900'. "His life isn't worth yours."

"N-No." Spitting lost Thirium on to the floor beside him Connor spoke to Eric despite his broken jaw and swollen lips making the single effort incredibly difficult and painful to endure. "No life i-is equivalent t-to another l-life. I... I w-won't let you... hurt h-him."

"Then you leave me no choice." Holding the bat up high over his head with both hands Eric prepared to bring it down one last time against Connor's body. "I'll have to probe your memory once you're too weak to resist."

Connor just closed his eyes and held his breath as he felt the blunt force of the bat slamming down against the side of his chassis with enough force to cause his Thirium pump to stutter in his chest before entering an irregular rhythm. Gasping for his lost breath Connor felt his entire body respond to the brutality of the beating and begin spasming in response to the numerous errors rampaging through his system with no means of stopping them.

Eric stumbled back in shock as he watched Connor having an android equivalent to a seizure on the floor before him as the bat loudly clattered to the floor at his feet. It was as if Eric had suddenly become aware of what he had done and of the abhorrent behavior that he had succumbed to all because of his paranoid fear of what one deviant might do. The irony of such a realization made Eric face the truth that what Connor had said earlier was right.

The truly dangerous deviant running amuck in the city was Eric himself.

Fearfully Eric backed away from Connor's convulsing body and made a mad dash for the opened door on the far side of the dark room. Just as the destructive deviant passed through the doorway he heard a deep voice call out to him and the fierce barking of a large dog rushing toward him.

"FREEZE!" Hank already had his gun drawn and aimed directly at Eric's chest while Bruno rushed forward with the fur along his back standing on end. "Detroit Police!"

"I-I'm not armed!" Eric stammered as he wisely raised his hands into the air to surrender to the pissed off police officer and the snarling K-9 unit. "I didn't mean to-"

"Where. Is. Connor?" The Lieutenant demanded as he kept his focus on Eric while Chase continued to scan the building and then ran into the adjacent room. "Answer me now, or I'll have to put a bullet in your head and let tech search your memory for me."

"He's in-"

"Lieutenant?!" Chase called out as the lights in the dark room finally illuminated through a cybernetic command from the 'RK-900' himself. "He's here!"

Hank holstered his gun and quickly pulled his cuffs from the side of his belt. Securing Eric's hands behind his back and looping the chain of the handcuffs around a strong metal pipe jutting from the ceiling and into the floor, Hank made sure Eric couldn't run off while he assisted Chase in the next room.

"Don't even THINK about trying to run. Bruno here will be standing guard."

The K-9 unit growled with a vicious nature as he stared at Eric and proceeded to stand at attention before the arrested deviant. Bruno knew what he needed to do, and he wasn't about to disappoint either Chase or Hank by letting the arrested deviant escape.

Hank rushed into the second room and spotted Chase kneeling on the floor next to Connor's body as the abducted deviant continued to seize uncontrollably. The lost Thirium that had puddled on the floor and saturated Connor's clothing was enough to make Hank stop abruptly as he realized what he was seeing. Connor convulsing while bleeding, bruised and clearly suffering from broken limbs and plastimetal frames all along his torso reminded Hank of the victims that he had helped extract from their mangled vehicles after car accidents in the past.

"He needs a technician." Chase stated tersely as he managed to take the chains around Connor's wrists and ankles in his hands and apply enough pressure to the links to finally snap the restraints and free Connor's wounded limbs. "There is significant damage to his chest and his cranium causing his full system paroxysm."

"What can we do?" Snapping back into first responder mode Hank knelt on the floor opposite of Chase and put his palm beneath Connor's bloodied head to cushion him from the hard, unforgiving floor. "I've never seen this before."

"I've already alerted dispatch to our location." As he spoke Chase carefully rolled Connor from his side and onto his back while Hank kept his hand beneath the seizing deviant's head. "We can only provide basic support until the E.F.T.'s arrive."

"Shit... Hang on, son." Hank spoke to Connor in a cool, collected voice as he watched the deviant seizing and heard his garbled breaths. A bright blue foam was oozing from Connor's mouth and created a possible blockage to his vents as he continued to seize. "Help's here, just hang on for us!"

Connor's body suddenly went unnervingly still as a deathly silence filled the room. There was no sign of awareness or life within Connor as Hank and Chase knelt over him in a protective manner.

Chase quickly pressed his palm down over Connor's chest to run a diagnostic. There was no sign of Thirium pump activity or ventilation.

"His pump has seized entirely." Placing one hand over top the other, Chase interlaced his fingers together to create a single fist and promptly put the heel of his palm down over the center of Connor's chest and then squared his own shoulders. Using a perfect rhythm and controlled pressure Chase proceeded to compress Connor's chest in an attempt to keep Thirium flowing through his lines and to restart his stopped heart. "Clear the foam from his mouth while I attempt to manually reactivate Thirium pump activity."

Trusting his instincts and his emergency training to guide him, Hank carefully lowered Connor's broken jaw and tilted the deviant's head back slightly before dipping his fingers into Connor's opened mouth to scoop out of the foam to clear his airway. Hank knew it was important to keep an open and clear airway on anyone when they were incapacitated and required any form of assistance.

"We'll need external electrical stimulation to restore his Thirium pump's natural beat." Chase confirmed as he continued with the compressions. "I can't link my system with his system to restart it cybernetically due to the severe damage his cranium has recently received."

"Don't stop with the compressions until the E.F.T.'s arrive." Hank practically begged as he watched Connor's battered body being rocked rhythmically under Chase's hands as the second deviant forced his pump to continue to beat. "We need to give him every chance possible to pull through this."

"I agree and I had no intention of stopping the compressions." Even while he spoke Chase kept a perfect rhythm and kept Connor's heart beating under his hands. "I was merely informing you of the situation."

"Yeah... Yeah, good."

What felt like years passed before the E.F.T.'s arrived at the scene and rushed through the abandoned automotive plant where Connor had been held captive for almost four hours before he had been found. The flurry of motion as the technicians placed their equipment down on the floor around Connor while assessing his condition and checking his vitals gave Hank the illusion that he was caught in the middle of a strange nightmare. Hank traded places with the male E.F.T. as his partner secured an airway to force Connor to properly ventilate and keep his system from overheating. After standing back Hank just watched as Connor was stabilized and prepared for transport to the Zeta Facility.

"Hang in there for me, son. Help's here."

The sight of Connor having his bloody head wrapped up in gauze, an intubation line secured in his throat to keep his airway open, and the E.F.T.'s using what was unnervingly similar to a defibrillator to jumpstart his stopped heart was enough to make Hank's own heart ache sympathetically. When Connor's entire body jerked and his synthetic muscles contracted after his heart was given a controlled shock, Hank felt like someone had punched him in the gut. The way androids were being given emergency treatment and assistance in a way that mirrored a human's care just reminded the Lieutenant of how alive deviant truly were, and of how horrible his past behavior and attitude towards Connor had been.

"Fuckin' hell..." Turning his face away Hank couldn't bear to watch Connor get defibrillated a second, third and finally a fourth time before his heart finally began to beat again on its own. Each shock sounded painful and echoed through the old plant as Connor's body responded physically to each jolt rapidly passing through his motionless heart. "Come back to us, Connor."

"We got a rhythm." The female E.F.T. confirmed as she checked the Thirial activity monitor synched to Connor's system through wireless leads attached to his bruised and barely rising chest. "His Thirium pressure is critically low, we'll need to set up dual Thirium lines before we move him."

Chase kept back as well and didn't say a word as he watched the E.F.T.'s securing Connor's neck with a soft collar, inserting I.V. lines into the bends of both arms, and stabilizing Connor's battered chest, torso, arms and legs with gauze and splints. The deviant could see all of the damage that the humans couldn't thanks to his enhanced programming, and he despised what his eyes were revealing as they peered through Connor's artificial skin and into his physical core.

"Let's get him on the backboard."

Silently Hank and Chase watched as the two E.F.T.'s worked together to roll Connor onto the strong backboard then placed the secured backboard onto the gurney. After Connor was placed on the gurney and had the securing straps over his chest and legs tightened, Hank and Chase followed after Connor for a moment before remembering that Eric was still bound to the pipe and needed to be taken to the precinct to be properly arrested, questioned and charged for his numerous crimes.

"Chase? Uh... If that's the name that you still go by anyway..." Hank was trying to be more respectful to Chase after the deviant went out of his way to find Connor and provide him with some kind of treatment after he had been so savagely beaten. "Could you ride with Connor to the facility and stick around until I get there? No one should wake up in a hospital or facility and find themselves alone."

Such a humble request made it difficult for Chase to remain angry and guarded around Hank in that moment. With a small nod Chase agreed to stay at the facility and put his palm on Bruno's head. "Yes, I'll accompany him to the facility and remain there until you or someone else arrives to keep vigil."

Bruno looked up at Chase and whined a little as the K-9 unit understood what was happening. 'Bruno will go with Friend and Connor.'

"Good job, Bruno." Chase glared at Eric as the cowardly deviant refrained from making eye-contact with the very deviant he was trying to attack. "Our work here is finished. Now it's up to Lieutenant Anderson to see that our suspect is properly charged with his numerous, malicious crimes against his own people."

---

New Jericho was on edge as the confirmed deviant assaults continued to be the top story being discussed throughout Detroit. When word of Connor's assault and his abduction reached their ears, Markus went on full alert and attempted to find more information about his missing friend while assisting in his own way without getting actually involved in the active police investigation. From the secure tower Markus cybernetically reached out to his contacts elsewhere in Detroit, namely the Central Precinct receptionist Pamela, and asked for confirmation that Connor had in fact been the latest victim in the string of assaults in the city, as well as being abducted by the unknown assailant. As expected, such confirmations only made Markus feel absolute dread for the safety of his missing friend.

Unable to do much beyond monitoring the city's activity through remote links with his allies, Markus anxiously marched along the thawing harbor surrounding Belle Isle to try to clear his head and calm his emotions. The deviant leader had never had to handle a situation where one of his own had been taken captive or had gone missing. To make things worse, he had never had to deal with a fellow deviant proving themself to be a genuine threat to their own people. Now he had to deal with both new challenges at the same time.

It was only when Markus had been given an update from Chase, of all deviants he could've reached out to him and given him information, that he stopped pacing about the isle. Knowing that the 'RK-900' had aided in Connor's rescue renewed Markus's faith that his people weren't doomed to repeat humanity's mistakes by emulating their fears, prejudices, violence and discrimination by mistake.

'Where is Connor right now?' Markus asked through the cybernetic link as he turned to look out past the isle and toward the cityscape as if he could somehow see his allies looking back at him. 'What's his condition?'

'Connor has been admitted to the Zeta Facility and is being treated by Dr. Grayson as we speak. However, his condition is still critical.' Chase confirmed as he kept his promise and stayed at the facility. At that very moment Chase was watching Connor's emergency repair session through the large window of the observation room adjacent to the emergency repair bay. 'I will remain here until someone else arrives at the facility to keep watch over Connor during his recovery.'

'What can you tell me about the deviant who attacked him? Why did this happen?'

Chase relayed the gathered information about Eric and his suspected motivation to Markus without showing any sign of upset in his voice. The 'RK-900' knew that he hadn't done anything directly responsible for Connor's situation or Eric lashing out, and he wasn't going to let something like empathy break down the walls he worked so hard to put up around himself.

'Lieutenant Anderson is interrogating Eric at the precinct.' Chase then stated bluntly as he watched Abby finish the final repair processes and close up Connor's abdomen, then double-check her work along his repaired cranium. The severe damage was enough to make Chase wary of Connor being able to talk about what had happened to him during his captivity and torture session. 'He'll know more about what happened today than I will.'

'Okay, that's good. And how about you?' Markus didn't want to have to worry about two deviants being injured that day while trying to process the fact that Eric actively attacked his own people without any logical reason. 'Are you injured?'

'...I am unharmed.' Staring through the observation window Chase watched as Connor's wounds were properly bandaged and the deviant detective was wheeled out of the bay on a clean gurney. He could see that Abby was physically tired but wasn't going to let her patient be alone even while he was being transported to a private recovery room. 'Don't worry about me, remain focused on Connor and maintaining damage control at the tower.'

'I'll do what I can from here then go out to the facility. And thank you for saving Connor's life.' Markus knew it was difficult for Chase to do anything with Connor due to his unsteady relationship with the deviant detective. 'I know that you've been trying very hard to be your own person and separate yourself from what you've done and for what you've been accused of doing, and I know that it was hard for you to approach the police or anyone else these days. I appreciate it, and I know that Connor does too.'

'I don't need any thanks; I just need to be left alone and for the deviants to stop fearing that I'm an assassin lurking in the shadows.' Eager to cease the line of communication Chase looked at Bruno sitting near the doorway of the observation room and gave the K-9 unit some gentle ear rubs. 'I'll update you if there's any change in Connor's condition.'

Passing through the doorway Chase walked with Bruno beside his leg as he trailed Connor to the correct recovery room down the corridor. Quietly Chase and Bruno stood in the opened door of the private room and watched as Connor rested in the soft bed with Abby still hovering over him. It was evident that Connor was still entirely unconscious and needed external support to keep his ventilation system functional. The external air intake line still snaked down Connor's throat and attached to the nearby external ventilator made it seem like Connor was never going to regain consciousness or functionality.

"He's stable." Abby felt Chase watching everything happening in the room without even needing to look at the 'RK-900' over her shoulder. Awkwardly she reached up to hang a pouch of Thirium from the I.V. stand and ensure that Connor had plenty of replacement Thirium now coursing through his lines. "I repaired the damage to his core, his biocomponents and his cranial plating, but all diagnostics confirmed that his memorybank has been compromised to some degree."

"Will he be able to remember what has happened to him?"

"I'm not sure yet." Turning around Abby sighed and placed one palm to her lower back and the other hand beneath her belly to support her heavier weight. "I'm not even sure when he'll regain consciousness. Even though he's stable, his vitals haven't improved enough to make any accurate assessments of his prognosis."

Warily Chase approached the bed and looked down at Connor's bruised face. It was so strange to see him in such a state since he knew that Eric would've done the exact same thing to himself if he had gotten the chance, and for Chase it was like he was looking into a mirror to alternate reality.

"Dr. Grayson, is he stable enough for me to access his memory and provide the information to the police?" Chase looked down at his hand before he even attempted to touch Connor's forearm and connect to his system. "I... I don't want to harm him."

A warm smile graced Abby's lips as she recognized the way Chase was trying to hide his concern for Connor's wellbeing. "You won't hurt him if you don't want to. It's okay to try and reach his memories."

Chase was motionless for a thoughtful minute before he retracted the artificial skin from his palm and wrapped his hand around Connor's forearm just below his wrist. As he easily breached the firewalls surrounding Connor's mind Chase accessed the deviant detective's memorybank and was greeted with horrific images of the relentless beating and torture that Connor had endured solely to protect Chase from the same fate. The sound of Connor crying out in pain and hearing the plastimetal fracturing as Eric beat Connor with the aluminum bat had left Chase feel absolutely appalled at the needless brutality.

The memories provided Chase with invaluable information crucial to the investigation regarding the assaults and the abduction. Replaying the horrible events in his mind didn't help make the torture appear any less horrendous to Chase's eyes. However, it was the conversation that Connor shared with Eric before the torture even began that made the aloof deviant's abruptly heart shatter.

"Connor..." Releasing his grip slowly Chase felt a burning warmth in his eyes as tears welled up unexpectedly. "You didn't have to- You didn't deserve this."

"No one does." Abby commented as she saw the pain in Chase's reaction to what Connor had gone through. "Can you give anything useful to the precinct?"

"Y-Yes, I can. But I don't want to leave Connor alone." Suddenly Chase felt as if he owed Connor a great debt and didn't want to flake on repaying what he owed. "I also promised the Lieutenant that I'd remain here with Connor until someone else could keep watch over him. He doesn't want Connor regain consciousness and be alone."

"I'll sit with him. I'm supposed to be off the clock anyway, so it's not a problem."

"Are you- Yes, of course you're certain." Despite not knowing Abby very well Chase knew that the woman wasn't the type to be questioned when she made up her mind about anything. Politely Chase grabbed the chair sitting in the far corner of the room and brought it over to the side of the bed for Abby to use while she kept her star patient and friend company. "I'll go to the precinct and deliver the copy of his memories in person."

"Sounds good." Abby sat down slowly and put her hand over Connor's hand to offer him some support and comfort while he rested. "I'll call Gavin if he wakes up."

"Thank you." Chase began marching toward the door with Bruno again tagging along, but stopped short when something important came to mind. "Oh, one other thing. While I was checking Connor's memories, I noticed that he had downloaded a patch to correct his chronic headaches but has yet to install it. Perhaps you could try to convince him to install the patch before he leaves the facility."

"Oh, you can count on it." If one didn't know any better, they'd think Abby was looking forward to scolding the deviant for his reckless decision. "Nothing annoys me more than a patient ignoring their health no matter how many times their personal caregiver tells them otherwise."

---

The sun had set, and many concerned friends and allies had gathered at the Zeta Facility to check in on Connor and see how the deviant detective was fairing during what was sure to be a lengthy recovery period. While the Central Precinct handled Eric's arrest with professionalism and made sure the deviant knew he had the right to an attorney to defend himself while in court, those who weren't actively working on the case made sure to be a reliable source of support for Connor to lean on after he awoke. The amount of people who were going out of their way to check in on Connor, visit with him and offer any form of assistance available during his time of need, was impressive to say the least.

Hank had begrudgingly brought Cole to the facility to visit with Connor after telling him of what had happened while his young son was at school. It was never easy telling Cole about bad things happening at work, but whenever they revolved around Connor or Gavin, or anyone else that Cole had come to admire, the challenge amplified to a level that Hank wasn't sure he was capable of handling.

Together Hank and Cole sat beside the bed and kept Connor company in his private recovery room while Chase and Bruno hung back near the doorway. Abby had been taken home by Gavin after everyone else arrived so that she could get some rest and destress after a stressful day. Other officers and detectives had stopped by to visit for a moment - Tina, Chris, Ben and Captain Fowler to note - and reminded Hank that he and Cole weren't alone as they waited for their deviant family member to finally awaken. Markus, North, Simon and Josh would be out to visit soon.

Cole didn't like sitting still for too long or being unable to do something to help Connor. Peering about the recovery room Cole's eyes landed on Chase and he began speaking to the deviant as if they were an old friend. "Hey, did you figure out your new name yet?"

"I... have not." Chase wasn't expecting anyone to speak to him and he was caught off guard. Clearing his throat a little Chase stood more upright and stepped further into the room to get a better look at Connor resting in the bed. "I've been too preoccupied as of late to decide on a new name."

"Want some help?"

Hank put his hand on Cole's shoulder to request for his son to leave the matter alone. "That's going to be his decision regardless of what other people say."

"Doesn't mean he couldn't use some help or ideas."

Chase was slowly understanding why Connor cared so much about the little boy. The memories of being tortured weren't the only memories that Chase had delved into, and he now could see the world through Connor's eyes after learning everything that Connor had gone through in the three years he had lived with Hank and Cole as a caretaker android. It also let Chase fully understand what Connor's motivations had been and why he had risked so much for seemingly so little in return.

"What's your dog's name?" Cole continued to ask questions as he noticed the K-9 unit sitting obediently by the room's door. "My dog's name is Sumo."

"This is Bruno." Chase introduced the dog to everyone and watched as Bruno timidly approached Cole as the little boy extended his hands out toward Bruno to sniff and to invite him over for some ear rubs. "And he used to be a K-9 unit with the police."

"That's cool. Sumo never had a job."

Hank chuckled a little as he thought about getting the large, lazy dog up and doing some form of job every day. "Sumo's a mooch."

Chase didn't have any sense of humor just yet, but he recognized the joke when he heard it. Very lightly he reached out and put his hand on Connor's bandaged head as he assessed the deviant's condition. "...He's starting to wake up."

"Son?" Hank leaned forward and put his hand on Connor's shoulder lightly to get his attention. "Connor, can you hear me?"

Two knocks on the door turned Chase's attention to the new arrival and saw Markus standing on the other side of the closed door with North beside him. Discreetly he motioned for the two deviant leaders to enter the room and check in with Connor as well.

"How is he?" Markus asked as he and North crossed the room quickly and stood at the foot of the bed. The deviant leader's strong arm was wrapped around North's shoulders to ensure that she could move about without stumbling by mistake in front of other people. "What's happening?"

"He's starting to regain consciousness." Chase confirmed as he spoke in a soft voice. "This is a good sign."

North gave Chase a spiteful look as she walked away from Markus and sidled up next to the bed to hold Connor's hand for herself. "Then maybe you should go. I don't think he'll want to see you after everything that's happened because of you."

Such a strong remark irked Markus almost instantly. "Hey, don't-"

"It's all right." Chase silenced Markus quickly to stop an argument from taking place. "She's right. I need to go, I've been here long enough."

Hank wanted to reach out and keep Chase from leaving the facility now that Connor was stirring. "He'll be worried if you're not here."

"You can tell him what's happened, I don't need to be here." As he headed toward the doorway Chase felt Bruno tagging along right at his heels once more. Setting foot into the corridor Chase looked back at the bed and watched Connor's head lolling against the pillow and his hands starting to twitch. "Please let Connor know that I'm willing to speak with him when he's ready, and that I... forgive him."

Markus and Hank exchanged silent glances of concern for Chase while North and Cole focused on Connor. Steadily the deviant detective's eyes cracked open, and his breathing began to deepen as he tried to resist the external ventilator breathing for him.

"Take it easy, Connor." Hank soothed as he put his hand on Connor's chest to let him know he wasn't alone. "You have a tube down your throat. It's there to help you breathe right now."

Moving steadily Markus put his hand on the end of the tube sticking out of Connor's mouth and gave his friend a confident voice to focus on. "I can pull the tube out for you, Connor. Extubation is a part of my programming."

Hank was a little worried about Connor still needing the tube to breathe and questioned Markus about his offer. "Is it safe to do that? Doesn't he need it?"

"Now that he's conscious his ventilation program will reactivate without needing any secondary support." Markus unclipped the ventilator from the tube and took a firm grip on the tube as he looked Connor in his groggy eyes. "I'll pull this out nice and slow while you cough. Okay, on three. One, two... three."

Connor coughed and gasped for air as the tube was easily slid out of his throat without any resistance. Having such measures taken on his person felt like a form of violation and made the deviant detective all the more reluctant to receive proper technical assistance whenever he was injured or ill. The very motion of coughing was all it took to make his persistent headache flare with a vengeance and cause Connor absolute pain that he couldn't escape.

"It's okay, it's all right." Hank promised as he moved his hand to Connor's shoulder and leaned over the deviant so that Connor could see his face. "You're in the Zeta Facility with me, Cole, Markus and North. Chase was here too and he's okay."

North tightened her grip on Connor's hand and put her free palm to his cold cheek. "You're safe now, you're with friends."

Connor looked up at everyone around him for a moment and then closed his eyes as he let out a deep sigh through his nose. Seeing the familiar faces all around him wasn't as comforting as everyone else had hoped it'd be. After everything Connor had been through, and after everything he had done to protect the innocent people of Detroit, Connor had no interest in socializing with anyone who couldn't comprehend the level of pain and sacrifice that he had gone through.

"He's in a lot of pain." There was no denying what she was seeing as North held tightly on to Connor's hand. The look in Connor's eyes betrayed his true thoughts and feelings in a heartbeat. "It might be best if took him back to New Jericho Tower to recover."

"No, it's his choice as to where he wants to be." Markus countered as he looked down at Connor and lowered his voice to a softer tone. "Do you want to stay here?"

Connor swallowed once to rid the lingering discomfort from his throat before speaking up. "I... I-I want... to be left... alone."

"Okay. North and I will return to New Jericho and let Simon and Josh know to hold off on their visit until tomorrow." Empathy and compassion had been Markus's strongest traits as he continued to watch over his injured friend. "Rest well and know that you have allies watching your back even while you're here."

Slowly North lowered Connor's hand to lay alongside his body as she leaned down and gave him a small kiss on his lips much to everyone's surprise. "We need you to recover, Connor. Please feel better soon."

Laying still Connor watched as North walked away with Markus discreetly helping her move across the room. Moving slowly himself, Connor pressed his fingertips to his throbbing forehead and felt all the gauze bandages wrapped around his entire head while he tasted North's kiss lingering on his lips. He knew his damage had been critical, but his inability to run a proper self-diagnostic made it difficult for him to determine how beaten down his body truly was at the moment.

"Connor, you were injured pretty badly." Hank whispered as Cole and stood beside him while they remained in the room to keep an eye on Connor. "That bat fractured your skull, broke a few ribs, fractured your forearms and did the same to your legs just below your knees. The bat also damaged a lot of your internal stuff. Abby said something about your Thirium filter and what she called your sterilization filters being pretty banged up. And..." It was hard to tell Connor what had happened to him despite knowing he had every right to know what was done to his body. "While you were out at the plant being fucked with, your heart stopped."

Such details did little to ease Connor's worries as he tried and failed to remember what had happened. There were blanks in his memory that left him unable to remember anything about the abduction or being rescued. All he could remember was being tortured and pleading to be set free.

"Chase was the one who helped me find you, and he's the one who gave you C.P.R. until the E.F.T.'s got to the scene." Hank could see the confusion and fear in Connor's eyes, and he could see Cole trying to put on a brave face to hide his own fear as well. "He saved your life, son. And I'm not sure what this is about, but he says that he forgives you."

At those words Connor took in a deep breath and fought to keep himself from breaking down into tears. He had wanted nothing more than to earn Chase's trust and be able to have some kind of relationship with the deviant he considered to be his brother, but hearing about Chase saving him only to leave before they could speak to one another made it seem like everything had been a hollow gesture. It was as if Chase had assumed that Connor wasn't going to survive his ordeal and the act of forgiveness wasn't sincere.

"It's okay, son." Hank kept his hand in place while he tried to ease the deviant's fears and help him calm down. "You're okay too. Just try to get some rest. I'm going to stay here with you for the night so you're not alone."

Cole looked up at his dad and refused to be left out now that Connor was awake. "I'm staying too!"

"You have school tomorrow."

"Connor's more important, and I'm not going!"

"Cole, please don't- Know what? Fine." Unwilling to argue Hank put his free hand on Cole's hair and admitted defeat. Reaching for his wallet Hank handed Cole his debit card and then handed him his phone right after. "Go out into the waiting area and use that to order a pizza to have delivered here. The deviants up front can help you out."

Cole stared at the card and phone for a moment before he gave his dad a perplexed glance. "Pizza?"

"Can't stay the night at the facility on empty stomachs. Go on, go order dinner and after you eat you can come back in here to help me keep an eye on Connor for a while longer."

Cole knew that Hank was just trying to send him away, but he didn't know why. Accepting the card and the phone Cole slowly left the room and left Connor behind to do as his dad had asked of him. "I'll be back, Connor."

"I know you don't want us to stay here with you all night long." Speaking softly Hank did his best to be of some form of comfort to Connor as the distressed deviant fought to keep his emotions in check. "We'll just stick around for a few more hours and won't put up a fight when Barry tells us that visiting hours are over. Need me to bring you anything from the house when I come back tomorrow?"

"J-Just leave me... alone." Connor didn't want to talk, and he didn't want anyone to see him while he was so weak, vulnerable and defenseless. "I w-want to be left alone. That's a-all."

"Okay, son. Just know that I'm happy that you're going to be all right. I was scared out of my mind and didn't think I'd-" Hank didn't want to mention what was going through his mind while he was at the precinct organizing patrols. "Let me just put it this way. Today really made me face how much I care about you, and how important you are to the family. When you're ready to go home, just say the word. I still have a lot to answer for after I essentially told you that you were worthless and unimportant." The senior detective gave Connor some space and made his way to the door as well. "Damn was I wrong!"

Once he was finally alone in his room Connor finally let his tears fall as he reflected on what happened that day. A single deviant had decided to go on a rampage and harm twenty innocent deviants just to get to Chase, and in return Chase was the one who had saved Connor after he had foolishly allowed himself to be jumped, abducted and tortured by the average commercial deviant. So much chaos and violence had torn through the city all because of Connor's failure to protect Chase from CyberLife before the Revolution ever happened, and his failure to fight for Chase's right to live among the other deviants in the city.

Taking in pained breaths Connor ignored the warnings in his eyes telling him about the damage he was well aware of without needing a self-diagnostic. His fractured cranium, fractured plating along his chest and the fractures along his arms and legs were very efficient at informing Connor his current condition. The internal damage to several of his biocomponents made it all the more painful to even breathe, let alone move about in the bed or try to get up on his own to leave the facility.

"C-Can't do anything... right. Can't e-even protect... myself."

Barely able to breathe or think had left Connor prone to his overwhelming emotions and left the deviant detective too exhausted to even stare off into space as he beat himself up for his perceived errors. With his thoughts reeling and his heart essentially broken Connor succumbed to rest mode and tried to forget about the unforgiving world around him for a few precious hours before he'd be forced to endure days of pain and scrutiny during his recovery.

"It's n-no wonder that Chase h-hates me. C-Couldn't even s-stand... to look at me while I was u-unconscious."

It hurt to speak but a part of Connor believed he deserved every second of agony, and didn't try to make it stop.

"I don't deserve a f-family. Chase is b-better off without me trying... to be his brother."

-next chapter-