The cold autumn air had stricken nearly every occupant in the precinct with a nasty cold or headache that had made the bullpen disconcertedly tense. Small coughs, sniffles and groans of discontent echoed through the bullpen as every afflicted officer and detective blew their noses, sipped at warm tea and popped their next dose of medication all while attempting to keep ahead of their work. It seemed the only ones who weren't being affected by the seasonal ailment were the deviant officers and lone deviant detective who had the misfortune of being surrounded by so many sick humans. While the deviants couldn't be infected and become ill as well, it was still unpleasant being surrounded by so many ill people.

Due to the abundance of sickness spreading through the bullpen the deviants were all pulling overtime to help cover the affected officers without complaint. Jack had been able to team up with Chris again to ensure the younger officer didn't get too ill while on the job, whereas Connor remained in the bullpen itself to keep an eye on the other humans. It seemed that Hank and Gavin were the only ones to avoid catching a cold that year, but that didn't mean they weren't at risk of becoming ill all the same.

"Go home, Tina." Gavin urged as he passed her a box of tissues and quickly retracted his hand out of fear of catching her cold. He was leaning back as far as he could in his chair without actually pushing himself out from beneath his desk. "I can't afford to get sick!"

"I'b fibe!" Lying through her teeth Tina blew her red nose on a tissue and sniffed once to clear her throat. "Really. I don't even have a fever."

"You're snottin' all over the place!"

"Am not. AND I've been using hand sanitizer religiously."

"Not good enough. Go home, make yourself an entire kettle of tea and nap under every blanket in your apartment."

"Oh, man... That sounds so good right now." Leaning back in her own chair Tina sniffed again and wrapped her arms around herself. She was trying to not openly shiver as some chills set in and made her feel even worse. "But I can't leave you here alone."

"I'm not alone." Getting to his feet Gavin put his arm over his nose and mouth as he motioned to the other detectives and officers surrounding them with their own miserable company. Casually he reached into his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a can of disinfectant spray and gave it a couple of good shakes as he reminded Tina that she wasn't the only officer he could work with. "There's other people here, which means I won't be alone. You take a cab and go home! Text me when you get there."

Tina laughed a little as she managed to get to her feet and pulled her jacket from the back of her chair to slip on over her shoulders and bundle up. "You really said 'text me when you get there'. You're officially a dad, through and through!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Keeping a fair distance from Tina as she walked around their desk Gavin held up the can in front of himself as if he were a priest warding off a demon during an exorcist. "Just get outta' here before I tell your mom you're sick and not taking care of yourself."

Wiping her nose one more time Tina gave Gavin a wave goodbye as she slowly walked out of the bullpen and toward the front entrance. "Dad of the year material right there!"

Hank and Connor remained at their respective desks and watched as Gavin quickly used the spray to disinfect Tina's desk thoroughly before doing the same for his own desk just in case he could accidentally bring something infectious home to his family. It would've been amusing to see if the sound of coughing and sneezing wasn't echoing through the bullpen as Gavin did everything in his power to avoid getting sick and spreading the sickness around.

"Remind me to pick up some kid's medicine tonight." Hank lamented as he checked his phone and quicky responded to a text message that had been sent to him a few seconds prior. "I get the feeling that this cold problem is going to spread to the schools and that Cole's going to come home feeling cruddy."

"I'll cybernetically place an order and have it delivered to the house." Without missing a beat Connor made the order as he watched Captain Fowler through the transparent wall of his private office fill out yet another sick officer report on his terminal. The commanding officer was beginning to show fatigue and a few cold symptoms himself but wasn't complaining about it. "The package will be left by the backdoor."

"Good work. That'll make things... Uh..."

Connor had waited for Hank to finish his sentence but noted that the Lieutenant had trailed off entirely as his kept his eyes on his phone's screen. "Hank?"

"Hm?" Barely looking up from his phone Hank tried to give Connor back his attention. "What?"

"Are you all right?" Tilting his head slightly Connor studied Hank's expression and noticed that he seemed more interested in something that didn't revolve around a precinct full of sick people. "You seem to be very distracted as of the moment."

"Y-Yeah, yeah. I'm good." Glancing about suspiciously Hank lowered his voice and gave Connor a small grin from where he sat. "I just got a dinner invitation from Rose, that's all."

"Oh, that is good." Hearing Hank talking about spending time with a potential romantic interest was something that renewed Connor's hope for the man's future and overall happiness. "When are you doing to meet with her?"

"I, uh, I haven't decided if I'm going to accept it or not." Despite being very interested in Rose and finding a lot in common with the woman, Hank was still a little wary of potentially dating again. He didn't want to risk having his hear broken again. "What about you and Evelyn?"

"She and I have discussed our own potential relationship and have agreed to remain strictly friends." Such an admission was difficult since it meant Connor was going to deny a big part of his emotions and deny himself the chance to experience actual love. "The distance between Chicago and Detroit is already an issue regarding how often we can actually see each other."

"Well, it's better to be friends with her than nothing at all."

A flash of motion sped by the conjoined desks as Ben suddenly rushed through the bullpen and into the restroom to be suddenly sick and throw-up in relative privacy of the first vacant stall. Without needing any prompting Hank sighed, slipped his phone into his pocket and proceeded to follow Ben into the bathroom to check on his ailing friend and make sure he didn't need any medical attention or a change of clothes.

"Be right back, kid." The Lieutenant sighed as he went on his way. "Hopefully I won't need to find a mop while I'm there!"

Connor took a visual sweep of the bullpen and decided to add some disinfectant spray to his cybernetic order to ensure that if Cole did come home from school sick that he and Hank would be able to keep the house as clean as possible. It was easier for the deviant to handle dealing with sicknesses and infections than it was for humans since he wasn't an organic lifeform that could end up catching a cold as well.

"Excuse me, Connor?"

Turning his attention elsewhere Connor noticed that a deviant he had never met before had approached his desk and was attempting to get his attention. The male deviant was a towering 'TW-400' originally designed to handle laborious construction projects. He was wearing tan cargo pants, a dark red hoodie and tan work boots that were all covered in grime and dirt from years of obeying his programming and then continuing to do what he knew how to do best.

"You are, Connor, right?" The deviant questioned as he eyed Connor closely. "One of the leaders of New Jericho?"

"Yes am I." Acknowledging the deviant's presence Connor gave the unexpected visitor his full attention. "How can I help you?"

"My name is Sal, and there's something I need to discuss with you. It's a matter of utmost urgency."

"Are you here to report a crime?"

The deviant squared his jaw as he gave Connor a cold stare from where he stood. "Something like that."

"Very well, I'll show you to an interview room."

"I'd rather we discuss this in an area that's more secured where no one can eavesdrop." Stepping back the deviant watched as Connor rose to his feet and smoothed out the front of his gray blazer with an intense sense of professionalism. "Please, it's very important we talk in private."

"All right, we'll go to the interrogation room. It's very secured and I can ensure you that no one will be able to overhear us speaking." Connor motioned for Sal to join him as he led the deviant to the isolated interrogation room to speak in private. "Whatever you need to tell me will be kept confidential."

Casually Connor retracted the artificial skin from his palm and pressed it to the electronic scanner beside the door to Interrogation Room A. The door slid open with a soft 'hiss' as Connor led Sal into the room and prepared to hear whatever it was that Sal needed to tell him. Pressing his palm to the door's scanner a second time had initiated a temporary lock to keep anyone from passing by the room from entering without Connor's express permission.

"Okay." Turning around Connor meant to face Sal before beginning the interview but instead of looking at Sal's face Connor found himself staring at the lethally sharp blade of a six-inch-long hunting knife being pointed directly at his chest. Lifting his hands slowly Connor showed himself to be submissive and willing to cooperate to avoid any needless confrontation. "...Sal? What're you doing?"

"I'm going to get true justice and you're going to help me." Growling as he spoke Sal's dark blue eyes seemed to lose all sense of life as he slowly twisted the knife in his grip as if trying to turn a doorknob. "You do just as I tell you to do, and you'll leave this room alive. Try anything clever and you'll be carried out of here one piece at a time..."

It didn't take long for Hank to help Ben clean up a little after he was sick in the restroom, but it was going to take a little while longer before Ben would be able to move after he threw-up and gave himself an agonizing headache. The embarrassment of being sick in front of his colleagues and friends had prompted Ben to remain somewhat hidden in the restroom while hoping no one else would come inside the room to check on him. Only after he was able to rinse out his mouth, wipe off his chin and stand upright long enough for the room to stop spinning, did the sick detective even attempt to walk out of the restroom. Fortunately, Ben wasn't alone and had Hank to help guide him back into the bullpen to sit at his desk for a few minutes.

Hank had taken the liberty of hailing an autonomous cab on Ben's behalf. It was safer for the sick detective to be taken home in a vehicle that wasn't under his direct control considering how delicate his stomach was at the moment. All that was left to do was wait for the cab to arrive so that Ben could be sick in the comfort of his own home.

"Take it easy and breathe deeply." Hank encouraged as he escorted Ben back to his desk to sit down and rest. "Once the cab's here I'll let ya' know."

Gavin coughed a few times as he stood beside his desk, but they weren't coughs from sickness; they were coughs from irritation thanks to him getting a little zealous with the disinfectant spray all around his and Tina's desks. Wisely Gavin took a few steps back and tossed his now empty can of spray into the bin under his desk while he waited for the area to air out a little.

"Jeez, you'd think you were having flashbacks to 2020 with that kind of attitude." The jab was meant to be friendly, but Hank knew it'd also have a little bit of a sting since he knew that Gavin was just trying to keep his family safe. "You're going to end up with a sore throat just from inhaling all that stuff."

"Yeah, I noticed." Clearing his throat Gavin decided he needed to mellow out and proceeded to use a tissue to wipe down his keyboard after it had been suitable sprayed and disinfected. "How's Ben doing?"

"Feels like shit but he'll live. Where'd Connor go?" The suddenly absent deviant didn't fail to catch Hank's attention since he didn't want to lose track of the only detective immune to the common cold. "He didn't get roped in to playing doctor and going on a food run, did he?"

"Nope. Some deviant came in looking for him and they went into one of the interrogation rooms." Dropping behind his desk Gavin attempted to go back to work even while surrounded by coughing, sneezing and sniffling coworkers while Hank went in search of Connor. "Sarah Lee and her germophobia went out on the food run today. Smart woman."

Heading toward the interrogation rooms Hank made his way into the connected observation rooms to avoid intrusion. He first peered through the connected window of Interrogation Room B and saw it empty, then checked out the observation room for the second interrogation room. The sight of Connor standing at the far side of the room with his back to the wall while a massive, hulking deviant stood before him with a hunting knife immediately put Hank on his guard and forced him into action.

"Son of a bitch! Con-"

'Call Markus right now.' Sal ordered as he kept Connor backed against the wall with the knife as his single convincing argument to obey him. His outburst unknowingly silenced Hank on the other side of the window and held the Lieutenant's full attention. 'You tell him to come to this precinct, to this very room right now.'

'What do you want with Markus?' Connor was unaware of Hank watching the intense confrontation through the one-way mirror acting as a window connecting the two rooms together. The deviant detective was more focused on keeping Markus safe from a potential assassin than himself. 'Why can't you speak to him directly?'

'Every time I get near that damn tower he isn't there. But he'll come here when you tell him that he needs to be here.'

'I won't lure Markus into a trap.' Lowering his hands Connor accepted that he had put himself in danger to protect another deviant yet again. Another deviant who wasn't even in the precinct at that very moment. 'You're clearly hostile and need-'

'Hostile. HOSTILE?!' Growling violently Sal marched toward Connor and easily threw the table that had been bolted to the center of the floor off of its metal supports and crashing against the wall. Grabbing Connor by the throat Sal glared down at Connor pressed the jagged blade of the knife against Connor's stomach. 'You wanna' see hostile? Hm? I'll show you hostile!'

A sudden, burning pain tore through Connor's abdomen as the blade sunk into his stomach all the way down to its hilt. The blade had pierced through Connor's thermal regulator and nicked the main descending Thirial line connected to his artificial stomach. Thirium began to rapidly weep from the wound all around the knife's hilt staining Sal's hand and Connor's abdomen in a deep blue hue.

"CONNOR?!" Hank shouted in absolute anger, fear and panic as he saw Connor being stabbed just a few feet away from him. As the light faded from Connor's eyes and the deviant coughed up some Thirium Hank reached for the gun holstered on his hip and took aim at Sal through the window. "You motherfucker!"

Sal seemingly realized what he had done and knew that he was now on a time limit. Moving fast Sal pulled the knife from Connor's abdomen put himself in the corner of the room and held Connor up and before his body to create a type of living-shield to protect himself. 'Call Markus now! Or I'll cut you again.'

'...No, Sal.' Swallowing his own blood left a horrible sickness in Connor's mouth and now damaged stomach. Without the knife to essentially dam off the lost blue blood leaking through his damaged lines Connor began to bleed steadily from his raw stab wound. 'I w-won't let you harm Markus.'

'It's you or him!' Sal shouted as he wrapped his arm around Connor's throat and began applying pressure as he held the bloodied knife blade against Connor's cheek to remind the deviant of the danger that he was in. 'You don't have a lot of time to think it over, and I know I can wait far longer than you can for you to come to your senses.'

"Shit, shit, shit!" The sight of Connor bleeding from his belly while being held captive with a knife to his face was enough make Hank's usually steady hands begin to tremble with fear and surging adrenaline. "All right you asshole. If you wanna' talk to Markus, then I'll get him here myself. Whatever you want to say to him better be damn important, because they're going to be your final words in this world."

New Jericho Tower felt like it had reached a new chapter in its possibly eternal saga. The anniversary for the Revolution had gone off without any incident and the new memorial had been deemed a tasteful and appropriate display of respect for the deviants who had lost their lives before and during the Revolution itself. Markus was holding a quick meeting with North, Simon, Josh and Lucy while Connor was at the precinct and Lucas was handling a case out at his own office. The group had invited the deviant brothers to join in but understood that they had other obligations to properly handle. Even so, the deviant leaders would later reach out and bring the duo up to speed on what had been discussed during their absences.

The remodeling of the purchased neighborhood was now at the peak of New Jericho's interest, and the desire to get as many houses repaired and livable before the end of the year had peaked. Seeing all of the progress that Connor and Lucas had made was impressive. The deviant leaders were eager to lend a hand wherever they could and encourage their people to step outside of the tower to return a life in the city to enjoy their new rights and freedom.

"The neighborhood is already secured and there will be two gates installed at the two entry points of the neighborhood itself to ensure our people remain secured at all times." Markus confirmed as he relayed what he had been told by Connor when he had stopped by to check on Connor and Lucas's chosen houses. "We already have eight deviants who are willing to work as guards around the clock working rotating six-hour shifts throughout a twenty-four hour period. There will never be a time where a guard will be absent."

"Providing security as well as jobs." Simon noted as he contemplated the pros and cons of creating a neighborhood isolated from the humans. "That's all well and good for our people, but to humans..."

Josh knew where Simon's mind was going and chimed in with a timely response. "It might be seen as a threat or even appear as if the deviants are willingly enforcing segregation in an attempt to undermine the civility being presented to us by a majority of the humans in the city."

"The security is necessary." North remarked as she understood the reason for the active security guards being stationed around the clock. "For now, anyway."

Lucy quietly observed the meeting and considered every detail being discussed. Insightful and empathetic as ever, Lucy proved herself to be an effective mediator for such intense discussions whenever emotions began to run high.

"The guards won't be permanent or armed." Markus promised as he could understand why his allies were so wary of creating a guarded appearance that might be misconstrued as a threat against edgy humans. "If anything, the guards will only be positioned in the area for the first year that-"

The group all gave Markus an odd look as he stopped quickly and pressed his fingertips to his right temple.

"Apologies, I just received an emergency call from Lieutenant Anderson." Closing his eyes Markus responded to the call on a cybernetic and verbal level to keep his people somewhat in the loop as he spoke with the detective. "Hello, Lieutenant. How can I help you?"

The Central Precinct had gone on emergency lockdown the second that Hank informed Captain Fowler of the situation in Interrogation Room A. After being given a quick summary of events as told by Hank and by Gavin, the seasoned Captain gained some idea of what Sal was up to and why he was behaving so erratically, however, the man had little idea of what to do to bring the hostage situation to a civil end. As cruel irony would have it, Connor was the sole hostage negotiator in the precinct and the only one in the entire country who knew how to negotiate with deviants. With his only negotiator as the hostage and several of his other officers and detectives down and out with illness, Captain Fowler was going to push his skills to their limits.

Hank stared at Connor through the one-way mirror of the observation room with a horrible sense of dread in his stomach. All he could do was watch as Connor continued to bleed out while Sal used him as a living-shield. There was nothing Hank could do to slow the bleeding to Connor's wounds, offer Connor words of reassurance without making Sal panic or to even try to act as a negotiator in his stead.

Gavin joined Hank in the observation room and sneered at the sight of Sal holding the bloodied knife to Connor's cheek. It was enough to make the younger detective hover his hand over his holstered weapon on his hip in response. "Markus is almost here. Chris and Jack and escorting him here as we speak."

"Good." Growling slightly Hank crossed his arms over his chest in a guarded, bitter manner. "I don't know what that asshole wants with Markus, but as soon as we figure it out, we're using it against Sal to save Connor."

"Dr. Forrest is on his way down too. He knows that Connor's hurt and will do everything he can to take care of him."

"Make sure both Markus and Joel get vests before they get anywhere near the interrogation room." The idea of dealing with additional wounded people was enough to make Hank's skin crawl. "We know that Sal has a knife, but we DON'T know if that's his only weapon."

"I'm on it."

"Hang on, son." Whispering despite the speaker to the interrogation room being muted, Hank hoped that he could somehow provide some form of comfort. "Help's right here, even if you can't see or hear it."

"Lieutenant?" Markus was led into the observation room by Chris to see Hank in person. The deviant leader had a Kevlar vest over his chest and was actively pulling down his beige shirt to cover the vest from immediate eyesight. "How's Connor?"

"Weak, bleeding and trapped." A single nod in the direction of the one-way mirror was all it took to bring Markus's attention to the correct room. "We still don't know who this Sal guy is, why he wants to talk to you, or why he came here to pull off this little stunt."

"Sal." There was no familiarity with the name or the appearance of the deviant holding Connor captive at knife point. "I've never seen this deviant before. I don't understand why he wants to speak directly to me."

"It must have something to do with your role as the deviant leader."

"But that still doesn't make sense." Markus looked through the mirror and saw the intensity behind Sal's gaze as he removed entirely motionless while Connor struggled to just stand upright even with Sal's arm wrapped around his throat. There was no heart or soul behind Sal's eyes, just burning anger. "Any deviant can enter New Jericho Tower and speak to any of us at any time."

"Maybe Sal didn't get the memo and lost what little patience he already had."

"I guess I'll find out soon enough."

"Hey, before you go in there you need to remember that this is still an emergency situation that's being monitored and actively handled by the police." Turning to face Markus at last Hank made sure the deviant leader knew what he could and could not do while in such a dangerous situation. "Do NOT approach Sal, you keep yourself positioned right in front of the door at all times, and you NEVER mention your vest or make a move to remove it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"All right. Let's get this done."

Markus accompanied Hank outside of the observation room and met Joel standing just outside the interrogation room's locked door. The technician had his emergency satchel slung over his shoulder and by all account was ready to handle his new challenge, but his pale complexion, the faint sheen of sweat over his face and glassy eyes indicated another issue at hand.

"Joel, you need-" Hank saw the same appearance as Markus and immediately sighed. "Shit, you're sick too."

"I look worse than I am." Joel stated in a tired yet focused manner. "I can still help Connor, even with a headache. I have my vest, my satchel, and I know how to handle a stab wound to an android's lower central quadrant."

"Fine, we don't have the time to wait for another technician as it is." Hank trusted Joel to do his best regardless of how rotten he felt. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I already told Markus: Don't get near Sal, stay by the door, and don't indicate that you're wearing a vest."

"I get the first two orders, but why's keeping the vest secret important?"

"Because Sal might make a move for your head or neck if he knows that your chest and abdomen are protected."

"Oh." Suddenly everything Hank said made total sense even to Joel's feverish mind. "Right, yeah. I won't say a word."

"Good. All right, everyone but Markus and Joel needs to vacate the area to keep Sal from losing his cool and doing something else that's stupid." Hank waited for the curious onlookers to back off while only he and Captain Fowler remained in the short corridor that led to the observation room and the interrogation room itself. Slowly Hank moved his palm over to the electronic panel and allowed the panel to scan his handprint and unlock the interrogation room door. "Raise your hands before yourself to show Sal that you're unarmed, announce yourself, and then step into the room VERY slowly. Markus, you need to convince Sal to let Joel inside to help Connor as soon as you can."

Confident as ever Markus nodded and let out a calming sigh as he prepared to deal with the deranged deviant. "I got this, Lieutenant."

"We'll be watching everything from the observation room," he confirmed with a casual motion to himself and then to Captain Fowler beside him. "but Sal won't know about it." After his handprint had been scanned Hank lowered his palm and activated the door. "Let's do this."

Markus waited for the door to the interrogation room to slide open before he calmly called out to Sal as he had been instructed. "Sal? It's me, Markus."

"It's about damn time." Sal growled from within the room as he watched Markus walk into the room with his hands up and exposed. Staring at Markus from over top of Connor's head Sal glared at the deviant leader with a sadistic hatred. "Close the door, NOW."

"Not until I can get Connor to a technician." Seeing his friend trembling and bleeding made Markus's heart drop. He knew that Connor had been wounded and had even seen the wound just seconds before through the one-way mirror, but even so it pained him to see Connor suffering. "I need to take care of my friend before I do anything else."

"No! He doesn't go anywhere until I get what I want from YOU!" Sal dragged the sharp blade of the knife along Connor's cheek just under his eye creating a deep laceration that began to weep blood. The enraged deviant had no compassion for what he was doing to Connor. "Do what I say, or I'll bleed him dry!"

"Okay, I won't do anything without your consent." Thinking fast Markus reached out to Connor in a way that Sal wouldn't detect as he worked to gain some kind of advantage in the dire situation. 'Connor, are you all right?' The cybernetic link would keep Sal from overhearing them speak but also keep Hank and Captain Fowler out of the loop. 'What's happening right now?'

'You... shouldn't have come here.' Connor responded on the shared link as he kept the pain from his voice even inside his own mind. 'It's too dangerous.'

'You're in the same danger. How can I reach Sal and get him to cooperate?'

'Talk to him. Learn about him.' It was hard to teach someone a skill that can only be taught through experience, especially under such a strict time limit. 'Keep him talking and discover his motive for his current behavior.'

"All right, okay..." Staying calm and quiet Markus kept eye contact with Sal as he stayed within the opened door of the interrogation room. Knowing that he had to get an opening to get an advantage over the situation motivated Markus to keep trying to reason with the seemingly unreasonable deviant. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to answer for your crime!"

"I can't answer for something I don't understand. You need to talk to me."

"You WILL understand... See this?" Sal pulled his arm tighter around Connor's throat and forced the wounded deviant to lean backward and pull open the stab wound in his stomach with a painful stretch. "This is what YOU did. This pain your friend is suffering," as he spoke Sal could hear and feel Connor struggling to not choke on the blue blood in his mouth as he fought back a scream of utter agony. "is YOUR fault. You caused your friend all this horrible pain, just like you did to MY friend without even hesitating!"

"Sal, I honestly don't know who you're talking-"

Connor let out a guttural scream as Sal suddenly used the dull end of the knife to strike Connor in his wound and worsen the damage. Unable to defend himself or break free from Sal's grip, Connor just stood in place trembling and huffing in pained gasps. The deviant detective's internal alarms were blaring, and his vision was fading to gray as his system tried to remedy his grievous injury.

"Stop!" Shouting in response to senseless violence Markus took only one step forward and immediately stopped to prevent himself from getting too close to Sal just as he had been instructed. "You're clearly angry with me and want to hurt me, let Connor go and I'll stay here for as long as you want and do whatever it is that you want. You don't need to hurt him just to hurt me."

"I already told you that he's not going anywhere!" Moving the knife back up toward Connor's throat Sal shot Markus a fiery glare of utter disdain. "And if you even try to leave this room, then I'll end him right here, right now. He'll bleed to death at your feet, and you'll watch his life drain away into nothing."

'Keep talking to him.' Connor urged through the private cybernetic link as he closed his eyes and tried to ignore burning pain in his abdomen. 'Learn his motivation.'

"You need to talk to me and leave Connor out of this." Trusting his friend's advice Markus kept pushing for his answers. "I don't understand what you want from me or why you felt like you needed to do something this extreme to get my attention. What did I do that was so horrible that you felt like this was necessary? No matter has happened, I'll do everything in my power to set things right."

Sal gritted his teeth as tears filled his eyes but failed to douse the burning rage in his gaze. "You survived..."

Unable to withhold his pain any longer Connor suddenly crumbled to the floor and curled around himself on his side. His limp body and unexpectedly fell from Sal's grip and freed him of his role as the living-shield that the angry deviant was using to keep the other cops and detectives away.

Moving swiftly Markus dropped to his knees and pulled on Connor's shoulders to drag him away from Sal and toward the center of the room. Markus had only managed to get Connor barely a foot away from his attacker before Sal reached out and grabbed Markus by his shirt collar and pressed the tip of the knife against the underside of Markus's jaw to hold his attention and keep him from escaping the room with Connor.

From the observation room both Hank and Captain Fowler cursed themselves out for not reacting sooner to Connor suddenly collapsing. If either detective had drawn their weapon, they could've taken a clean shot at Sal to subdue him and end the situation.

"You survived!" Sal repeated as he returned to the corner of the room and kept Markus before himself as a replacement living-shield. "But you won't do that again, not on my watch..."

With his hands pressed to his aching, bleeding abdomen Connor groaned as he managed to roll onto his back and look up at Markus now being held hostage in his place. "M-Markus?"

"I'm all right, Connor." Markus's voice was steady even as he felt the tip of the knife piercing through his artificial skin and drawing Thirium to the surface. "I'm not hurt. Sal, you have my full attention. If you want to keep my attention, then you need to let a technician enter this room and take care of Connor."

"No! It's a trick..." Sal pulled Markus closer to his face let out a heated breath that stung Markus's mismatched eyes. "You're going to let a cop in here to try and finish me off!"

"Wrong. I want everyone to leave here alive, that includes you." There was no hint of deceit in Markus's promise as he did everything he could to keep things from ending in more bloodshed. "Just let one technician enter the room to take care of Connor and we'll lock the door again to ensure that no one else can enter OR leave unless you say so."

Breathing rapidly Sal seemed to be trying to determine how Markus could possibly trick him before relenting to the simple request. "...FINE. One technician, and that's ALL you're getting from me!"

"That's all I ask, thank you."

It took only a minute for Joel to reveal himself in the still opened doorway of the interrogation room with his own hands held up before himself. Moving very slowly Joel made sure that Sal could see his every move and could also see that he wasn't going to do anything without anyone being able to watch his every move.

"Uh, hi." Joel was nervous which was a stark contrast to his usual laidback demeanor. A bead of sweat was beginning to roll down his temple as he tried to ignore his burning fever and handle things appropriately without crossing any lines by mistake. "I'm Joel, the precinct technician. I just have my satchel with me, nothing else."

Keeping his pace slow Joel approached Connor and knelt on the floor beside the downed deviant just as the interrogation room door slid shut and locked automatically. As he placed his satchel down beside himself Joel used the back of his forearm to wipe away some sweat before setting to work on tending to Connor's damage to the best of his ability.

"I need you to move your hands." Nearly whispering Joel tried to be as inconspicuous as possible while in the heart of a hostage negotiation. "I know it hurts, but I have to get a good look at the wound."

Connor let out a pained sigh as he slowly, reluctantly let his grip go slack on his searing wound to allow Joel to examine the damaged area. Staring up at the ceiling overhead the deviant detective cybernetically informed Lucas of the situation and begged for his little brother to keep away from the precinct, to worry about keeping himself and the rest of New Jericho safe from Sal's wrath, and to not fault himself for not being asked to negotiate the hostage situation. The last thing Connor wanted was for Lucas to hold himself accountable for what was happening that day.

Without taking his eyes from the blue blood actively weeping from the wound in Connor's abdomen, Joel pulled open the buttons of Connor's ruined white dress shirt and revealed the stab wound beneath. The depth of the wound confirmed that the blade had gone clean through the thermal regulator and had reached the artificial stomach before the knife had been retracted from the wound itself. Blue sparks flickered within the fractured plastimetal frames and cracked biocomponent as Thirium continued to steadily leak through the damaged frames.

"I know it hurts but keep ventilating." Joel urged as he reached into his satchel slowly and revealed the pressure bandage to Sal before placing it down on Connor's lower belly. The applied pressure made Connor wince and hiss as he forced himself to breathe despite the motion aching through his entire abdomen. "Your thermal regulator isn't going to be working for you for a while, so you're at risk of overheating."

The deviant detective watched as Joel continued to sweat while tending to his wounds. He knew that ironically enough Joel was at risk of the same problem thanks to the technician have a severe cold and high fever. They were both on a time limit before their mutual conditions worsened.

"I've done what you asked." Sal sneered as he continued to tower over Markus and kept the knife in place under the deviant leader's jaw. "Now you're going to do everything I say, or I'll cut both your friend and that worthless human."

Through the one-way mirror Hank and Captain Fowler exchanged worry glances while remaining professional at all times. They knew that Sal couldn't possibly escape the precinct alive, which meant that the dangerous deviant was undoubtedly planning on taking himself out and taking as many people with him in the process to avoid prison time for what he was doing.

Markus didn't put up a fight or even try to get free of Sal's grip as he willingly remained a hostage to keep both Connor and Joel safe. "I'm not going to do anything that you don't want me to do. Talk to me, Sal. I'm listening."

"You survived while my best friend didn't." Growling again Sal pressed the tip of the blade even deeper into Markus's jaw and made it suddenly difficult for Markus to even speak. The pressure of the blade caused a burning sting that was difficult to ignore. "Why do you get to be alive and free while my friend was murdered in cold blood?"

"I don't know the answer to that." Speaking carefully Markus managed to avoid sinking the blade even deeper into his jaw. "What was your friend's name?"

"You KNOW his name; you even said it at the damn anniversary ceremony." Sal was on the verge of screaming as he spoke with a controlled bass in his voice. "Say his name. Say the name of my best friend - the deviant YOU MURDERED."

Connor opened his eyes, his vision blurry and with grayed-out color, and looked up at Markus. He now understood what was going on, but he didn't have the strength to speak even on a cybernetic link. The deviant detective was entirely helpless despite knowing what to do.

Quiet for a moment Markus finally realized who Sal was referring to and swallowed anxiously as he spoke the name of Sal's best friend. "...Miles. Miles was your best friend, and I had encountered him in Chicago."

"MILES!" Screaming the name as loud as he could Sal let his tears roll freely down his face as he held Markus directly in front of his face. "Miles was taken from his home and forced to fight for the amusement of fucked up humans! And you... You're supposed to lead us to freedom, not take our lives in your hands! What gives you the right to choose who lives and who dies?! Why did you take him? WHY DID YOU KILL MILES?!"

"I didn't take Miles's life, I freed him."

"NO! You're lying!" Sal couldn't accept any other reality as truth. In his mind Markus was a murderer and he was going to avenge his friend's murder. "You're trying to hide your crime and avoid justice!"

From where he was laying Connor let out a pained groan as Joel lifted the bandage over his wound long enough to monitor the bleeding then reapplied pressure to stem the bleeding once more. Every time he breathed in Connor's abdomen ached fiercely and he could feel the entirety of Joel's palm as the technician pressed down on his wound.

"H-Hang in there." Joel had suddenly grown paler as his fever increased and his lungs felt like they were being squeezed. The technician had to resist the urge to cough and keep himself as discreet as he could while in the midst of the tense hostage situation. "Your system is... It's uh, it's t-trying... You're-"

Through the one-way mirror both Hank and Captain Fowler listened to and watched as Joel struggled to speak and remain upright even as he rested in a kneeling position on the floor. They could see the remaining color drain from Joel's face as he fought to speak clearly. Just seconds after Joel paled to a dangerous shade the technician's blue eyes glazed over entirely, rolled up in the back of his head and then his entire body went slack as he passed out from his fever to lay on the floor alongside Connor in the middle of the interrogation room.

"Shit..." Hank swore openly as he realized that things were getting worse instead of improving. "We now have to rescue Connor AND Joel on top of keeping Markus from getting killed. We need to do something, NOW."

Markus had noticed Joel losing consciousness but hadn't dared to move despite wanting to check on both the ailing technician and his still bleeding friend. It was an internal struggle for his conscience to decide who and what to prioritize while in such a delicate situation. "Sal, listen to me. I know you're in horrible pain and that you miss your friend dearly, but this isn't the way to honor Miles's memory or get him any form of justice."

"I loved him!" On the verge of outright sobbing Sal screamed in Markus's face as let his emotions pour forward. "I loved Miles, and you took him away from me!"

"I didn't take him away from you, Chance did." Markus wasn't going to deny that what had happened to Miles was a tragedy or an injustice. "I set Miles free."

"LIAR!"

"I'm not lying." Moving with very slow and deliberate motions Markus lifted his hand and retracted the artificial skin from his palm. "I can show you what happened, and I can prove that Miles was freed from his misery after asking for my help."

"Don't touch me!" Waving his knife wildly Sal managed to slice the blade into Markus's palm and gouged the plastimetal frame in the process. "You're going to try and shut me down just as you did to Miles!"

Hank was losing his patience as he stared at Connor through the one-way mirror and watched as the deviant struggled to keep his eyes open as he took in slow, shuddering breaths. Thirium was beginning to seep out from beneath the pressure bandage and ooze along his abdomen and collect in a growing sapphire puddle on the floor beneath his body.

"We're running out of time, Jeffrey." Hovering his hand over his holstered gun on his hip Hank stared intently at Sal as Markus continued to try talk down the high-strung deviant before he didn't anything he couldn't undo. "We need to do something that'll take Sal down without killing him or getting anyone else killed in the process."

"I'm all ears for any suggestion you might have, Hank." Captain Fowler never blinked as he kept his focus on his downed detective and precinct technician on the other side of the one-way mirror. He loathed being unable to do anything despite the situation taking place within his own precinct. "If you can think of a way to subdue Sal and bring this to an end, then go for it."

"I can only think of one way to do that, but I don't know if it'll happen in the way that I'm hoping it'll happen."

Within the interrogation room Markus maintained his composure and didn't flinch even as his palm stung and began to bleed. Markus was never one to be deterred by violence even if he did abhor the act in of itself.

"Sal, you're in pain and need to find peace with what you've gone through. Acting as if what's happening right now - this violence and pain - isn't going to end well for anyone here. You don't deserve to spend your life imprisoned because of something you couldn't prevent or change."

Crying openly even as he continued to hold the knife to Markus's throat was a pitiful sight. Sal was so upset, angry and sad that he couldn't seem to control his emotions or his actions. "Miles was all I had! We... We promised to look out for each other and love each other until the end of time! He's gone... I never knew what happened to him until you confessed to killing him..."

"I am so sorry that you had to learn of Miles's fate through me. No one deserves that type of pain or be left waiting for months at a time to learn the truth while hoping to see their loved one return home safe to them." Despite everything Sal had done Markus showed no fear toward the deviant or faulted him for having such extreme reactions. Everything was starting to make sense and Markus refused to back away. "Please, let me show you what had happened. Let me connect you to Miles so you can feel the peace that he had found in his final moments. If anyone should be able to feel that peace, it's you. I can help you, Sal. I can help you reconnect with Miles one last time."

Sal just stared at Markus in disbelief. To be offered such compassion and kindness after what he had gone through was enough to leave Sal feeling as if he was about to walk into a baited trap. The sound of Connor suddenly coughing as he let out a gasping breath pulled Sal back into reality and caused the deviant to look past Markus and down to Connor and Joel to see and accept everything he had done.

In his rage and grief Sal had stabbed and cut Connor despite the deviant detective being entirely innocent. Joel had battled through his illness as long as he could to help Connor despite being a human, only to collapse and lie on the floor alongside his patient. If he were to continue his personal vendetta then Sal would only hurt innocent people while bring shame upon Miles's memory and dishonoring everything that Miles had fought for while trapped in Chicago.

"Sh-Show me what happened to Miles, and I'll let you all go." Sal promised as he lowered the knife from Markus's jaw as a sign of good faith. "I need to know that you're telling the truth, and that Miles wasn't murdered in cold blood."

"I'll show you everything. Close your eyes..." Reaching out his damaged palm again Markus connected to Sal through a firm grip on Sal's forearm and began to upload his memories to Sal. Markus turned to look at Connor and saw that the bleeding in his abdomen was now worse and that his friend was running out of time before he'd suffer from permanent damage, if not total shutdown. "Everything will become clear for you."

As Sal closed his eyes and accepted the memory upload from Markus's own mind the door to the interrogation room slid back open. Hank marched into the room while keeping low and kept his gun drawn before himself. Taking a knee on the floor Hank pressed one palm down against the center of Connor's chest to make sure he could still feel the deviant's Thirium pump beating, then pressed his fingertips to the side of Joel's far too hot neck for a pulse check.

The two downed people were both still alive.

Sal let out a sob as he saw how battered and pained Miles was in his final moments. As his hands shook emotionally, he dropped the knife to the floor and Hank quickly moved forward to snatch the weapon away as he holstered his gun while Captain Fowler join him inside the interrogation room. Watching and hearing Miles beg for mercy and feeling the pain that Markus had felt when he reluctantly respected Miles's final wishes and ended the captive deviant's miserable existence had given Sal the sense of closure that he had been so desperately pining for.

"Sal." Markus called the deviant's name and felt Sal's anger giving way to grief and regret as his arms lowered to his sides submissively. "Look at me. It's okay. It's over, and now you know the truth."

As the quelled deviant opened his eyes again, he sobbed loudly and didn't resist when Markus dared to give him a hug and hold him as he came to terms with what had happened to his long lost friend. Slowly Sal allowed Markus to actually walk him out of the interrogation room where Gavin and Sarah Lee were waiting to arrest him and take him to a holding cell to await his charges.

Moving back to Connor's side Markus knelt down and watched as Hank removed his dark coat, folded it up and placed it under Connor's head as a pillow. "The knife didn't damage anything that'll cause immediate risk of shutdown. He's weak but he's still stable."

"Same for Joel." Hank confirmed as he watched Captain Fowler gently roll the unconscious technician on to his back and monitor his radial pulse. "We have two ambulances already en route."

"Lieutenant, you can't send Sal to prison." Despite everything Markus refused to let Sal be imprisoned for his crimes. The deviant needed emotional support, not capital punishment. "He won't get the treatment he needs behind bars."

"I'll do what I can, but he attacked a detective within a precinct after taking him hostage. He's going to be deal with a lot of problems."

Barely conscious Connor coughed enough to cause a few speckles of blue blood droplets to stain his lips and start to run down his chin. He was aware of Hank and Markus hovering over him but he didn't move a synthetic muscle until he felt Hank use his thumb to wipe away from of the blood from his lips as an act of compassion. Even then, Connor could only move his head and eyes about.

"Help's coming, son." Hank heard footsteps rushing toward the interrogation room and spotted Abby being escorted into the room by Gavin himself. "You're going to be okay."

"Gavin told me what happened." Abby stated sharply as she placed her gloved hands along Connor's abdomen and ignored the way the deviant reacted painfully to her touch. All it took was a quick glance to assess the wound and determine the proper course of treatment. "Shit. He'll need a total thermal regulator replacement. His prototyping is going to make that way more difficult than it has any right to be."

Markus had an idea of how to help and decided to spread the message to New Jericho through a new cybernetic link. "I'll ask for Simon to locate a suitable replacement and have it taken to the Zeta Facility on your behalf."

"Thanks, Markus." Slipping off her Thirium stained gloves, Abby slipped on a fresh pair of gloves and pressed her palm to Joel's forehead, then her fingertips to the side of his neck. As a former E.M.S. she could assess the sick human's condition as well before the paramedics arrived. "High fever. Rapid pulse. Start with cooling measures for him and be sure to disinfect everything he may have come into contact with to prevent further spread of infection."

Captain Fowler nodded in agreement as he motioned for the first gurney to be wheeled into the interrogation room. "We'll take care of Joel for now. You get Connor patched up and on the mend."

"Not a problem." Abby kept her hand on Connor's abdomen as Markus and Hank worked together to lift Connor up and place him down on the gurney for proper transport to the facility. She's put him on a monitor only after he was loaded up into the back of the android unique ambulance. "Putting back together reckless detectives is my favorite hobby."

A delicate repair session at the Zeta Facility had lasted all of three hours and left everyone involved feeling understandably exhausted. Having his thermal regulator entirely replaced and his damaged artificial stomach repaired had taxed Connor's battered body. The procedure required a lengthy recalibration process that drained Connor of his already limited energy due to his prolonged Thirium loss and his high stress levels. Only after his system had fully recognized and accepted the new biocomponent and his vital signs had all stabilized was Connor allowed to check-out of the facility and finish his recovery in the comfort of his own home as long as someone was frequently around to monitor his condition.

Hank had taken the liberty of helping Connor to walk through the front door of the house while essentially doubled-over to protect his sore abdomen, then helped Connor to lay over the couch to get some rest. With his thermal regulator still being recalibrated it was crucial for Connor to not physically exert himself and to rest as if he was trying to let a fever run its course and burn itself out.

"Just stay here and sleep, son." After smoothing a cold, damp washcloth over Connor's forehead Hank gave the deviant's shoulder a small shake. "I gotta' get back to the precinct to file a report and help cover for all the sickies who lucked out today."

Blinking slowly Connor stared up at Hank as the man hovered over him and tried to understand what was happening. "...You're leaving me alone?"

"You're stable and I know that Lucas is going to be here any minute. You can be alone for just a few minutes without getting into trouble, right?"

If he didn't feel so exhausted Connor imagined he would've managed an amused grin.

"I'm going to head back to the precinct and work with Markus to make sure Sal gets sent to that asylum and not stuck in prison for the rest of his life. Is that all right with you?"

Such a question seemed very cold and out of place. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because you were the one Sal took hostage and stabbed."

"I see." Closing his eyes for a moment Connor reflected on everything that had happened and what was spoken while he was laying helpless on the floor in a puddle of his own spilled blood. "Do what you can to get Sal the help he needs. He's just as much a victim of Chance's greed as Miles and Markus had been."

"Good answer." Proud of the response Hank patted the cushion of the couch beneath Connor's outstretched legs and called for Sumo. "C'mon, boy! We need ya' to keep watch until Lucas and Cole get home."

The large dog grumbled a little as he plodded over from his pillow in the corner of the livingroom and put his front paws up on the cushion. Pulling himself up Sumo curled into a ball atop Connor's legs and thumped his tail in a slow rhythm as he rested his chin down on Connor's knees to watch over him.

"Good dog." Hank patted Sumo's rump lightly and checked his phone as he began walking back to the front door. "Cole will be home from school soon, so you won't be alone for too long."

"What did you tell Cole about what happened today?"

"That you got sick and are getting some rest. I don't want to scare him by letting him know that even when we're in the precinct we can get into trouble."

Pressing his head down into the pillow supporting him Connor sighed and reached his fingertips down to scratch at Sumo's ears. "Thank you."

"I'll be back home as soon as I can, so don't worry about anything. Oh," as he opened the front door Hank turned and gave Connor a quick update. "I got word from Jeffrey that Joel is going to be okay too. He's sick with pneumonia though, so he's going to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. By the time he's back on his feet the precinct should be through the worst of this cold season."

Doing his best to not move around Connor just nodded as he rubbed Sumo's ears and closed his eyes while Hank stepped outside and closed the door. Being able to rest and let his system recalibrate was crucial to his overall recovery and ability to get back to work at the precinct, at New Jericho Tower and resume his restoration project alongside Lucas. There was so much to do and seemingly little time to do it.

Just as Connor was about to drift off to sleep the front door opened again and Cole dropped his backpack and his trombone case down on the floor behind the couch. Worried for his friend and honorary big brother Cole leaned over the back of the couch and spoke to Connor with genuine concern. "Connor, are you still sick?"

"...I'm recovering." Opening his eyes again Connor looked up at Cole and couldn't stop himself from noticing how much the young man had changed since Connor had first met him four years prior. Cole was no longer a helpless first grader, he was now a very mature fifth grader and learning how to take care of himself while trying to take care of the world around him. "Worry more about your homework and less about me."

"What made you sick?"

"My thermal regulator stopped functioning properly." The not-total-lie was the only way Connor could answer Cole without scaring him or making him fear for the safety of his dad while he's at work. "Simon at New Jericho was able to locate a proper replacement biocomponent and Abby handled the repair procedure."

"I didn't know that you being a prototype meant you could have a problem like that."

"Any android can be prone to biocomponent failure." Connor noted as the front door opened again and Lucas arrived with Bruno to check on everyone. "I'm just more prone to complications since my biocomponents are rarer than average." Without flinching Connor allowed Lucas to grab onto his wrist and run a remote diagnostic on his system. "Hello, Lucas, it's nice to see you."

"I can honestly say the same." Lucas had been told the full story by Markus and how Hank's veiled truth to protect Cole. "Hank informed me of what happened, I'm glad you're going to be all right."

"It was an interesting day, but everyone is going to be okay." Looking up Connor watched as Lucas lifted up the washcloth for a moment to press his palm down over his forehead to ensure he wasn't overheating around his intracranial processor. "We can resume work on the neighborhood in two days."

"Don't worry about working on anything and just rest." After he replaced the washcloth Lucas ran his hand down Bruno's back and gave the loyal K-9 unit an endearing look since he knew that Bruno was going to keep both Connor and Sumo some company for a while. "I'll stick around to make sure you don't become ill a second time. Cole," turning to the worried younger man and littlest brother with a smile, Lucas decided to ask for his help. "mind assisting me?"

"Nope." A big smile appeared on Cole's face as he happily accepted the invitation to help out. "But I need to do my chemistry homework first."

"That won't be a problem. We'll tackle your homework, watch over Connor and you can show me how to cook dinner." Lucas was eager to fall into the role of a caregiver and wanted to do everything right. "I've never cooked anything before, and I'm very intrigued."

"Sure! Can you help me with practicing the trombone too?" Happy to be in the presence of his older brothers again Cole perked up and seemed to stop worrying so much about Connor. "I'm still not very good at playing anything yet but you and Connor are really good at the guitar and sax."

"Absolutely." Lucas knew that everything was under control and decided to give Connor some space for a while. "It's been too long since we spent the evening together as brothers, let alone helping each other."

Connor agreed and gave Cole's arm a small pat of approval as he smiled up at Lucas. "That's right. Tonight, we'll all strive to get better in our own way, and starting to tomorrow we'll continue to help everyone around us. That's what families are supposed to do for each other."

-next chapter-