WARNING: Major Character death within. Please avoid if you're not in a good mental place or have recently gone through an emotional trauma.

After enduring an unexpectedly long shift due to an influx of belated paperwork, as well as a sudden increased in crimes regarding deviants throughout the city, Connor returned to his apartment complex just before midnight on the cloudy night to try to get some rest. The apartment building itself was still relatively vacant despite the new tenants and Chuck constantly handling routine maintenance, but even if every apartment in the complex had been occupied Connor still wouldn't have heard any noise from his neighbors as the building itself was designed with a generous abundance of sound proofing in the walls, the floors and the ceilings for the sake of complete privacy.

Taking a step out of the elevator as it reached the sixth floor, the top floor of the building, Connor exposed the palm of his right hand by retracting his artificial skin to unlock the door to his apartment via electronic panel beside the door;s frame. It was then Connor saw that not only was the door already partially opened, but the lock itself had been heavily damaged and broken from the outside.

Instinctively Connor drew his gun from the holster wrapped around his back but hidden beneath his gray blazer and slowly pushed open the door to the apartment open.

The light of his yellow flashing L.E.D. illuminated the dark livingroom and cast eerie dull shadows against the walls as the amber glow created silhouettes around the few pieces of furniture and other personal items that Connor and Lucas had purchased to give the apartment a 'homey' feel. Everything in the apartment had been overturned in an obvious fight and the walls had been damaged by physical force and stray bullets that created dozens of holes over the previously flawless surfaces.

"Lucas?"

Connor called out suspiciously as his scanner failed to detect any intruders lurking about the modest apartment or any other motion whatsoever.

No reply.

Stepping deeper inside the apartment Connor felt a knot form in the pit of his artificial stomach as his newly developed emotional instincts told him that something was very wrong. Cybernetically he turned on the lights only to immediately regret the decision as his soulful brown eyes fell upon a bloody, motionless body laying on their back in the middle of the floor. The blood covering the body was blue and the lack of a response from Lucas suddenly, tragically, made sense.

"Lucas?!"

Dropping the gun and falling to his knees beside Lucas's body Connor pressed one hand down against his brother's still chest and slipped his other hand under Lucas's bloody head to lift him up from the floor. The wounded deviant didn't respond to Connor's pleas and remained unnervingly silent.

"Lucas?"

Connor was fighting the urge to shout, but his emotions weren't cooperating with his logic at the moment.

"Lucas! What happened?!" As he spoke Connor's L.E.D. flashed to red with distress and he cybernetically called 911 to report a shooting in his apartment.

"Please look at me. Open your eyes, just for a moment."

Slowly Lucas's green eyes barely managed to open as he took in a shuddering breath. There was a massive stain of blue blood in the center of Lucas's forehead where three bullets had penetrated his cranium with virtually no resistance. The damage would've normally been minor for the 'RK-900', but thanks to the violent encounter the two brothers had endured so long ago at New Jericho Tower, Lucas's body was substantially weaker on a structural level. As a result Lucas was left just as vulnerable to physical attacks as any other android in the city.

"...C-Connor." Lucas's voice was strained and his words were accompanied with a reverberating electronic echo as he spoke. "...Brother?"

"It's okay." Moving his hand from Lucas's chest Connor tried to press his hand down over the bleeding wounds against Lucas's forehead to apply pressure, but his scanner indicated that the bullets had struck all of Lucas's vital intracranial biocomponents and the damage was severe. Shutdown was imminent: 00:00:24. "I've called for help, you're going to be fine." Deep down inside the deviant detective worried that his final words to his brother could be a lie and so Connor began asking questions instead. "Who did this? Who shot you?"

"...Can't r-remember." Lucas swallowed once as his systems began to fail him one by one. His memory had been compromised but a few select memories had thankfully remained intact. "I...I love you... brother. H-Hank... too."

"Shh..." Connor tried to soothe as he watched the fading life drain from Lucas's glazed over green eyes. His hand still beneath Lucas's head now was now absentmindedly running through Lucas's dark, Thirium-matted hair as he spoke. "Don't exert yourself. Help is coming."

Blue blood oozed through Lucas's dark hair and dripped all over Connor's hand and stained the deviant detective's blazer sleeve in a deep sapphire hue. As the lost Thirium ran from the wounds in Lucas's head dark blue streaks of the vital blue blood stained the injured deviant's face, neck and even down to his chest.

"P-Proud..." Lucas managed to state as he fought to keep his failing voice steady. His eyes drifted shut and faint grin crept over his face as his body became limp and unresponsive in Connor's arms. "...to be... your... brother... I will... m-miss you."

"Lucas," tears began to well up in Connor's soulful brown eyes as he begged his brother to stay with me. "hold on. Please don't give up."

The shutdown timer in Connor's field of vision struck 00:00:00, but he refused to believe what his system was telling him. Even as Lucas ceased his artificial breaths and his Thirium pump came to a stuttering halt Connor refused to let his little brother, his only blood family, go without a fight.

"Lucas?"

Feeling his emotions starting to stir Connor shook his brother's body gently at first, then more forcefully when Lucas failed to revive.

"Lucas!"

Thinking quickly Connor laid Lucas's body flat on the floor and pulled opened Lucas's the blue stained fabric of Lucas's previously white long-sleeved shirt. Selecting Hank's personal phone number in his mind Connor cybernetically pressed 'dial' as he placed one hand over top of the other against Lucas's now exposed chest. He then laced his fingers together to create a single, strong fist and squared his shoulders as he leaned over his brother's stilled chest. Placing his collected fist down over the center of Lucas's chest - directly over the stopped Thirium pump, Connor began compressing downward to try to keep the Thirium cycling through his little brother's body despite his scanner already confirming Lucas's shutdown.

Android C.P.R. wasn't dissimilar to that of human C.P.R., but the act was seldom used as many people still simply saw androids as machines. The main difference was the unneeded rescue breaths as android's can't suffer from hypoxia or anoxia from a lack of oxygen; only mild overheating.

From the other side line of the cybernetic line Hank's groggy voice finally answered the call with a heavy demeanor. '...Connor? What's wrong? I just got-'

"HANK!" Connor shouted frantically inside his mind and verbally in a panic as he rhythmically fought to revive his downed brother with controlled chest compressions. "I need help! Lucas has been shot!"

'What the fuck?!' Hank was suddenly more awake and practically yelling into his phone as he scrambled about the house to rush to the rescue. 'Who shot him? Where are you?'

"The apartment! Please Hank, I need your help!" Connor's voice lowered as an emotional crack threatened to steal his words. "H-He's dying!"

'Stay on the line with me, son.' Calm as ever Hank ordered Connor to keep speaking as he quickly got dressed in the darkness of his bedroom, scrambled to locate his car keys in the livingroom and run through the front door to get to the car parked in the driveway outside. 'What happened? Tell me what happened.'

"I don't know..." Connor admitted as tears began to flow down his face. With each compression that failed to reboot Lucas's system Connor felt more and more useless. The motionless heart under his palms was like a cold stone refusing to budge. "I came home two minutes and thirty-six seconds ago and found Lucas in the middle of the livingroom with three gunshot wounds to his head."

'Did anyone threaten you?' Hank asked as he slammed his car door shut and turned over the engine. Speeding down the driveway Hank turned onto the road and made his way toward the apartment complex as quickly as he dared to drive. 'Anyone at all? Think, son.'

"No. No one... No one threatened either of us." Trying to keep his voice stable Connor focused on counting compressions as he stared down at Lucas's peaceful face. "At least, not recently."

'Was there a sign of a break-in?'

"...Yes. The lock was broken and the door was partially opened when I arrived."

'Witnesses?'

"No."

'Is there any sign of a struggle?'

"Yes. The furniture is overturned and broken; a total of seven bullet holes in the wall." Connor tried to answer the questions as he continued to keep count of his seemingly useless compressions against Lucas's chest. "...There's also Thirium stains on the walls and the carpet."

'Did you call an ambulance?'

"Yes... I called for help as soon as I found Lucas." Connor's voice began to break further as he stared down at Lucas's blank face pathetically. The stopped Thirium pump under his hands failed to even shudder with motion, and Lucas wasn't even attempting to breathe on his own. A sob welled up in Connor's throat as he fought to resuscitate his brother. "I'm too late. I'm to late..."

'Connor, listen to me. The facility is right by your apartment. It won't take E.F.T.'s long to get there.' Hank tried to reassure Connor and keep him as calm as possible. 'Don't hang up on me Connor, do you hear? Keep talking to me, tell me what's happening. What are you doing right now?'

"I-I-I'm trying to revive Lucas. I'm giving him C.P.R., but he isn't responding." Connor was beginning to cry openly, his tears flowing freely down his face and onto Lucas's blood stained chest as he understandably wept for his lost brother and his words stammered against his will. "H-Hank... I don't know what to do!"

'Yes you do!' Hank encouraged over the line as he kept his own voice calm and level. 'Keep doing what you're doing. It's the best thing for him.'

"I'm trying..." Connor nearly whimpered as he continued the compressions without breaking rhythm. "Hank. I'm... scared."

'It's going to be okay, son. I'm almost there.'

A sudden commotion at the opened apartment door made Connor look away from Lucas and over to the two emergency technicians, both males; one with blond hair and a goatee, and the other was a clean-shaven brunette, entering the apartment. They wheeled a gurney into the apartment as they hefted their heavy emergency satchels over their shoulders. The duo set up their equipment on either side of Lucas's body while Connor continued to perform C.P.R. on the downed deviant technician.

'Connor? What's going on?' Hank called out over the line inside Connor's head. 'Keep talking.'

The deviant detective glanced up at the doorway as the pair of technicians arrived to tend to Lucas's injuries. "...The technicians are here."

The blond technician set up a Thirial activity monitor; the equivalent to a human's cardiac monitor, on the floor beside Lucas's chest and attached a wireless sensor leads from the monitor to the android's bare chest and connected a black diagnostic cable against Lucas's blank right temple where his L.E.D. used to be. There was no activity on the monitor save for the manually induced beats to the Thirium pump courtesy of the C.P.R. still being performed by Connor.

"No pulse." The blond announced flatly as he noted the lack of vital signs on the monitor's display. "No voluntary ventilation. No Thirium of a notable pressure. Patient's volume is down to forty-one percent. Core temperature low; ninety-five degrees even, and dropping."

The brunette pulled the external Thirium pump defibrillator from the side of the monitor and carefully placed the two paddles down on Lucas's blood soaked chest around Connor's actively compressing hands. "How long has he been shutdown?"

"Three minutes, forty-four seconds." Connor recounted the exact amount of time he had been compressing Lucas's chest. "I began compressions twelve seconds after his Thirium pump had seized."

Nodding at Connor's statement the brunette looked to his partner and turned on the defibrillator. "The only chance he has is an external shock. Ready?"

"Ready." The other technician agreed and pushed himself backward on his knees to keep clear of the impending shock. "Set the charge to three-hundred Joules to start."

The brunette repositioned the two paddles down on the center of Lucas's chest and to the apex of where his Thirium pump resided. The defibrillator reached its full charge and he motioned for Connor retract his hands. Reluctantly Connor pulled his hands back and waited for the technicians to do what they needed to try and save Lucas's life.

"Delivering charge."

Lucas's back arched up slightly as the powerful electric current went through his stopped heart, but the monitor showed a failure to respond to the charge as his body fell limp onto the blood soaked floor once again.

"No change." The brunette technician confirmed as he charged the machine again. "Second attempt."

Connor just watched with abject horror as Lucas's body arched and fell against the floor all over again. There was no sign of life left inside the deviant's body, but the Connor refused to accept it as fact. He couldn't just sit idle and watch Lucas die.

"Nothing." The blond technician shook his head somberly as prepared to try to shock Lucas's heart one last time. "Final attempt."

"...Final?" Connor repeated with a whispered breath. "This is it?"

As the third and final charge passed through Lucas's stopped Thirium pump and his body arched off the floor, the damaged deviant once again failed to respond to the jolt. Lucas's body only collapsed limply onto the blood soaked carpet lifelessly without even the slightest hint of a heartbeat.

"That's it." The brunette announced as he turned off the defibrillator and looked over at Connor somberly. The shutdown was irreversible. "I'm sorry, but the damage was irreparable. There's nothing we can do to bring him back online."

"No... Lucas." Connor put his hand down over his little brother's chest and felt a chill run up his spine at the stillness beneath his palm as his rested it over Lucas's Thirium pump; his stopped heart. "He's... No!" Resuming compressions Connor tried to with all of his strength to force Lucas's heart to beat on its own again, but his efforts were all in vain. "No, I can't give up on him!"

"Sir, you-" The brunette technician was silenced by his partner's hand resting on his shoulder.

Understanding the gesture he just nodded his head and remained quiet. The technicians began cleaning up their equipment and stepped away from the two brothers just as the police finally arrived at the scene of the murder. Chris and Tina had received the call, but the last thing they expected was to find themselves inside Connor's own apartment to solve the murder of his little brother.

"Shit." Chris swore under his breath as he motioned for Tina to step back outside of the apartment together. "I'm going to call Fowler and let him know what's going on." Glancing through the doorway as Connor desperately tried to revive Lucas through C.P.R. Chris felt his own heart ache sympathetically. "We need to give Connor some space. This is... This is just fucked up."

"That's putting it mildly." Tina whispered as she reluctantly looked away from the apartment and forced herself to remain professional. "I'll start knocking on doors and asking some questions." From down the hallway behind Chris the elevator opened and Tina paled a little at seeing who stepped out. "Lieutenant..."

"Miller, Chen." Hank finally arrived at the apartment and rushed out of the elevator and nearly ran into Chris in the process. The look on Chris and Tina's faces told him everything he needed to know, which only made his already racing heart begin to ache with a all too familiar and painful beat. "No. Fuck..."

"I'm so sorry, Lieutenant." Chris approached Hank and put a kind hand on his shoulder as he spoke with utter respect in each word. "They couldn't save him. They tried everything and Connor... He's..."

"Yeah," Hank held up his phone for Chris to see as he finally ended the desperate call. "I heard the whole damn thing. Connor was speaking inside his mind and with his mouth the whole time."

Using his thumb Hank wiped a rogue tear from his eye and took in a deep breath to steel himself as he prepared to endure a hauntingly familiar heartache that he had hoped he'd never feel ever again. Following his paternal instincts Hank walked inside the apartment slowly where he took in the macabre sight of the carnage that had resulted in Lucas's untimely death.

The scene of the broken furniture and walls, the sight of the dark blue blood on the walls and all over the floor, and the acrid stench of gunpowder still lingering in the air overwhelmed his every sense. Yet it was the heartbreaking sight of Connor kneeling beside Lucas's dead body that would haunt his nightmares for the rest of his life.

Connor was still compressing Lucas's chest and Hank felt his own heart break as he forced himself to intervene on the fruitless endeavor. "Connor."

"I won't stop!" The desperate brother blurted as he continued to force Lucas's heart to beat under his palms. He knew what Hank was going to say, what he wanted him to do, but Connor refused to listen to reason. "I need to-"

"Connor. Son." Resting his palm lightly on Connor's shoulder Hank steadied his voice and looked away from the sight of the blood soaking Lucas's body and Connor's hands. "It's time. Let him go."

"I... I can't... He's..." Connor couldn't fight back against his tears any longer and his voice began to quake with pain. "H-He's..."

"He's gone, son. It's okay. You can stop now."

Unable to find the words to properly express his grief Connor stopped the compressions at long last. Giving his little brother one final thoughtful glance Connor slipped his left arm beneath Lucas's shoulders and lifted his body up from the floor. Wrapping his right arm around Lucas's chest Connor held his dead brother's body in a tight hug as he bowed his head down against Lucas's motionless chest. It was then he began to silently weep in a pain that he had never previously felt before.

Kneeling down beside Connor, whose entire body was shaking with heartwrenching sobs, Hank joined with the pained deviant's grief. Draping his arm around Connor's shoulders Hank pulled the weeping deviant against his own chest as he wrapped his other arm beneath Lucas's body to hold them both in a hug. For the first time in Connor's life he was experiencing the pain of losing a loved one, but for Hank it was the second time he had to say goodbye so someone he called 'son'.

"Hank..." Connor nearly gasped as he fought to breathe between his sobs. "I failed! I was supposed to protect him!"

Hugging Connor tighter was all Hank could do to try to shush the languished deviant as he lamented over their mutual loss. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"He's gone!" The pained deviant wept as his tears rolled down his face as Lucas's blood stained his cheek. "He's... My brother's..."

"Shh..." Holding the two deviants protectively in his arms all Hank could do was try to be a father to his adopted son as Connor grieved for his murdered little brother, and could do nothing more. "It's okay, son. You did everything possible, you did good. You did everything right."

In spite of Connor's best efforts, in spite of doing everything right, the day had come to an irreversibly tragic end.

Lucas Caleb Anderson was dead.

Out of utter respect for the two detectives and the horrific personal tragedy that they had just endured together, Chris remained outside the apartment door with the two responding technicians after getting their report and made sure Connor and Hank were given their privacy as they mourned their loss together for as long as they needed. Tina had discreetly informed the precinct's entire bullpen via numerous phone calls of the horrendous tragedy to ensure everyone remained as respectful toward their grieving colleagues as possible, and she even preemptively threatened Gavin to watch his mouth or she'd staple his lips shut to keep him quiet.

Once Captain Fowler arrived at the scene of the murder himself he took charge of the investigation and already had the duo recused as the lead investigators from the case due to the personal nature of the crime. Entering the apartment quietly Captain Fowler put his hand on Hank's shoulder and left it there for a moment before speaking up in a soft tone.

"Hank." With the simple sentence Captain Fowler confirmed that it was time to go.

Looking up at his commanding officer and oldest friend standing behind him Hank nodded subtly and proceeded to tell Connor to do the hardest thing the deviant he would ever have to do in his entire life. "Connor, it's time." Letting out a weary sigh Hank ran his hand over Lucas's hair one final time to smooth the locks away from the shutdown deviant's face. "Let him go, son."

"No." Connor was no longer weeping, he simply didn't have the strength to continue to cry. "I can't leave him. I won't let him be alone."

"You're not leaving him." Hank spoke empathetically as he tried to coax Connor into letting Lucas go. He needed Connor to let the other detectives do their job and work on the case. "He's going to New Jericho Tower for proper respects. We're going there, too. But we need to let the technicians take him there for us."

"No. I'm going with him."

"Son, you..." Trailing off Hank gently pulled Connor's arm away from Lucas's body while keeping his own arm under Lucas's shoulder to support the deceased deviant gently. The pain in Connor's eyes was undeniable and it was a pain that wouldn't heal any time soon. "...Okay, I'll meet you there."

With unparalleled patience and gentleness Hank helped Connor to lay Lucas back down before Hank stood up on his trembling legs. He put both hands on Connor's shoulders as he stood behind his deviant son while Connor remained kneeling on the floor next to Lucas, his hand still resting beneath Lucas's head.

Captain Fowler took a step back and nodded to the technicians watching from the opened door to return to the apartment to place Lucas down on the gurney and have him transported from the apartment to New Jericho Tower. Connor watched in silence as the two humans gently lifted Lucas up from the bloodied carpet to lay him down on the gurney as if he were still alive and could still feel pain. Draping a white sheet over Lucas's body respectfully the two technicians placed the straps over his body and wheeled him out of the apartment to be transported to the tower.

Hank patted Connor's shoulders to prompt him to stand up from the floor that he had been kneeling on for almost an hour. Connor's left sleeve, the front of his shirt and the right side of his face were drenched in Lucas's drying blue blood, but Connor didn't even notice his unkempt and macabre appearance. Guiding Connor out of the apartment with fatherly care Hank nodded in appreciation as Captain Fowler, Chris and Tina stepped back out of respect to give their colleagues much needed space as they walked down the hallway to the elevator to follow Lucas's body down to the ground floor.

From there Lucas would be taken to New Jericho Tower to receive a proper apportionment by his respected colleagues.

The precinct however had their own agenda in bringing a ruthless murderer to justice.

It was still dark as night loomed over the city in what seemed to be a standstill against time itself. Following the slowly driving blue tinted android unique ambulance to New Jericho Tower was one of the sickest feelings Hank had felt in a long time. It was almost as morbid as being a part of the funeral procession for his late wife, Barbara, and then his firstborn son, Cole, all that time ago. The slow and consistent pace, the heavy emotion smothering the air, the unsettling knowledge that he was following behind the body of someone he had truly grown to care about, made the seasoned detective and father feel utterly sick to absolute core.

However, it was the fact that Connor was sitting next to Lucas's lifeless body in complete emotional shock in the back of the ambulance was the most unsettling thought that refused to leave Hank's mind. The pain in Connor's heart was palpable even from the distance.

The long drive that connected the tower on Belle Isle to the rest of the city was illuminated by white lights to guide the travelers safely down the bridge. The large concrete security barricade lowered itself without the driver of the ambulance needing to stop to ask for clearance as the leaders knew what to expect. In an effort to steel himself Hank took a deep breath in preparation of having to meet with Markus, North, Simon and Josh as the four leaders of Jericho were aware of Lucas's murder.

The leaders would surely want to escort their fallen comrade into the safety of the tower themselves and show respect to the fallen technician.

Slowly the blue colored ambulance stopped along the circular drive in front of the tower and turned off its engine. Hank parked behind the ambulance as he too turned off the engine to step out of the vehicle to escort the gurney inside. Looking over the hood of his car he saw the four leaders of New Jericho standing statuesque with genuine sorrow on their faces and real tears welling up in their eyes. Hank locked eyes with Markus and the two shared a moment of unspoken grief as the ambulance doors opened up courtesy of the two technicians riding in the back along with Connor and Lucas.

Daring to approach the ambulance Hank watched as the two technicians lowered the gurney from the back of the ambulance and onto the drive to be wheeled inside. Connor, whose eyes were distant and glazed over, slowly climbed out of the back of the ambulance and stared at the white sheet draped over his little brother's lifeless body as if expecting Lucas to suddenly sit upright and return to the land of the living.

Markus held his breath as he stepped over to the gurney to look down at the concealed face of his departed ally. Placing his fingertips on the corner of the sheet Markus gradually pulled back the shroud until he could see Lucas's peaceful, blood soaked face beneath, and his breath escaped his body.

North put her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp of shock as she closed her eyes and turned her face away from the sight. Josh put his arm around North to comfort her as she began to tremble with grief. Simon could only stare at Lucas for a few seconds before he bowed his head in silent respect for Lucas, his hand reaching over for Josh's hand in the process to offer his own comfort to his dearest colleague.

"Lucas..." Markus shook his head as he delicately put his hand over the deceased deviant's forehead remorsefully. Using a delicate touch he moved his hand downward to remove the dark blue blood that had stained Lucas's face with a light motion from his thumb. "Connor, Hank." He too bowed his head as the full gravity of the situation began to weigh down on his heart. "I'm so sorry. I can't even... imagine what you're going through."

The technicians silently waited for instruction, neither saying a word as neither had been instructed to transport a deceased android directly to New Jericho Tower before.

"Please." Markus replaced the sheet kindly over Lucas's face as he finally addressed the two human technicians. "Let us escort him inside."

Exchanging uncertain glances the two humans mutually nodded and allowed the surrounding deviants to take the gurney without their presence. The blond technician answered in a low voice as he awkwardly shifted on his feet. "We'll remain out here in case you need us."

"Thank you."

Markus took hold of one side of the gurney and Connor took hold of the opposite side from Markus. Connor hadn't spoken since he arrived at the tower, verbally or cybernetically, but the overwhelming emotion that was pooling through in his dark brown soulful eyes spoke volumes on its own. Together Connor and Markus wheeled the gurney carrying Lucas's body to the tower and through the large glass doors as Hank, North, Josh and Simon all respectively followed behind in silent mourning in a neat line.

Inside the tower the occupants who had taken shelter or permanent residence within had learned of the murder that had taken Lucas away from them. To show their own respect for their dearly departed colleague who had saved so many of their lives, the other deviants stood side by side in two completely silent rows that outlined the interior walk leading to the elevator at the rear of the tower. As the gurney rolled through the walkway each deviant bowed their head as a sign of grief; those who still kept their L.E.D.'s had gone red and those who kept their arm bands had shifted the color from the normal blue color to a mourning black.

Many of the refugees, including Skye and the other deviants who were saved by Lucas's treatments, were shedding tears of grief as the gurney rolled by.

The glass doors to the elevator opened quickly as the group approached with the gurney to take Lucas to the appropriate floor. Connor and Markus carefully wheeled the gurney inside the elevator together while the other four who had been following waited patiently for the elevator to return for a second trip.

Markus put his right hand over the control panel and set their destination with a somber tone. "Sublevel sixty."

Sublevel sixty: The tower mortuary.

The electronic feminine voice confirmed the floor as the elevator began its steady descent. 'Sublevel sixty.'

Connor stared down at the white sheet as if he could somehow see Lucas's blank face beneath. In his mind he could still vividly see the blue blood and the carnage that had surrounded his little brother as he laid dying on the floor of their own apartment. To be ambushed and shot down in his own home without any cause or means of defending himself was something absolutely horrendous to imagine.

Lucas must've been terrified: Hurt. Bleeding. Dying. Alone.

Markus watched as Connor's red tinted L.E.D. cycled in a slow pulse of distress as the elevator descended deeper into the lowest depths of the tower. With each passing floor the temptation to speak to Connor grew more intense, but Markus knew that Connor wouldn't want to talk to him or to anyone else for quite some time.

Once the elevator finally reached its destination the two deviants quietly rolled the gurney out of the elevator and onto the deepest floor of the tower. The floor was reserved exclusively for the deceased deviants who had the misfortune of shutting down and needed to be properly laid to rest. The walls were lined with small metal plaques to commemorate the names and serial numbers of every deviant who had been killed during the Revolution and for those who had died since the tower had been renovated from CyberLife Tower into New Jericho Tower during their struggles to live.

At the center of the mortuary was a long metal table used to perform android apportionment with discretion of out respect for the dead, and for the friends of the dead to know the exact cause of shutdown. It had been a macabre task that both Lucas and Simon had to perform more times than either deviant would've cared to admit, but it was a necessary task for the sake of decency and genuine respect for their people.

Connor and Markus led the gurney over to the table but neither of them tried to lift Lucas's body up to transfer him over for his apportionment.

Not yet.

"Connor... I..." Markus was at a rare loss for words even though his heart was aching over the loss as well. "I wish I knew what I could do. What I could say. I'm so sorry."

Silence was Connor's only response.

As the two deviants stood beside the gurney the elevator doors opened again as Hank, North, Josh and Simon rejoined their colleagues in the dreary depths of the tower. Hank had never known that this floor even existed and he wished it had remained that way. While Hank continued to cross the room the other three deviants stood back in silent respect as they waited for instructions.

Putting his hand on Connor's shoulder Hank stood beside his friend; his son, and remained in place as he waited for any reaction from the emotionally shattered deviant mourning the loss of his little brother.

Markus kept his voice soft as he spoke, almost as if he were afraid even the slightest of sounds could cause more pain to his already broken friend. "Hank, this is the first time any of our people have been..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. 'Murdered' was such a cold, brutal term. "At least not in such a manner before, not like this. How do we-"

"A technician from the precinct will be escorted here to the tower." The senior detective replied in an equally soft voice. "He'll take care of what he has to and then," Hank's eyes fell to the white sheet as an icy pain stabbed him in the heart. "you can take care of his... body."

Connor visibly tensed at the term and Hank's hand tightened on his shoulder in response.

"Then at the very least we should be ready." Markus did his best to sound confident. "We want to make sure Lucas is taken care of properly." With the care of a mother cradling her child Markus slipped his arm beneath Lucas's shoulders and began to lift him up from the gurney. "He'll be shown only respect."

"No." Connor suddenly spoke as his eyes locked onto Markus. "Let... Let us do this. Please."

"I understand." Markus didn't let Lucas go until Connor had put his own arm where his had just been. "It's your call, Connor. He's your family."

Without being asked Hank slipped his arms under Lucas's legs with the same care and grace as the deviants before him and lifted Lucas up from the table into his arms. Together Connor and Hank hefted the deceased deviant up from the gurney while Markus wheeled it aside. Slowly the two detectives laid Lucas down on the exam table, both reluctant to let go of their fallen family member, and stayed beside the table.

"I'm staying with him." Connor whispered as he pulled his arm from beneath Lucas's shoulders and put his hand down over the sheet covering Lucas's bloodied forehead. "He shouldn't be alone."

The senior detective swallowed once to keep a sob from escaping his throat as he nodded in agreement. "Do what you need to do, son. And I'll be there with you for as long as you need."

Markus leaned toward Hank's ear to whisper to the senior detective without accidentally upsetting Connor. "I just got an update from a contact at the precinct. Your Captain needs you and Connor to deliver a statement as soon as possible."

Hank didn't want to leave Connor alone. Not now.

"We'll take care of both of them. I promise." Markus put his hand on Hank's bicep lightly to encourage him to go. "You can't do anything more for either of them here at the tower, but you can go back to the precinct and find this sick fucker to bring Lucas the justice he needs."

Giving Markus an appreciative glance Hank nodded and patted Connor's shoulder before he let go. "Son, I'm going to go to the precinct, okay? And I'm going to find the person responsible for this mess. He won't get away with it."

Connor just closed his eyes and bowed his head in silent sorrow as he remained where he stood.

Feeling as though he had just stabbed Connor through the heart Hank reluctantly walked away from his grieving son and passed by the other three deviants without saying a single word as he too hung his head low with mourning grief that would have to wait to be acknowledged.

At the moment all Hank cared about was finding justice for his sons.

Loyal to his little brother to the absolute end Connor had spent the night, well into the early morning, standing perfectly still beside the table with his hand atop Lucas's cold forehead beneath the sheet. Markus had stayed with Connor for as long as he could until he was required elsewhere in the tower as the residents of New Jericho were in emotional turmoil and greatly distraught by the tragedy. Simon had volunteered to stay with Connor and Lucas and to observe the technician that the precinct had assigned to perform the apportionment to ensure nothing but respect was shown toward the downed deviant, but the kind gesture wasn't enough to even begin to ease Connor's pain.

Fortunately the technician assigned to the task was a friendly face with the genuine respect to both Connor and Lucas. However, the familiarity didn't make the moment any easier as Joel was escorted to the proper floor by Markus himself.

"Connor." Joel walked over to the exam table with his voice low and his expressions soft. "I'm so sorry. I heard what happened and I swear to you that I'll do everything I can to make sure your brother is treated with the utmost dignity."

Connor didn't say a word as the kind technician joined him at the exam table.

"You're Simon, right?" Joel introduced himself to the blond deviant standing at the opposite side of the table across from Connor. "I'm Joel. I'm here to... you know."

"Right, of course." Simon acknowledged Joel with a subtle nod. "I'll be overseeing things."

Markus took the hint and begrudgingly tried to remove Connor from the room to allow the procedure to begin. "Connor, come with me. They'll take care of Lucas now. You can see him again later."

Lifting his gaze toward Markus with a soul piercing sorrow Connor just stared for a moment before his hand began to slowly move away from Lucas's forehead for the first time since Lucas was placed on the exam table. With his shaking palm Connor pulled back the sheet from Lucas's face and looked down at his little brother one last time.

Closing his eyes and bowing his head Connor pressed his forehead down against Lucas's damaged forehead as tears flowed from the corners of his eyes as his pain reached a new level. "...I'm sorry, Lucas. Forgive me."

With a heavy heart that threatened to break through his chest Hank had given his report on the tragic incident at hand to Captain Fowler in excruciating detail a whopping four times before the police Captain would finally allow him to leave the secured, private office. Whether or not Captain Fowler was trying to keep Hank close by out a sense of duty as his friend or as a professional courtesy to a grieving detective and father, neither man could say for sure; not that it really even mattered at that moment. All that did matter was finding the person or persons who broke into the apartment, murdered Lucas and discovering why they did it.

Sitting back and writing reports was the last thing Hank wanted to do at that moment. Wanting to take care of his son and the urge to track down a murderer were far more important than daily reports and files.

"Are we done yet, Jeffrey? I need to get back to Connor." Sounding more tired than angry Hank was trying to endure the horrific moment as best as he could on his grieving son's behalf. "I've never seen the kid so damn torn up before."

"I know it isn't easy, but I need you to stay here." Captain Fowler kept his voice level as he spoke to his Lieutenant with nothing short of respectful understanding in his every word. "Joel is taking care of everything at the tower and will be back soon with the evidence."

"Yeah, evidence. You mean the three fuckin' bullets inside Lucas's skull. I'll tell you exactly where those bullets need to go..."

"Hank, I know you and Connor are close and I know that Lucas was just as important to both of you, but I can't let you work on this case." It was absolutely crucial that there was no bias being formed in the case in order for any progress to be made. "Any and all evidence or leads you find will be omitted from court. I can't let you compromise the case."

"I won't compromise it, but I won't sit back and do nothing either. For fuck sake, Jefferey, someone broke into that apartment with the intent to kill!" Hank stood up from where he was sitting and slammed his hands down atop Captain Fowler's desk angrily. "Whoever did this has a personal beef with Lucas and I'm going to find that fucker before anyone else gets hurt!"

"By anyone else you mean Connor, don't you?"

"Like I said, the kid's already torn up, there isn't much more they could to Connor make him hurt worse."

"What if something happens to you?"

"Don't play that card with me, it's a bad hand and you know it."

"I'm sorry." Captain Fowler sat back in his chair and folded his hands together neatly as he pressed them to his chin. "I really am."

"For what?"

"Hank." The seasoned Captain stared at the enraged senior detective for a moment before he dared to speak again. "I'm sorry."

Hank's expression softened as he realized exactly what Captain Fowler was saying to him. What he was really saying in that moment.

As Hank's anger began to lessen his shoulders sagged and he dropped back into the chair. Slumping forward in his seat Hank stared blankly at the desk as he finally stopped trying to fight the whole world for just a little while and let him feel his pain.

Captain Fowler looked through the transparent glass wall of his office and watched as Joel returned to the precinct with an evidence bag clutched in his hand. Pausing for a moment the technician nodded at Captain Fowler to confirm he had returned with the necessary evidence; three blue blood stained bullets. They were all visible in the bag even from a distance and it was a disturbing sight to behold. Nodding in return Captain Fowler dismissed the technician and he returned his full attention to Hank.

"Why don't you head home for a while?" The suggestion was more like an order, but Captain Fowler wouldn't dare admit it. "Go take care of Connor."

"Joel's back isn't he?"

"Yeah." Captain Fowler knew they was no point in trying to bluff the keen detective and answered honestly out of respect. "He just got back."

"...Fine. I'm going to go be with Connor." Hank rose from his chair again to leave, but before he left the office he spoke to Captain Fowler not as his superior but as his friend. "Above Connor's apartment door is a small motion activated camera he had installed as additional security. Tell Joel, and ONLY Joel, to go and find the camera so we can watch the footage. And I didn't tell you this, all right? Joel noticed it above the door when he went back to the apartment to examine the procedures that the E.F.T.'s used when they tried to revive Lucas after they were called to the scene."

"I'll have Joel accompany Gavin when he relieves Chris in an hour. I'll make sure he knows to be thorough."

"And... just let me know when you the guy who did this." Locking eyes with his commanding officer Hank confirmed that he wasn't going to back off of the investigation entirely. "I want to watch the interrogation, I won't interfere with it, but I need to watch it."

"You have my word. Go," Captain Fowler motioned toward his office door with a single wave of his hand. "be with your family."

Upon his return to New Jericho Tower the dark rain clouds that had been steadily building up all night long had finally opened up and completely drenched the city in a cold shower on that bleak and tragic morning. Turning on the windshield wiper blades Hank watched the rain smear over his windshield and wash away the dust and dirt that stuck to the glass as the Oldsmobile drove about the smoggy city as per usual. The way the sky seemed to be as dark and emotional as the very tower in the distance made Hank hesitant to set foot inside the tower where he knew his two sons were waiting for him. One son was in mourning and the other son was waiting to be laid to rest.

Opening the door to his aged car Hank felt someone approach him from behind as he leaned out of the vehicle and open up an umbrella to shield him from the sudden rainstorm as a courteous gesture that Hank hadn't been expecting. Turning to face the person who had met him outside Hank was beyond relieved to see a friend.

"Josh?"

"Hello, Lieutenant." The kind deviant greeted with a warm smile but a sad voice. "I figured you wouldn't have the time to prepare for the poor weather."

"Yeah, thanks." Stepping out of the vehicle Hank slammed the door behind himself and walked toward the tower with Josh at his side and the umbrella over both of their heads. "How's Connor holding up?"

"Not well." Josh admitted as he and Hank walked to the front entrance of the tower and set foot inside quickly to escape the chilling November storm. As he shook off the umbrella Josh motioned for Hank to follow him to a private room down the nearby corridor opposite of the elevator. "Markus managed to coax him out of the room once Simon and Joel, uh, 'started', but as soon as it was over Connor insisted on returning. He's really beating himself up about this."

"It wasn't his fault. Connor arrived after Lucas was attacked, not before or during..." Hank knew that guilt was going to be Connor's worst enemy during his time of grief and acceptance. "There's absolutely nothing that he could've done to change what's happened."

"Connor doesn't see it that way. He's still blaming himself. I guess he thought he needed to always protect Lucas under any circumstances."

Hank stopped short as he felt a sickening knot form in the pit of his gut.

"Hank?" Josh noticed that the senior detective suddenly froze in place and looked a little pale. Turning around and stopping as well he looked back at Hank with inquisitive eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Josh, when Connor and Lucas started to bond as siblings, I mean really bond, I told Connor that as Lucas's 'big brother' he needed to look out for him and protect him. I think I-"

"No way. You're not responsible for Connor's mindset, okay? He's just always been really sensitive and incredibly empathetic." Always a passive voice of reason Josh in no way faulted Connor for what befell Lucas. "You know that better than anyone else in this whole city."

"Yeah, I do know that but, I don't think I've ever seen Connor so... broken. I'm worried he won't ever get over this."

Josh took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as an upsetting memory settled-in unexpectedly. "Markus is waiting for you in private. He wants to help with the arrangements for Lucas."

"...Yeah, sure." Running his hand through his hair Hank hoped that he wouldn't be asked to help plan a funeral ever again. "Arrangements. I unfortunately know all about that kind of stuff."

Unable to move from his raw emotional pain Connor stood next to the examination table still hovering over Lucas protectively. The shutdown deviant's clothing and artificial skin had been removed leaving Lucas nothing more than a blank white and black plastimetal form under an equally pale white sheet. The three bullets had been extracted from his cranium with such incredible delicacy by Joel that it allowed his head to remain intact, save for the three fatal bullet holes in his forehead. Once the salvageable biocomponents have been removed from Lucas's system and placed in a form of protective storage within the facility, Simon would repair the structural damage to Lucas's forehead and replace his artificial skin to conceal his form as it had been.

It didn't matter how normal and alive Lucas looked during his final moments within the tower. Nothing would be able to change the fact that Lucas was gone and there wasn't anything that could be done to bring him back.

"Connor," Simon put a sympathetic hand to Connor's shoulder as he spoke to the grieving brother. "you don't want to be here to see this. It's okay to go, he'd understand."

"No." Refusing to budge Connor stayed exactly where he stood. "I left him alone far too often, I won't leave him again."

Simon could sense that Connor's stress levels were already dangerously high and only seemed to increase every time someone suggested he leave the area. Not wanting to push his friend any further than he had been already, Simon decided to back off and let Connor be. "Okay. You don't have to go if you don't want to." Simon kept his voice gentle as he spoke. "This can wait a while longer."

The elevator doors opened from across the floor as Hank and Markus departed from the elevator side by side. Hank's head was bowed low as he rejoined Connor at the exam table and looked down at Lucas with utter pain in his blue eyes. The pristine white plastimetal face of the deceased deviant was as lifeless and still as he had feared, but he kept a brave face for Connor's sake. Unflinchingly and with a gentle hand Hank pressed his palm against Lucas's cold, exposed cheek with one final gesture of affection to the downed adopted deviant as he paid his respects.

"Don't worry, son." Hank whispered in a soft tone as he looked down at Lucas's serene face. "We'll find the person responsible."

Connor didn't know if Hank was speaking to Lucas or himself but in that moment it didn't matter. What could he possibly say that hasn't already been said? How could he possibly express the inner turmoil, pain, grief, sorrow, rage and failure that had overwhelmed his mind and was breaking his heart in half?

Hank kept his palm against Lucas's cheek as he spoke. "Joel found the security camera above your apartment door. The footage shows a single person-" Taking a moment to breathe in slowly to keep himself from growling in anger or sobbing in remorse Hank composed himself and continued on. "a human, destroying the electronic lock on your apartment door with some kind of electronic device and then entering your apartment." He paused again as he forced himself to tell Connor the rest of the known details. "...He already has his gun drawn before entering."

Connor's L.E.D. flashed in red rapidly and his hands tightened into fists at his sides. Squaring his jaw the deviant's dark brown eyes narrowed with unparalleled rage mounting inside the shattered bits of his broken heart.

The person had entered the apartment with the intent to kill.

"Gavin was able to use the footage to identify the killer. He's being brought in for questioning right now." Turning his gaze to look at Connor, to see the overwhelming rage burning up inside the deviant's heart, Hank made a choice; he'd tell Connor the truth rather than try to protect him from it. "Fowler will allow us to watch the interrogation, but we can't under any circumstances interfere. Are you okay with that?"

"...I want to see him." For the first time since he returned to the floor to watch over Lucas like the protective brother he was always meant to be, Connor looked away from Lucas and locked eyes with Hank at his side. "I want to see the face of the man who murdered my brother."

The drive back to the precinct was as tense as it was silent. The two detectives, the father and son who had just lost a member of their unorthodox but loving family, were lost in the throes of pure confusion and unrivaled heartache. The rain that pelted the exterior of the car was thunderous as it resonated loudly through the otherwise silent vehicle as the aged car drove along the storm drenched city streets. Connor's hands remained balled into tight fists atop his lap as he stared blankly through the front windshield with a terse concentration that Hank didn't dare to try to break. Whenever Connor was so still or so silent it was a sign that Connor was restraining a deep rage within himself.

Pulling into the parking garage beside the precinct Hank parked the car in his designated space and immediately put his hand on Connor's shoulder to keep the enraged deviant from storming out of the vehicle and into the precinct without him. The last thing that either detective needed to deal with was Connor killing a suspect in front of his fellow officers.

"Remember," Hank turned off the engine and pulled the key from the ignition. Being the calm voice of reason was a new experience for Hank as the deviant had always been patient and levelheaded in the past. "we cannot interfere. Only watch."

Connor's L.E.D. continued to pulse a steady red as he stared forward blankly.

"We both know that when a killer is caught they'll either gloat about their crime or try to deny it to an infuriating extent. This time it's personal. Whatever you do, don't go into the interrogation room no matter what he may or may not say. It could compromise everything and Lucas will never get justice."

Reaching up slowly with his own hand Connor lifted Hank's hand from his shoulder as if to dismiss the worries. "...I understand."

Although he wasn't entirely convinced Hank wasn't going to question Connor's determination at the moment. "Okay."

The two detectives walked through the heavy rain into the precinct one building over shoulder to shoulder and with purpose in each of their steps. Passing through the front receptionist area the two detectives felt the eyes of the android receptionists staring at them with sympathy, but neither reacted to the stares. As they set foot in the bullpen of the precinct they spotted Gavin holding the case report in his hand and a grimace on his face as he silently looked over the gathered evidence recorded in the file in his hand.

Noticing the two detectives had arrived - the two family members of the deceased, Gavin respectfully stepped aside and watched as they entered the observation room adjacent to the interrogation room where the killer had been handcuffed to the table in the center of the room. Captain Fowler himself was assigned to ask the questions and no one was going to envy their Captain during that interrogation.

Connor planted himself in the center of the room with his eyes glaring a fiery hole into the side of the suspect's head through the one way mirror from where he stood. Hank instinctively positioned himself between Connor and the door as he was unsure of how hot the deviant's anger could burn or how he may react, and was ready to get him to back off if necessary.

"Remember to breathe, son."

"I don't have any problem with breathing." With his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides Connor never took his eyes from the man who murdered his brother as he preconstructed every possible way he could end the man's pitiful life. "I won't be able to say the same about the suspect if he says the wrong thing."

The suspect himself was a middle-aged white male with shallow steel gray eyes. His hair was greasy, black and beginning to thin at the crown of his skull and it was evident that he hadn't shaved in at least two days. Scars marked the man's knuckles and his chin, the result of many physical altercations from the past, and spoke volumes of his violent past. There was a scorpion tattoo inked on the backs of both of the man's hands with their claws running down in index and pinky fingers while the stingers ran up his forearms.

Gavin walked into the interrogation room and placed the file on the table next to Captain Fowler's hand as he leaned down to whisper something into Captain Fowler's ear before taking his leave of the room. Through the window Connor was able to read the Sergeant's lips and knew that he had warned their Captain that he and Hank were now watching the interrogation through the one way mirror.

Captain Fowler confidently flipped open the file on the desk and pushed forward photos that had been taken of the bloody crime scene at the apartment and of Lucas's body in the morgue at New Jericho Tower. A photo of the three bullets that had been extracted from Lucas's cranium, as well as a photo of the gun that had been taken from the killer's impounded car, matched the caliber of the lethal bullets in question.

"Jack Houlihan. We know you killed this deviant," Captain Fowler stated boldly, his voice somewhat muffled by the glass of the mirror. "we just need to know why."

"It wasn't anything personal, if that's what you want to know." Jack's voice, the killer's voice, was flat and emotionless. He truly didn't care about what he had done. He felt absolutely nothing toward his victim and treated it like business as usual. "Besides, I can pay for the damaged plastic. Give me the bill and I'll be on my way."

Hank quickly grabbed onto to Connor's shoulder as he felt an intense heat of anger rising up from the deviant beside him. "Steady. He's trying to piss you off."

"It's working..."

"Don't let it. It's what he wants."

"I'm trying to hold back," as his fists tightened even further his knuckles turned stark white. "but I can't make any promises."

"Keep trying, son. Don't let that asshole get under your skin."

"Why'd you do it?" Captain Fowler pressed casually as he maintained control over the interrogation. "This seems pretty damn aggressive, even for someone with a gun and a bad attitude."

"Robbery gone bad." Jack lied without batting an eye. "I didn't know 'it' was in there."

"No, not buying it. That was an android exclusive apartment building; not a single one of the occupied apartments contains anything of value to humans. You went into that apartment with your gun already drawn. You went in there with the express purpose to kill."

Jack smugly tried to stare Captain Fowler down as he continued to lie. "Nope. I went in to check the place out, the android jumped me and I fired. If anything it was self-defense."

Hank's grip on Connor's shoulder tightened as he felt Connor's become tense and enraged by the cold comment.

"He's lying." Connor muttered bitterly under his breath. "Every word is a damn lie."

"I know that. Fowler knows it, too." Hank confirmed in a low voice. "Just wait."

"Self-defense, huh? Is that what you call it when you break into someone else's home and why you shot three times directly into the victim's forehead? All three shots," Captain Fowler pushed the photo of Lucas's damaged head toward Jack to see entirely. "were grouped together; aimed with precision. Not the type of marksmanship one would display if in a panic after being supposedly jumped and caught off guard."

"What can I say?" Jack pushed the photo away arrogantly as if he was untouchable. "I have steady hands."

"Yeah, we already know that." From beneath the photos on top of the file Captain Fowler pulled out a digital screen and slid it toward Jack. Pressing the 'play' button he let Jack see the small surveillance video taken from outside the apartment door play out. "We saw it when you destroyed the lock, immediately drew your gun and entered the apartment without permission. Five seconds later we see and hear the three shots that downed the victim."

Jack swallowed nervously as he watched the video play out before him. "...Shit."

"Now, this is the part we have to give you some credit for." Flashes of light and four additional gunshots rang out at random intervals through the partially opened apartment door and the sound of furniture being overturned as well holes being broken in the walls were caught in glorious detail by the camera's powerful microphone over the opened door. "You took the time to trash the apartment to make it look like a struggle. But nothing was missing." Captain Fowler stopped the video after the footage showed Jack leaving the apartment without so much as a scratch on his person and slipping the gun back into his coat's pocket. Captain Fowler glared knowingly at Jack with mounting impatience. "Not one thing had been taken in this supposed robbery gone wrong. Why were you really there?"

Captain Fowler studied Jack's face and watched as the caught killer paled considerably.

"You had no idea that there was a camera, did you? Otherwise you would've at least worn a disguise." Taking back the shared evidence Captain Fowler slid more photographs forward. "The building's main cameras at the rear of the building and the neighboring alleyway had been disabled in the same way as the lock on the apartment door. So you knew there were cameras in the building, but you didn't know where they ALL were. You had a plan but it fell through spectacularly."

Jack didn't stay anything as the evidence continued to build against him.

"This wasn't a robbery. If anything this was a HIT. Who hired you?"

Connor tensed again, but this time it wasn't out of anger, it was from guilt and fear. They had taken precautions with an additional camera over the apartment's front door and glass door of the balcony, but they hadn't thought about securing the door with an additional lock or superior. It was something so simple and yet so critical that was easily overlooked by everyone.

Hank lightly shook Connor's shoulder to remind the deviant that he wasn't alone, that he wasn't responsible. "Hang on, son..."

"Tell me what happened." Captain Fowler again insisted calmly as pulled back the digital screen and the replaced the all of the photos inside the file. "By all account this was the work of a professional, except for the hiccup with the security camera. You went to that apartment with the intent to kill, there's no denying it. Tell us what happened and why you went there."

Jack remained silent where he sat. His face was pale and his cheeks were turning red with anger as if he had been betrayed.

"Well, you can tell me what happened or you tell my Lieutenant what happened. He was rather fond of that particular deviant you murdered in cold blood. If you won't talk to me I'm sure he can get you to open up; one way or another."

"Okay, okay... I'll tell you what happened as long as you go after the guy who hired me and cut me a deal." Sound more desperate than arrogant Jack realized his chances at walking out the door had vanished entirely. "I have all our texts saved and the account number he used to pay me in my phone."

"You have my word. Spill it." Captain Fowler leaned back in his chair patiently as he waited for Jack to tell the story. "I'm listening."

"...Hired?" Connor repeated in a whisper as his eyes narrowed at the sight of Jack through the window. "It really was a hit."

Hank remained quiet as he kept his hand on Connor's shoulder. His every instinct as a detective told him that there was something far more tragic about this entire incident that had yet to be seen, but his every instinct as a father to him to keep Connor safe and to keep him away from the demented man behind the glass.

"Who wanted to kill Lucas?" Connor questioned to himself as his brow furrowed with confusion. "He had no enemies."

"I swear to you it wasn't personal." Jack emphasized with sincerity for the first time since the interrogation began. "I was hired to take down that android because it was starting to interfere with some federal case. He told me to mess the place up to disguise the crime, he said to make it 'look good and to put the android down'. I was given the android's photo and I took out a target after I was paid, that's all."

"A federal case?" Captain Fowler could see that Jack was being honest, but his story didn't make any sense. What did Lucas have to do with a federal case and why was it worth Lucas's life? "What the hell did an android technician have to do with the feds?"

"T-Technician?" Truly confused by the title Jack sat more upright as he told Captain Fowler the truth. "No... I was told the android was hired on as one of your detectives."

Connor's pained eyes suddenly went wide with shock and his body began to sway unsteadily on his feet. "...No."

"Connor?" Hank put his other hand on Connor's other shoulder to try to turn the deviant so he could look him in the eyes. Sensing the emotional shift Hank began preparing for the worst. "Don't."

"Lucas wasn't the target."

"Connor, don't go there. Just look at me, okay?"

"...It's my fault."

"NO. It's NOT your fault! It's not your fault, focus on me and don't do anything foolish."

"The guy who hired me said he was tired of your android detective getting involved with police matters. That's why he hired me to get rid of it."

"You-" Captain Fowler leaned forward against the table and pressed his hand against the side of his head with frustration. "You dumb bastard, you killed the wrong android."

"I... There's more than one!?"

"You're more idiotic than I thought. Not only did you get yourself caught on camera committing the murder, but you took down the WRONG guy. Now I have to tag attempted murder of a police officer onto the list of charges against you."

"No! I... I never would've shot him if I didn't need the money! I was desperate, my kid is sick and-"

"SAVE IT. Give us the name of the guy who hired you or you won't get any deal."

Jack nodded a little and swallowed nervously again as he named the man who hired him. "It was Perkins. Agent Richard Perkins."

"Fuck!"

Hank quickly reached forward to the digital display on the mirror to turn off the speaker that allowed the observation room to listen to the conversation taking place in the interrogation room. The two detectives had heard enough, and now everything was falling into place at a painfully realistic level.

Backing away from the mirror against the far wall Connor's eyes fell to the floor as utter shock set in. It was a mistaken identity.

It was Connor who was the intended target, not Lucas.

Jack had been hired by Agent Perkins to kill Connor but instead it was Lucas who was killed. Murdered. It should've been Connor, it was meant to have been Connor.

Not Lucas.

"Connor?" Hank protectively kept himself between the deviant and the doorway of the room. The tension was building to an extreme level and Hank knew it was just a matter of time before the deviant couldn't hold back his emotions any longer. "Connor? Please look at me."

Unable to contain the overwhelming guilt and rage Connor's stress level peaked to one-hundred percent in a matter of nanoseconds. Turning his head away from Hank in shame Connor began to cry as he looked at the unforgiving reinforced concrete wall beside him for only a split-second before he turned his back to Hank and grabbed onto the gun holstered under his own blazer and pressed it up against the underside of his jaw with the intent to self destruct.

"Connor!?"

Reacting quickly Hank grabbed onto Connor's shoulders to try to pull him backward and grabbed onto Connor's forearms to lower the weapon, but not before Connor managed to squeeze the trigger and send a single bullet into the soundproof, reinforced concrete wall before him. Grabbing onto Connor's wrists Hank tightened his grip and smashed the deviant's hand against the wall four solid times to make Connor lose his grip and drop the smoking gun.

"Connor, STOP!"

The recently fired gun clattered to the ground at Connor's feet as Hank wrestled the dangerously stressed deviant to the ground. Hank wrapped his right arm tightly around Connor's chest - the thundering of Connor's heart was pounding against Hank's forearm as he tried to pull the deviant back and to try to keep Connor's arms pinned at his sides, but Connor's hand were still able to reach up and grab onto Hank's forearm to try to pull the senior detective's restricting limb away.

Hank stepped back from the bullet in the wall dragging Connor backward with him to keep him restrained. Pressing his left hand against Connor's forehead Hank pulled the deviant's head all the way back until he was resting his head atop Hank's shoulder as he continued to drag the deviant away from the wall.

"Son, don't resist..."

Hank had to muscle Connor into a kneeling position onto the floor as the weeping deviant stared blankly at the ceiling while Hank guided him further down into a full sitting position on the floor. The emotional turmoil was tearing Connor's heart apart and the pain was too much for the inexperienced deviant to bear prompting his attempts at self destruction.

"Connor, don't do that!" Hank pressed his own back up against the far wall as he sat on the floor and kept his arms wrapped securely around the deviant's body as he made Connor sit down on the floor in front of him. It was almost like a father trying to keep a temperamental toddler from throwing a fit and throwing themselves onto the floor. "STOP."

Connor continued to weep heavily as he bled from the deep self inflicted laceration over his right knuckles from his hand being bashed into the wall in order to get him to drop the gun. Thirium collected in a small puddle on the ground next to the two detectives as it ran down from Connor's hand while Hank kept Connor restrained for his own protection.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Connor. Please don't do this!"

"It was supposed to be me!" Shouting in utter pain Connor tried to argue with Hank that he needed to die because of what had happened to Lucas. "I'M the one who should be dead!"

"NO! You're NOT at fault for any of this!"

"I was the target!"

"That doesn't make this your fault!"

"I failed Hank! I was supposed to protect him and I FAILED."

"NO!" Hank refuted again and again as the deviant tried to break free from Hank's arms to retrieve his gun with the intent of shooting himself until he finally shutdown. "You didn't fail, Connor! This was something that NO ONE could've predicted! The only person to blame here is Perkins!"

"HE WAS MY BROTHER! HE WAS MY RESPONSIBILITY!" Connor desperately fought against Hank's grip as he tried to break away in a frustrated bid to end his own life out of guilt and remorse. The red L.E.D. was blinking so fast that it looked almost like a single, solid glow. "I WAS RESPONSIBLE!"

"I WAS RESPONSIBLE, TOO." Hank shouted in a voice just as pained as Connor as he used all of his strength to keep Connor sitting on the floor. "DAMN IT, CONNOR. STOP. I WON'T BURY ANOTHER SON!"

Connor's body began to relax but tears flowed constantly from his pained eyes down his face as he finally stopped struggling against Hank's strong arms.

Another son? Was Hank referring to Cole or Lucas? Maybe both. Maybe Connor himself had been included in that declaration as well.

"Please, Connor." Calming down for Connor's sake Hank lowered his voice as he felt the deviant finally struggling less against his arms. "This won't bring back Lucas or change what had happened. Don't hurt yourself. Lucas wouldn't want you to hurt yourself. That's why he became a technician, right? He didn't want any deviants to be in pain. That includes you." Hank felt Connor beginning to relax ever so slightly as he spoke. "Lucas saved hundreds of lives, he did something truly incredible and generous because he chose to do it. He chose save lives instead of taking them."

Slowly Connor began to stop struggling altogether and relaxed more as Hank spoke to him.

"Connor, listen to me, son. Any coldhearted fool with a gun can pull the trigger, but it takes someone actually worthy of a heart to put the gun down and walk away."

Gradually Connor let go of Hank's arm as he continued to weep openly. His entire body began to shudder with sobs as he fought, but failed to contain his pained emotions.

"It's okay to cry. Don't try to hold it back. Just let it out and take it easy."

"...No. I need to focus." Connor sucked in a breath between his clenched teeth and forced himself to stop weeping. The tears staining his face were thick and couldn't just be wiped away. "I need to finish this. I still need to help Lucas."

Holding Connor in a comforting hug Hank was reluctant to let Connor go after the emotional outburst. The deviant was still bleeding, his heart was still pounding and Hank could feel the intense heat still radiating from Connor's skin after being so dangerously stressed out. "Take a minute to relax, then we'll go together."

As emotionally distraught as Connor felt his respect and admiration for Hank always seemed to override any emotion that tried to overwhelm his heart.

"Breathe, son." Grateful for the cooperation Hank encouraged Connor in a kind voice as he held onto him despite no longer needing to keep the deviant from hurting himself. He wanted to provide a modicum of comfort to his grieving son. "Just breathe..."

Word had quickly gotten back to New Jericho Tower about the tragic and needless event that led directly to the murder of Lucas, and as a result every deviant was keeping tabs on all activity in the city in the attempt to either locate Agent Richard Perkins or at the very least find a lead that the police could use to track the snake of a disgraced agent down. Lucas would not be forgotten and he would get his justice through the very people he had dedicated his too short life to helping. With Connor leading the charge there was no way for such a treacherous and dangerous man to sneak about the city for long, and in the end Lucas's murderer would be captured.

Markus had watched as Simon took care of Lucas's body and prepared the fallen deviant technician for the funeral that would take place in two days. The damage to Lucas's cranium had been perfectly repaired but the damage to the intracranial processors and programming had been so extensive that reactivation of the deviant was deemed impossible.

"How's Connor holding up?" Simon asked as he finished the final details of the repairs and manually reactivated the artificial skin over Lucas's body. It would take a little longer than usual for the skin to return and allow Lucas's normal facade to resume its appearance due to his shutdown. "I don't want to interrupt his investigation by checking in myself."

"Not good." The deviant leader admitted as he joined Simon at the exam table and stared down at Lucas's face. "I got a text from Hank and he said Connor tried to... self destruct."

Simon shook his head despondently at the grim response. "I noticed his elevated stress levels earlier, but I had hoped that he'd be okay."

"It's all right, Simon. You can't protect him from himself."

"...Any word on this Perkins asshole?"

"Not yet. But our people are going to help find him before he has the chance to hide behind some loophole in the law. From what I've been told Perkins' superior is the F.B.I. director himself and said director is going to assist in any way he can once he arrives in the city tomorrow morning."

Simon only nodded as he watched the artificial skin manually regenerate over Lucas's face creating the usual facade of a human over the shell of a machine. As his dark hair reappeared over the crown of Lucas's head Simon noted the odd strand of hair that always hung down in front of Connor's face had been perfectly slicked back with the rest of Lucas's hair with great ease and wondered how Lucas keep his hair in check while Connor could not.

"Simon?" Seeing the emotions welling up in Simon's blue eyes Markus asked his friend how he was holding up. "Are you all right?"

"Not really. I just wish I could do more."

"We all do. Right now North and Skye have their contacts on the streets listening for any gossip and looking for any strange underground activity that could lead to a shady organization of anti-android zealots banning together to protect Perkins. Josh is providing grief counseling for the other deviants upstairs and I'm working with the precinct as we speak. You being here for Lucas and taking care of him is the best thing for everyone."

"I'm glad we're all doing our part to help out. That last thing this city needs is another confrontation between humans and deviants."

"You're right. We can't let this murder go unanswered, we must protect our people." Markus gently pulled down the white sheet and lifted Lucas's right hand up and held it in his own for a moment. The limp and lifeless hand was a cold reminder of what had happened to his ally. "Were you able to salvage his memory?"

"Only a few pieces." Having done everything he could Simon confirmed the severity of Lucas's internal damage. "His short term memory had been severely compromised by the bullets."

"Hopefully I can still find something usable."

"Whoa," Simon's eyes went wide and he put his hand on Markus's wrist as if to stop him from doing something dangerous. "shouldn't Connor be the one to connect to Lucas's memory?"

"Normally, yes, but Connor is in too much pain to do this. If I find anything that can be used to track down Lucas's killer I'll let him know."

The artificial skin over Markus's hand receded as did the skin over Lucas's hand. Closing his mismatched eyes Markus cybernetically connected his system to Lucas and accessed the memory files that hadn't been corrupted by damage.

Simon watched as Markus's eyes periodically closed tighter then relaxed, as well as brief glimpses of a faint smirk appear and disappear as quickly.

Breaking the contact with Lucas's memory Markus opened his eyes and gently replaced Lucas's hand down on the table. The artificial skin regenerated over Lucas's hand just as it did over Markus's hand in a gentle wave.

"Markus, did you see anything?"

"Yes." Markus confirmed as he used the back of his same hand to wipe away a rogue tear from his green eye. "But I didn't see the killer's face."

"That may be for the best."

"Maybe." Looking down at his hand for a moment Markus sighed and pulled the sheet up a little higher to cover Lucas's chest. "But I doubt Connor would see it that way."

It took Hank almost an hour to calm Connor down enough to keep the deviant from attempting to self destruct again. Keeping Connor's recently fired gun on his own person while simultaneously trying to think of a way to explain the fresh bullet lodged in the observation room wall, Hank maintained control over the situation for Connor's own sake and emotional state. Coaxing the exhausted deviant up to his feet Hank discreetly guided him out of the observation room and into the men's bathroom that was fortunately only a few doors away where no one could see him so they could have a moment together before leaving the precinct for home.

Once inside the bathroom Hank had Connor lean against the sink countertop while he ran a paper towel under the automated tap. Squeezing the towel to wring out the excess water Hank dabbed the paper towel over the remaining dried Thirium on Connor's bloodied right knuckles and hand to try to clean up the wound as it steadily healed.

Connor didn't resist or even show any outward sign of awareness as Hank cleaned him up.

"Does it hurt?" Hank asked as Connor winced from the cold water pressing against his artificial skin. "Sure as Hell looks sore to me."

"...No."

"Looks like the cut has already healed." Hank noted as he finished cleaning off Connor's hand then worked to remove the Thirium stains from along his wrist and up his forearm. "Do you want to see Joel before we leave?"

"No. I just..." Not wanting anyone to see him for any reason Connor refused to seek technical assistance. "I need to leave."

"Okay." Respecting Connor's decision Hank threw the bloodied paper towel into trashcan before he washed off his own hands under the tap and wiped them off on another paper towel. "Fowler is going to keep us updated." The senior detective professionally responded as he cleaned up the mess in the bathroom. "There's an A.P.B. out on Perkins courtesy of his own F.B.I. director issuing the warrant, and every cop in the city wants to arrest a fed simply because they take over our cases and slow us down.

Without anything to say Connor remained silent where he stood.

"But now that they know Perkins tried to have you killed they want to get him for a new reason. Especially since all you did was witness his drunken son getting arrested after his hit and run. You didn't even arrest the brat!"

"...And all Lucas tried to do was help the victim his son murdered."

"Yeah. I know."

Connor didn't say anything else as Hank put his hand on his shoulder again. Pushing the deviant toward the bathroom door Hank led Connor out of the precinct, through the staring eyes of the sympathetic officers in the bullpen and receptionist area, and toward the parking garage through the cold rain. Neither detective said a word to one another once inside the much warmer car as the two were lost in the irreparable tragedy that had altered their lives for the worse.

While Hank focused on the rainy streets ahead of himself Connor stared at his healing knuckles as his hand rested on his lap.

Lucas was dead, Connor was still alive and the murderer was still on the loose.

Needing some space to think Markus went to stand outside of New Jericho Tower and along the churning, sandy shore of the harbor that surrounded the isle. The thoughtful leader peered out at the dark, cold water with his hands folded behind his back in deep contemplation. As the rain continued to drench the city the leader of the deviants stared blankly out at the water being pelted with the heavy, icy drops from above as the miserable day gave way to evening, and soon would be an equally miserable nightfall. The air felt as emotionally heavy as it was cold, and the rain soaked into his clothing mercilessly causing his artificial skin to freeze.

The urge to protect his people, to protect his friends, was a strong instinct that Markus prided himself on. Being unable to do anything to help Lucas find his justice beyond cooperating with the police made Markus feel as if he simply wasn't doing enough as a leader in general.

"Markus?" North approached him from behind with a stern look in her cinnamon brown eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. "There has been a sighting of Perkins in the city. He's hiding out in a hotel that has been confirmed as a type of sanctuary for anti-android bigots. The shelter is courtesy of the hotel's owner who is an out loud and proud bigot himself."

"Shit." Markus turned around to face North as he walked away from the shoreline and locked eyes with his lover. "Do Connor or Hank know about this?"

"No. We made sure not to say anything to either of them until we could confirm that it was actually Perkins in the hotel. We don't want to make the same mistake as that impulsive hitman and get the wrong man killed."

"Good." Wrapping his arms around North he pulled her up against his chest keep her warm against the chilling rain and gave her a hug as a form of emotional support in the process. "Does Captain Fowler at the precinct know?"

"Yes. Josh informed him of the sighting, Captain Fowler is sending someone into the hotel to confirm the identity before they try anything that could compromise the case. The F.B.I. director is going to try to come to the city a little sooner because of the seriousness of the situation."

"Let's just hope somebody can do something before it's too late to do anything."

"It will all work out, Markus." Resting her head against Markus's chest North just listened to his heartbeat and sighed as the chill in the air began to affect her where she stood. "If our people can stand tall and free then I know Connor and Hank will find a way to get Lucas the justice he deserves. If anyone can do it, it's them."

The old car sat in the driveway next to the house with its engine turned off and the ignition key in Hank's hand as the two detectives remained sitting inside the quiet vehicle without saying a single word to each other. The sound of the rain pounding down against the windshield, over the hood and over the roof of the car created a natural ambience that was as soothing as it was depressing. Neither detective wanted to leave the car and enter the house as it meant they were no longer looking for Perkins. It also confirmed that the apartment was a crime scene that could be contaminated and that Connor couldn't go back to the apartment as if nothing had happened.

The cold and eerie evening made the already upsetting day feel even worse. Such dark and dreary feelings felt like a smothering weight on the already soul crushing pain that the mourning family was already enduring.

"Are you ready to go inside?" Hank asked patiently as he watched Connor now staring blankly through the front windshield. His L.E.D. was still blinking red, but it was a slower pace than it had been all day. "You should try to get some sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Well, I am. And I don't want you sitting out here in the cold all night long." Hank opened his door and waited for Connor to do the same. Slowly but surely Connor raised his hand to the door handle and pulled on it, his door creaking open heavily under his touch. "Sumo needs to be fed and let outside for a few minutes." The senior detective stated with a casual demeanor as if he could somehow make things seem normal for the night. "And I need a shower, my head's starting to kill me."

Usually Connor would make a comment on Hank's health whenever the older detective made the odd physical complaint about any form of discomfort, but the deviant didn't say anything. Quietly he followed Hank inside the house through the front door and into the kitchen as Sumo practically barrelled over the two detectives to get outside and take care of business in the rainy backyard.

"Need anything?" Again Hank tried to get Connor to say something but the deviant was seemingly as a perpetual loss for words. "Is your Thirium low? There's still some bottles of that stuff in the cabinet over the sink if you need it."

Ignoring both Hank and Sumo as the dog rushed outside into the ran Connor just trudged into the livingroom where he laid down on his right side across the length of the couch. Closing his eyes Connor put himself into rest mode in an attempt to drown out the depressing world around him. As the deviant's deep breathing rhythm fell into a steady pace Hank decided to let Connor be alone for a while.

"Get some sleep, son. The world won't be any better when you wake up, but at least you'll have the energy to deal with it."

As Sumo trotted back through the backdoor the massive dog shook off his wet fur all over the linoleum kitchen floor before heading into the livingroom to visit his favorite deviant.

"Let him be, Sumo."

Hank whispered as he walked into the livingroom quietly. It was a pointless endeavor as he knew Sumo couldn't understand him, but he felt like he needed to say something.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, kid. I won't go far."

Hanging his wet coat up on the hook by the front door Hank kicked off his shoes and then placed his phone down on the bookshelf against the wall alongside his car keys. Tired and needing a moment to himself Hank retreated into the bathroom to shower off the day's horrible events and process everything that had just happened.

Sumo's cold wet nose nuzzled against the side of Connor's neck for a moment but the deviant didn't rouse from his sleep. Getting no response from the deviant caused Sumo to whimper and let out a sleepy yawn of his own as he circled around the small space between the couch and the coffee table before he plopped down for a nap right alongside the deviant laying over the soft couch.

Connor had been asleep for only twenty minutes when Hank's phone began to 'buzz' on the bookshelf. Brown irises slowly reappeared as Connor lifted his head and glanced about the livingroom. Recognizing his environment as Hank's home and not his own apartment he instantly remembered what had happened and realized it wasn't a terrible dream, it was reality.

The phone 'buzzed' again and Connor pushed himself upright on the couch with one arm to locate the sound of the noise. Looking about Connor found himself alone but heard the shower running in the bathroom a few yards away and figured out where Hank was at that moment.

Curiously Connor rose from the couch and traced the sound to Hank's phone on the bookshelf. Picking up the phone Connor saw two new text messages from Captain Fowler displayed on the screen and his hand tightened around the phone in response as he read the information: 'Perkins had been located at a witness reported hotel, but he had fled before he could be arrested.'

"Son of a bitch..."

The second message was less pessimistic but just as frustrating: 'Perkins has been seen downtown, patrol is looking for him.'

Connor reached for the gun that was normally holstered around his back and under his blazer but the weapon wasn't there. Hank had taken it away from him after his breakdown at the precinct and secured in a place Connor didn't know.

"Shit."

Putting the phone down Connor squared his jaw and looked to the floor in front of the stereo system against the wall in the livingroom. Taking a deep breath Connor walked over the spot on the floor that held his attention and knelt down beside it. Prying up a panel of loose boards from the floor Connor reached his hands inside the secretive pit concealed in the floor and retrieved a small rectangular black gun case sitting inside the floor out of sight, and what was supposed to be, out of mind.

Connor carried the case into the kitchen to set down on the center of the kitchen table. Opening the case slowly Connor looked down at the nearly forgotten item with an intense stare. Steeling himself mentally Connor picked up the shiny revolver that Hank been playing 'Russian Roulette' with when the two had first begun working together as partners. A revolver that had been reviled by Connor but was now seen as a tool of justice.

After Connor and Hank had strengthened their friendship just prior to the Revolution, Hank had hidden the gun the night he invited the deviant to live with him. Hank had locked away the revolver in the case and hid it in the house where he wouldn't be tempted to use it on himself anymore, and only told Connor about it after the burglar broke into the house and threatened Connor with their own gun.

Opening the chamber of the revolver Connor checked his ammunition and sighed. With the one bullet still lodged in the chamber Connor held the cold weapon in his hands as if he had been given the solution to all of his problems. As his right hand tightened around the grip the pained deviant looked to the backdoor through the kitchen and made his next decision without any consideration for the potential consequences.

"...One bullet is all I need."

Not wanting to be alone or intrude on Connor during his grieving period, Markus and North sat together inside the tower's main office as they awaited any update on tracking down Agent Perkins from either their personal contacts or from the police officers still on the hunt. Every deviant in the city had been informed of the crime and were now keeping vigil for the vicious human as a means of showing respect toward Lucas for everything he had done for his people. Every so often a deviant would wave down a patrolling police car and inform them of any potential sighting, but there still was no definitive lead on where the cowardly agent was hiding.

North was losing hope and leaned heavily against Markus's shoulder as the two stared out the large window of the main office that the deviant leaders used to conduct business with other deviants. The office was well furnished and homey, but it wasn't as comforting as a bedroom or actual home outside of the tower.

Markus put his hand over North's hand and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay?"

Leaning against his side in need of support North sighed and asked him a painful question. "...Do you think we'll be able to find Perkins, or is this all a wild goose chase?"

"I don't know." Markus just shook his head a little as he stayed by her side. "Everyone is working together, but we don't know how deep Perkins's connections could run."

Josh knocked on the unlocked door of the office and leaned in the doorway to speak to the duo without intruding on their space. "I just wanted to let you know that Simon has everything ready. We just need Connor and Hank's consent."

"Thanks." Turning to look at Josh behind him Markus acknowledged his ally's presence. "We'll contact them tomorrow morning, we shouldn't disturb them tonight."

"Right. By the way, there's been another sighing of Perkins and the precinct is making their way over to the scene now."

"Good." As he spoke Markus tightened his hand around North's hand as if to reassure her and help her find some confidence. "Maybe this will end sooner than we all think."

Finally finished with his warm and soothing shower Hank popped a couple of aspirin into his mouth to ease his headache and then stepped out of the bathroom and ran a hand through his damp gray locks as he walked into the livingroom to check on Connor. The grieving deviant wasn't laying on the couch where Hank had seen him last, and Hank couldn't hear Connor walking around the house anywhere that could give away his current location. Stepping back down the hallway in search of his son Hank pushed open Connor's old bedroom door and peered inside the empty room curiously in an attempt to locate the seemingly wayward deviant.

The empty rooms and quiet house filled Hank's stomach with dread.

"Connor?"

Nothing.

"Where'd you go, kid?"

Wandering back down the hallway Hank felt a cool breeze billow through the house from the still opened backdoor in the kitchen. As he stepped into the kitchen he noted Sumo sitting at the opened door whimpering at the cold, dark rain pouring down all around the house.

"Sumo? What the-"

It was then something on the kitchen table caught the senior detective's eye. Hank glanced at the opened gun case on the table and his heart leapt into his throat. Rushing over to the table he picked up the previously hidden case and saw that the gun was missing. "

Connor... No."

Dropping the case Hank ran to the to the opened backdoor and stepped out into the rain in a near panic. Looking around in hopes that he could still see Connor, in hopes that he could still stop him from doing something desperate and crazy. Unable to see the deviant anywhere Hank called out for Connor as loud as he could through the cold storm.

"CONNOR?!"

There was no sign of the rogue deviant and Hank's voice was immediately lost in the pounding rain.

"SHIT! GET BACK HERE!"

Running back inside the house Hank grabbed his phone from the bookcase to call Captain Fowler to let him know that Connor had disappeared, and it was then he saw the same text messages that Connor had found moments before. It didn't take Hank long to put the pieces of the grim puzzle together as he replaced his phone on the bookshelf slowly.

"Connor, please don't do it."

All the color drained from his face as he realized that Connor was out for blood and no one would be able to stop him.

"You're better than that..."

Accepting his new, self appointed mission Connor concealed the revolver beneath his gray blazer as he marched down the rain drenched sidewalk in search of Perkins. Cybernetically Connor had tapped into the precinct's radio broadcast in a means of tracking down Perkins before the police had the chance to arrest him and to monitor the exact location of every police officer in the city. Speaking with every passing deviant he encountered, only a moderate fraction of whom even saw a human matching Perkins's likeness, Connor was able to triangulate the most logical place in the immediate area where he could possibly find the corrupt agent to bring him to justice.

Trailing Perkins to an old warehouse under renovation near a seedy hotel that could've been the hotel Captain Fowler mentioned in his texts Connor ran a scan over the building and noted a fresh set of hand prints on the side door used by construction personnel. The hand prints were getting washed away by the rain, yet the deviant's scanner was able to confirm the identity of the person who most recently passed through the door: Agent Richard Perkins.

The hand prints were less than ten minutes old and only beginning to wash away.

Pushing open the door Connor set foot inside the dimly lit warehouse, his red tinted L.E.D. flashing rapidly created a crimson glow that illuminated the interior walls and large pieces of machinery secured the the floor. There were tall wooden crates containing construction supplies alongside metal cargo containers sheltering larger machinery from the weather and creating an interior maze that offered easy cover for anyone looking to hide.

In the distance Connor heard the sound of heavy footprints running in the opposite direction of where he had just entered and honed in on the foreign sound quickly. Marching toward the fleeing noise with fearlessness and with unparalleled focus Connor traced the sound to a lone person hiding in the shadows deep inside of the warehouse.

"Perkins!" Connor shouted the name as his superior android vision allowed him to see perfectly well in the darkness. The human in question was cowering in the corner with his gun already drawn and shaking in his hand. "You wanted me dead and you failed. Here's your chance to try again, I won't run."

Perkins scrambled out of the shadowy corner and kept his gun aimed at Connor's head as he tried and failed to appear intimidating in the enraged eyes of the mourning deviant detective.

"You already tried to kill me once before at Jericho and you failed." Connor approached Perkins without even the slightest hesitation. Grabbing onto the barrel of Perkins's gun Connor pressed it against his chest next to his left shoulder to challenge the human and test his resolve. "I bet you don't have the balls to try again."

Too afraid to respond Perkins just stared with wide eyes and trembled visibly in Connor's presence. The way Connor wasn't afraid to confront him or even die removed any sense of power Perkins once held over him.

"I knew it." Using his other hand Connor forced Perkins to squeeze the trigger causing a bullet to fire from the gun and pass clean through Connor's upper chest and embed itself in the far wall behind him. Blue blood began weep from the damage to his left shoulder but Connor never flinched as he continued to stare down the murderous agent. "Fucking coward."

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Perkins tried to pull his hand away in fear but Connor wouldn't let him budge. "Let go! What the fuck?!"

Connor glared venomously at the agent as he moved the gun slightly lower against his own abdomen and repeated the motion. The second bullet passed through Connor's body just as easily as the first and became embedded in the wall behind him near the first bullet.

"I'm making it 'look good'." Connor taunted with a righteously dark tone as he taunted the irredeemable human. "If I make it look like self defense then I can kill you without question. That's how it works, right?"

Perkins's legs suddenly gave way and the agent collapsed in abject horror onto the floor of the warehouse and looked as though he were on his knees and begging for his life in front of Connor. Losing his grip on the gun Perkins pushed himself away from Connor with his hands to scoot back as he continued to cower in the shadows from the vengeful deviant who had easily tracked him down.

Connor turned his right hand into a fist and punched a large hole into the side of the nearest wooden crate to create the illusion of a struggle. He did the same with a strong kick to a metal cargo container opposite side of the wooden crate leaving behind a massive dent.

"I need to make it look like a struggle." The deviant announced with a cold tone. "Or perhaps a 'robbery gone wrong'... That's a believable cover for murder, am I right?"

"It was a mistake, all right?!" Perkins whimpered as if that could somehow remedy the entire situation. "I wasn't trying to kill that other android!"

"You failed to kill me," Connor repeated as he turned his head and stared with a burning hatred at the pathetic human on the floor. "but you succeeded in killing my brother." Smashing dents into the surrounding containers Connor easily made it appear as if a physical struggle was taking place in the warehouse instead of an impending execution. "One life is not equal to that of another."

"Look, I didn't know you had a roommate. It wasn't anything-"

"PERSONAL?" Connor interjected loudly as he stopped destroying the nearby containers and planted himself firmly in front of Perkins cowering and begging for his life on the floor. "I'm sick of hearing that term! What does it matter how you knew the victim? You MURDERED my brother in cold blood." Connor quickly revealed the revolver he had tucked under his blazer. As he pointed the barrel of the gun at Perkins' head he pulled back the hammer and locked eyes with the pathetic human for what he presumed to be the last time. "I'm going to do the same. I am going to murder you in blood that is just as cold, but this time it'll be red instead of blue."

"No... P-Please! I have a wife! I have a son!"

"I HAD a brother. What difference does it make? We both have families. Why is your life worth more than his? Or Hank? Or anyone else? Why should I spare you when you killed an innocent life because you're a worthless, heartless bigot?"

"I... please... I-I'm sorry!" Perkins raised his hands and turned his head away as he began to cry with fear and tried to surrender. "Don't do this... Please!"

"All you've done is take life and try to defend your murders by using the law as a very flimsy shield." Connor's hand was steady and his eyes cold as he aimed the barrel of the revolver at Perkins's head. "It took three bullets to kill Lucas, I know I can kill you with just one. The question is: How long will it take for you to die?"

Perkins pressed his back as hard as he could up against the wall behind him as he began to whimper louder.

"It took Lucas nine minutes and seventeen seconds to bleed to death. From what I've learned about my time with humans a bullet to the stomach is the most painful way to die. It can take a person almost forty minutes to bleed out from such a wound." Connor lowered the gun toward Perkins's abdomen and kept his aim steady. "I have nowhere to be tonight. I could watch you bleed to death at my feet and not feel a damn thing."

"NO!" Truly terrified of what Connor was capable of all Perkins could do was cower and plea for his life. "P-P-Please! Don't do it!"

As Connor kept his the gun aimed he watched the human squirming about like the worthless coward he truly was. Staring at the pathetic human begging before him a twinge of pity actually entered Connor's heart. It was then he remembered what Hank had told him at the precinct. "...'Any coldhearted fool with a gun can pull the trigger'..."

Lifting the gun a little higher Connor's eyes narrowed as he squeezed the trigger and watched as Perkins jumped and let out a yelp of surprise as the bullet lodged itself in the wall one inch beside his head. Opening his eyes Perkins looked up at Connor, then to the smoldering bullet hole in the wall beside him, then back to Connor as he proceeded to urinate on himself out of fear.

"...You're not worth it." Connor stated as he replaced the smoking revolver under his blazer out of sight. "It would've been a waste of a perfectly good bullet."

Making his next decision of the night Connor's L.E.D. flashed from red to yellow as he cybernetically left an anonymous tip that informed the police of Perkins's current location while he stood guard over the cornered agent. It didn't take long for patrol cars to converge on the scene and it took Connor even less time to back out of the warehouse toward the door from whence he entered, just as the door itself opened with two police officers rushing inside with their guns drawn ready to apprehend Perkins.

Staying within the shadows Connor was able to easily elude the officers and slip outside the warehouse without being detected in the process. If he had stayed at the scene then there would've been a chance that the case could've been thrown out due to bias or an arguable conflict of interest. Exiting the warehouse discreetly Connor pulled his gray blazer tightly around himself to conceal the two bullet wounds on his person as he walked through the cleansing rain into the darkness of the city around him.

With nowhere to be and nowhere else to go Connor walked aimlessly through the rain drenched city as he let the water wash the filth of the world from his person and rinse it down the storm drains all around him.

"I'm sorry, Lucas."

Whispering the name of his lost brother Connor felt warm tears run down his face and blend in with the cold rain drops already on his cheeks.

"Forgive me for what I had almost done."

Unsure of what to do or where to search for his missing partner, his missing son, Hank sat on the couch with his phone clutched in his hand and Sumo's chin resting on his knee. There had been a third text message from Captain Fowler confirming the arrest of Perkins which gave Hank some relief, but he still had no clue as to where Connor was or could be at that moment. Hovering his thumb over the green 'dial' button that was already highlighted over Markus's name Hank contemplated calling the deviant leader to ask for his help, but had no idea what he could possibly say about the situation that wouldn't come back to haunt Connor down the line.

It was almost two in the morning and the rain still hadn't let up. As the rainstorm threatened to drown the city Hank stared at the deluge through the front window and couldn't stop imagining every worse case scenario possible regarding Connor's fate. Scared sick and needing some answers Hank slipped the phone into his pocket stood up from the couch much to Sumo's disappointment.

"Fuck it, I need to-"

The backdoor opened slowly and Connor walked inside the kitchen as if in a trance. Rain was dripping off of him as it soaked through his clothing and thick hair causing the dark locks to cling uncomfortably to his forehead. A large rain puddle collected beneath Connor's feet where he stood as he quietly closed the door behind him and waited for Hank to say or do anything first.

"Thank fuck..." Hank huffed as he marched into the kitchen and grabbed onto Connor's right shoulder with a firm grip. "Where the fuck were you!? You scared the shit of me!"

"...I'm s-sorry." Connor's eyes were still full of unshed tears and his voice was trembling from a mixture of fear and the cold. "...I didn't m-mean to worry you."

"Where did you go?" Hank softened his voice as his anger dissipated into relief when he saw the pain in the deviant's eyes. "What happened? I need to know."

Shamefully Connor reached back for the revolver tucked under his blazer and handed the recently fired weapon by the barrel over to Hank to take away. "...I found Perkins."

"Connor..." Hank's eyes went wide with fear at the sight of the gun. He could smell the acrid stench of hot gunpowder still emanating from the barrel of the weapon and knew it had been recently fired. He took the revolver by the handle and held it tightly at his side. "What did you do, son?"

"I found Perkins. But... I c-couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him."

"I know." Hank dropped the gun on the kitchen table beside him as he wrapped both of his arms around Connor in a tight hug. As he embraced Connor he felt the chilly rain water that had soaked into Connor's blazer soak into his own gray t-shirt but he didn't care at the moment. All that mattered was Connor was home and he was safe. "It's okay son, you did the right thing."

"You're not disappointed in me?" Connor wanted to cry but he refused to let himself do it. He felt like had already cried enough that day. "I let Lucas's killer live."

"Am I disappointed in you for sparing a man's life? Never."

"I'm so sorry." Bowing his head forward Connor felt like a crushing weight was just lifted from his shoulders. "I shouldn't have-"

"Shh..." Hank shushed Connor firmly as he finally let go of the hug. "Don't worry about it. What's important is you're here and you're safe. Okay?"

"...Okay."

"Okay. Wait..." As Hank looked the rain drenched deviant over he saw two darker stains on the front of Connor's shirt near the left shoulder and right side of his waist, and recognized the stains as blue blood. Peeling back the left lapel of Connor's blazer Hank eyed the two wounds warily before darting his eyes up to lock onto Connor. "What the hell?! You're hurt! Connor, who shot you?"

"I... It's complicated."

"All right, we'll deal with that later." Hank could tell from Connor's tone of voice that he didn't actually want to know the details. Reacting as any parent would at seeing their child injured Hank helped Connor to slip off the cold, rain soaked blazer and then guided the android down the hallway into the bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up. Do you need to see a technician?"

"...No. The wounds aren't life threatening." Connor confirmed as he let Hank guide him out of the kitchen, down the hallway and push him into the bathroom as he turned on the overhead light. Too tired to resist Connor let Hank guide him over to the edge of the bathtub to sit down and reached his right hand up and began to loosen the black knot in the tie around his neck. "No biocomponents were damaged by the bullets. I merely lost some Thirium."

"Stay here, I'll get that fancy first aid kit of yours. I kept it handy just in case."

While Hank left the bathroom to get the kit Connor pressed his fingers to the raw bullet wound in his shoulder and flinched at the pain he forced himself to not feel while at the warehouse as he suppressed a groan of discomfort as Hank returned to the bathroom.

"We're almost of that incrass-,uh, the orange stuff." Hank stated as he sat the kit down on the floor beside Connor's feet. "Take off your shirt, I'll get you patched up and I'll get you some more Thirium in a minute."

Connor silently sat on the edge of the bathtub in shame for his reckless behavior from only a few hours before as he slipped off his completely ruined white dress shirt as Hank requested. Dropping the ruined garment into the bathtub behind himself Connor sat upright and kept perfectly still as Hank poured the orange tinted incrassation compound over his left shoulder and wiped away the excess blood with a fresh washcloth.

"Clean shot." Hank commented as he sterilized the injury and placed a pad of android-unique gauze over the wound. "Through and through."

Connor nodded a little to needlessly confirm the senior detective's observations.

"Hold your hand over the gauze so I can wrap up your shoulder."

Again Connor obeyed and put his right hand to his left shoulder and held the white bandage in place as instructed.

It didn't take long for Hank to wrap up the shoulder, the bandages also stretching over Connor's upper chest and partially down his left bicep to ensure the bandages and gauze didn't slip away. With one wound cleaned up Hank could now focus on the solely on the bandages before checking out the second injury.

The deviant finally spoke up in a timid, remorseful voice. "...Hank?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I frighten you when I disappeared from the house?"

"I was scared, yeah." The father figure admitted as he finished tending to Connor's shoulder and set his attention on the second injury still mildly bleeding in Connor's lower right abdomen. "I didn't want to lose you, too."

"When I said I didn't- I couldn't bring myself to kill Perkins, you said you already knew. How did you know I didn't kill him?"

"Because I know you, Connor."

"I... I don't understand what that means."

"It means I know you wouldn't kill someone in cold blood. You're better than that, son. Sure," Hank tilted his head to the side a little as he cleaned up the wound in Connor's abdomen while he spoke. "you burn hot when you get mad, but it's not in your nature to just gun someone down. I saw you spare androids before you even accepted your own deviancy, so I know you'd never take a life unless it was in self defense and the only option you had left."

Connor bit at his lower lip and fell silent with burning shame still in his heart. He was so damn close to taking down Perkins out of pure hatred and the desire to avenge his little brother's murder. But something deep inside of himself reminded him of Hank's words of advice and he chose to let his desire for revenge go.

Is there something more than just freewill and emotions that had become a part of his programming? Was that what made him alive and not just a machine?

Was that something more his true heart?

Repeating the process Hank was able to clean the second bullet wound in Connor's abdomen and wrap up the injury fairly easily. As he wrapped the gauze around Connor's abdomen to keep the wound bandaged Hank noted the lingering gunpowder residue that he had to wipe away from Connor's artificial skin, as well as the stippling that was indicative of a gunshot wound at very close range.

Wisely Hank didn't ask how the gun got so close before it was fired.

"How's your Thirium level?" The senior detective asked as he tried to ignore the wound while simultaneously securing the bandages into place. "I know you could use some."

"...I'm down to eighty-six percent. It's low but not critical."

"Okay." Hank grabbed a nearby towel and tried to hand it to Connor but the deviant didn't accept it. "Dry yourself off." Dropping the towel down on Connor's lap Hank stepped out of the bathroom again to give him some privacy. "I'll get you some Thirium and some dry clothes to wear."

Connor didn't budge. Red hot tears began to roll down his face as the overwhelming desire to cry began to break him and the already thin emotional resolve he still had left all but shattered. The pained deviant didn't understand why he felt like he needed to cry again. He'd already shed his tears for Lucas, already cried out in rage, he even cried in self hatred.

Why did he need to cry again?

With a bottle of Thirium in one hand and an oversized black t-shirt and pair of gray sweatpants in the other hand Hank knelt down in front of Connor in the bathroom. As soon as he saw the tears in Connor's soulful brown eyes Hank wrapped his arm around the deviant's shoulders again to give him a consoling hug. "It's okay son. Cry!"

"I d-don't understand what I'm crying about." Connor admitted as he let out a deep shuddering breath and let Hank hold onto him. "I don't understand this feeling."

"It's called 'mourning'." Hank pulled his arm away from Connor's shoulders as he took the towel from Connor's lap and used it to dry off the deviant's damp hair lightly. "It's an intense feeling of sadness and anger and... I don't know, every bad thing you could possible feel all at once. It sucks, but it's necessary. We all feel it in times of great loss"

"When does it stop?"

"When you're done mourning." Unsure of what else to say Hank dropped the towel back into the bathtub atop Connor's ruined shirt as he reached down for the dry black t-shirt and slipped it on over Connor's head so the deviant wouldn't have to move his injured shoulder too much. "And like I told you back when Carl died, there's no right or wrong way to mourn when someone passes on."

"How long does it last?"

"Mourning?"

"The pain from mourning."

"It..." Hank bit his tongue to keep himself from saying 'forever' as he immediately thought of the nights where he lost Barbara and Cole, and of the insufferable pain he had been forced to endure alone. "It'll stop after you let it out."

"Let it... out? Let what out?" Connor asked as he slipped off his rain soaked boots and set them aside beside the bathtub. "How?"

"Well, you keep crying until you don't feel the need to do it anymore. And again everyone mourns in different ways for different lengths of time, so don't worry about how long it takes."

"I've cried many times already and I don't feel any better."

Hank took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as he tried to find the gentlest and simplest way to explain the complexities of human emotions to the still learning deviant as he endured the harshest emotional turmoil he's yet to experience. Connor looked so lost and so broken that it actually made Hank feel broken as well.

"I..." Connor struggled to compose his thoughts but did his best as he changed out of his rain and Thirium soaked clothes into the dry clothes instead. "I just don't understand what it is I'm feeling or how to endure it."

"Son, it's difficult to explain. There's a difference between crying because you're said and crying because you're in pain. There's the kind of crying that comes from an emotional, but logical part of your brain, and then there's crying that comes from your heart. All I can say is once you feel it, and I mean really feel it, you'll know the difference."

"But I don't want to cry anymore." Connor admitted as he took the gray sweatpants from Hank's hand and swapped them out for his rain soaked jeans. "Isn't there another way to mourn beyond crying and emotional distress?"

"There is, but I don't recommend it."

"Are you referring to alcohol and other forms of narcotic dependence?"

"Yup. It numbs the pain for a while but once it wears off the pain comes back tenfold. Don't try it, I don't want you to suffer like that."

Connor used the back of his hand to wipe away his tears as he stood up slowly on the bathroom floor. Hank practically forced the bottle of Thirium into the deviant's hand and waited for Connor to drink it before he'd let the deviant left the bathroom. Understanding that it was a gesture of concern Connor opened the bottle and quickly drank the offered Thirium and noted that his Thirium volume had risen up to ninety-seven percent.

"One bottle of Thirium will suffice." Connor stated sincerely as he placed the empty bottle into the nearby trashcan. "...Thank you for taking care of me."

"Of course, you don't have to thank me for that."

"Yes, I do." Connor's eyes began to fill with tears again as he looked at Hank with deeply seated pain reflected in his soulful brown irises. "You cared about Lucas too, and all this time you've been taking care of me while I've been hurting. Who's been taking care of you?"

Hank put a kind hand to Connor's good shoulder and it held it there for a few seconds. "Connor, I-"

Before Hank had the chance to make some comment about being all right or needing to be in private to mourn Connor wrapped his arms tightly around Hank and held him in a firm embrace that the senior detective didn't try to back away from him or resist in any way. As Hank reciprocated the hug he felt a wave of relief wash over him as he realized that Connor's deviancy, his human heart, wasn't entirely broken by the experience of losing his little brother. He still had the capacity to care and empathize with others and would be able to bond with other people again if given enough time.

"Connor." Answering honestly Hank held the hug for as long as Connor needed him to do it. "I won't say I'm okay, because I'm not, but you don't have to worry about me."

Slowly Connor let Hank out of his hug and stepped back and parroted his previous response. "Yes, I do." Suddenly aware of how tired he felt Connor shook his head and registered the time. "You're my family, I will always worry about you."

"Go to bed. I'll wake you when I get an update from Fowler or from Markus." Wanting Connor to get some rest Hank tried to coax the deviant into getting some rest. "I'll keep my phone by my bed so it wakes me up. Okay?"

Nodding a little Connor followed Hank out of the bathroom and stepped into his old bedroom to rest for the night while Hank walked down the hallway into his own bedroom to do the same. As Connor stood inside the familiar room he looked about at the area and noted the items that were suddenly lacking and now residing at the apartment where Lucas had lost his life.

The aquarium was still against the wall where he had left it; the glass and water were crystal clear and all of the fish were still alive indicative of Hank's daily care, but Connor's guitar that used to be propped up in its case in the corner was now it was in the middle of the destroyed livingroom of the blood soaked apartment. The painting that Lucas had given him to keep his nightmares at bay, it was nowhere to be seen. And Lucas...

Lucas was never coming back.

Connor took in a deep pained breath as tears flowed down his face in a torrent. Falling to his knees slowly Connor put his hands to his face to cover his eyes as he let out a deep guttural scream of utter pain that he had never felt before. Curling around himself on the floor Connor cried harder than he thought was possible and didn't even feel it when Hank rushed into the room and knelt beside him on the floor.

Hank tried to wrap his arms around Connor to hold him but Connor wasn't going to move up from the floor. Wrapping one arm around chest to let the deviant rest his chin atop his forearm Hank wrapped his other arm over Connor's back and leaned down against him as much as possible to let Connor support his trembling body up against his own as Connor wept with agony in every fallen tear.

"I'm here for you, son. I'm right here."

As Connor mourned for the loss of his little brother Hank began to silently weep as Connor's pain seemed to leech into his own heart. The racking sobs from the deviant hurt and Hank knew there was nothing he could do to lessen the pain. Only time and patience could undo the type of hurt that the shaken and emotionally fragile deviant was enduring, and time could be as cruel as it was kind.

"You'll be okay, son." Whispering in a nearly inaudible tone Hank did his best to support Connor without his own pain being revealed in his shaking and broken words. "Your dad's here for you. I'm right here."

New Jericho Tower was as restless as the precinct itself as the officers involved with the anticipated arrest charged Agent Perkins with a number of serious crimes. While the now disgraced and former F.B.I. agent Richard Perkins shouted that Connor had tracked him down and threatened him with a gun as loud as he could, no one at the precinct believed him or even bothered to look for any evidence of Connor being inside the warehouse. Perkins had a history of blaming androids for his problems and he had already accused Connor of having an agenda against him long before he foolishly put out a failed hit on the detective at hand.

Perkins's bigoted comments against androids had come back to haunt him in the most poetic manner anyone could've ever hoped for, and even his colleagues at the F.B.I. had abandoned him. With F.B.I. Director Norman Jayden cooperating with the precinct to condemn Perkins for his crimes the arrested man was guaranteed a life sentence in a maximum security prison.

Captain Fowler himself went to the scene at the warehouse with Gavin shortly after Perkins was arrested and the two found the stray bullet that Connor had fired into the wall, but Captain Fowler was disinterested in the bullet seeing as Perkins wasn't injured and the agent had knowledge and a history of staging a crime scene to frame innocent people. Even if they did believe that it was possible that Connor confronted him in the warehouse the two officers decided it didn't matter, and now they had a confirmed killer and corrupt agent in custody.

They had the killer, they stopped a corrupt agent from continuing to abuse his power and they were able to bring justice to a murdered deviant. It was a monumental day in the city for all of the innocent citizens; human and deviants alike, as well as for the honest cops who continue to patrol the streets.

Markus had been given an update on the situation from the receptionist androids at the precinct and happily told North, Josh and Simon of the positive turn of events. Certain that Connor and Hank were already made aware of the situation and were most likely grieving together in private, none of the leaders decided to intrude with the information via cybernetic call.

Something like this deserved a more personal approach.

"I'm going to check in with Connor and Hank now that it's dawn." Markus decided as the relatively good news helped lift a tremendous weight from his heart. "If you need anything you'll know where to find me."

"Do you want me to go with you?" North volunteered in an uncharacteristic display of empathy toward the two detectives. "I don't mind."

"No, it'll be fine. Stay here and keep things running until I get back." The deviant leader leaned down to kiss her on the lips as she stood up on her tiptoes to accommodate his height compared to her own. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

It was almost four in the morning by the time Connor had literally cried himself to sleep in Hank's arms. It felt wrong to leave Connor alone in the bedroom and Hank couldn't bring himself to be alone for the night either, so the senior detective painstakingly lifted Connor up into his arms and carried him out of the bedroom and placed him down on on his back over the couch in the livingroom. Draping a dark navy blue blanket over the deviant's sleeping form Hank patted the couch cushion next to Connor's legs to coax Sumo into laying on the couch beside Connor to provide some sort of mild comfort to the emotionally pained deviant as he finally slept.

Happily Sumo climbed up onto the couch and laid down beside Connor in an attempt to make his master feel better. The large dog seemed to sense that something terrible had happened and wanted to be as close to Connor as possible.

"Good boy."

Complimenting the dog's loyalty Hank pressed the back of his hand to the side of Connor's neck for a quick 'fever check' and was glad to find that the deviant wasn't overheating from his injuries or hypothermic from the cold rain and Thirium loss.

"Take it easy, son. Rest well, you need it."

Sometimes Connor was more human than either detective really expected. Connor's behavior was almost childlike at times as he tried to grasp the complexities of human emotions while experiencing such drastic emotional responses with only Hank's guidance to help him understand what he was going through.

"You did good, son. You may not believe it, but you did."

Wrapping himself up in a thick brown quilt Hank resided to sleeping in the recliner just beside the couch and had drifted off to a deep and much needed sleep himself with his phone resting in the palm of his hand. Around nine in the morning a knocking at the front door roused Hank from his sleep and caused Sumo to raise his head and let out a protective singular low bark as he stared at the door and prepared to attack any possible intruder who would do either of masters any harm.

"It's okay, Sumo." Hank stated curtly as he walked over to the front door with the quilt still wrapped around himself and answered the door. "Markus. What're you doing here?"

Sumo let out a tired grumble as he recognized Markus as a friend and lowered his head back down atop Connor's steadily rising and falling chest to keep watch over his sleeping deviant master.

Markus greeted Hank with a bittersweet smile as he handed the exhausted senior detective a large cup of hot coffee. "I wanted to check in on you in person and I figured you could use a little caffeine pick-me-up after everything you've been through."

"Androids understand the necessity of coffee?" The senior detective lightly joked in an appreciative manner as he happily took the offered coffee from Markus and let the deviant leader step inside the house out of the still pouring cold rain. "Are all androids so insightful?"

"Well, I am. Carl insisted on having coffee every morning so now it's just part of my programming."

"Carl raised you right." Hank graciously sipped at the coffee and returned his gaze to Connor asleep on the couch. "Damn, you even got it sweetened just right. How'd you know?"

"A hunch."

"Good hunch." Feeling more awake Hank again stood behind the couch and watched Connor sleeping over the furniture with Sumo protectively resting his chin atop the deviant's slowly rising and falling chest. Connor's L.E.D. was still blinking red even in his sleep, which meant he was still stressed. "I take it you heard about Perkins being arrested last night?"

"Yeah. I just wanted to see how you two are holding up."

"I'm holding up all right, for now, but Connor... He isn't doing well at all."

Markus looked down at his own hand and clenched it into a fist as he contemplated telling Hank about connecting to Lucas's memories but he decided that now wasn't the appropriate time. "What do you need from me?"

Hank thought for a moment before he answered coolly. "C.S.I. will release the scene at their apartment this afternoon. If you could bring Connor his clothes and some other things I'd greatly appreciate it. I'd go myself, but..."

"I understand. Stay here with Connor."

"Thanks, Markus."

"The, uh, funeral will take place tomorrow at two in the afternoon."

"At the tower, right?"

"No. I received a portion of Carl's fortune after his passing and I purchased the property of an abandoned church a few blocks from New Jericho Tower. It was once used as a temporary shelter for many deviants looking to cross the border and it was where we hid when we fled from old Jericho the night of the Raid. I had the church restored to its former beauty and is now the resting place for all deviants who've shutdown in the city."

"Sounds like you're doing everything right with Carl's fortune. He'd be very proud of you."

"You legally adopted Lucas when you adopted Connor, so I wasn't sure if it was okay to do this or not since you are legally their guardians. I wanted your blessing before I confirmed anything."

"That's perfect, thank you. I have my own arrangements for Lucas I need to finalize still, but laying him to rest in a sanctuary for all androids is just fine by me and I know Connor would agree."

"Okay. I'll head over to their apartment to get a few things for Connor later on and afterward I'll confirm everything at the tower. The funeral procession will originate from the tower and carry on to the church from there."

"Aren't you worried about anti-android zealots trying to interfere?"

"No." The deviant leader answered in a surprisingly kind tone as he let Hank know the truth. "Despite everything that happened during the Revolution I still have faith in humanity as a whole."

"Good. Never lose sight of it." Hank sipped tiredly at the coffee again and tried to think of his next move. "I'll make sure Fowler knows to keep a patrol car in the area. Just in case..."

"Right. If you need anything else from me, just call."

"I will. Right now I'm fine." Looking back his son Hank sighed and put his palm along Connor's hair. "However, Connor needs all the support he can get."

"Understood. Consider everything you need already done."

Another eleven hours passed by very slowly before Connor finally regained enough strength to awaken from his deep slumber with a painful headache, a tender shoulder and a throbbing stomach to greet him as he opened his tired, blue bloodshot eyes. Finding himself staring up at the blank, white ceiling of Hank's livingroom with a massive, warm fluffy dog laying over his chest, Connor realized that what he had just endured wasn't another nightmare, it was indeed the horrific reality he'd have to adapt to without his little brother at his side. Hank had bandaged him up, carried him to the couch and left him to rest after Connor stumbled home late last night.

Lifting his head up from the pillow under his hair Connor looked over Sumo's head into the kitchen to see Hank pacing about the room as he finished a phone call and slipped the phone into his pocket with a heavy sigh. Even from the distance Connor knew Hank was stressed out about something.

"...Hank?"

"Connor." Hank walked back into the livingroom and stood at the foot of the couch as he looked down at the fatigued deviant. "You've been out for sixteen hours now. How do you feel?"

"...Sore. I have one those headache statuses again." Unwilling to deny his pain Connor told Hank the truth. "And my stomach is now sore from the bullet wound."

"Anything I can do to help you feel better?"

Connor ran a self diagnostic, his L.E.D. blinking yellow briefly before returning the standard red color it had become over the past two days. "My Thirium level dropped down to eighty-nine percent after running my self healing program during rest mode. Perhaps a replenishment will ease the discomfort."

"Sure, no problem."

Gently Connor pushed Sumo's head from his chest as he sat upright on the couch and swung his legs over the edge. It was only a matter of seconds before Sumo pressed his chin and paws down against Connor's lap as he insisted on cuddling with the deviant whether Connor wanted to or not. Placing his hand down on Sumo's head Connor rubbed the dog's ears affectionately as Hank handed him another bottle of fresh Thirium.

"Markus stopped by while you were asleep." Hank stated as he took a seat on the couch next to Connor. "The funeral is tomorrow. He brought you some clothes from your apartment to wear and your guitar."

"...Thanks. I'm glad he brought the guitar." Connor wasn't sure how to respond to the unusual visit that he had slept through. As he drank down the Thirium in hopes it'd ease his pain he asked Hank to inform him everything he missed out on while in rest mode. "What else happened?"

"Fowler also called. He said Perkins has been brought up on numerous charges for fraud, conspiracy, assault, assault of a police officer, murder, attempted murder, bribery... I even managed to convince Fowler to tag on 'interfering with a witness' since it was Lucas who saw Perkins's own kid run down that other innocent deviant then flee the scene of the accident. After he gets ALL the charges listed he's going to be put on trial, sent to a maximum security prison and if he doesn't get picked off by one of the convicts he helped put away, then he'll spend the rest of his life rotting behind bars."

"...That means all of Perkins's past cases are going to be reviewed in light of his incarceration." Connor fidgeted with the now empty Thirium bottle in his hand nervously as he realized the severity of the situation. "That's going to require numerous hours and other agents to sift through the work properly."

"Yup. That's protocol, son. Who knows how many innocent people Perkins had arrested just to advance his career?"

"Hank, do you remember that night when Perkins aimed a gun at me at the precinct parking garage and you protected me?"

"Yeah, of course I do. You don't exactly forget some asshole pointing a gun at your kid." Hank could see something was weighing heavily on Connor's mind and he knew the deviant needed to talk. "What about it?"

"That night I wanted to tell you something, but I refrained from doing so. It felt... cruel. But now it feels like I was justified in the way I felt."

Hank gave Connor an understanding pat on his good shoulder to encourage him to keep speaking. "What did you want to say?"

"I wished that when you held your gun to Perkins's head you would've just... pulled the trigger."

In an instant Hank could feel the intense guilt and regret that was radiating from Connor's entire being and the feeling was mutual. "...I wish I did, too."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Hank's confession carried a heavy guilt as he spoke. "And he's the not the first person I wish I had taken out when I had the chance. In the end it's better that we're the ones who show self control and prove that we're better than the people we're looking to arrest. It's good that we won't sink to their selfish, cold level just to get the job done."

"Hank," sinking lower into the couch cushions Connor demeanor seemed to drop even further into the deepest pits of sorrow. "there's nothing we can do to bring Lucas back, is there?"

There was a pause as Hank hesitated in answering the very sad and very real question honestly. "No, son." Hank's shoulders slumped with sorrow as he sank back against the couch next to Connor. "He's... He's gone."

Connor only nodded as if he could finally accept what had happened though his heart remained heavy all the same. Placing the empty bottle down on the coffee table Connor leaned back against the couch and patted Sumo's head lightly as he stared off into silence at the far wall of the livingroom next to Hank. The two detectives had reached a mutual level of contentedness after enduring two days of utter despair and heartbreak, and neither had anything else to say to one another.

Unwilling to to disturb what little peace they had managed to achieve the two friends and family members chose to sit in silence for the remainder of the night until it was time to prepare for the following morning's somber events.

Tomorrow morning was Lucas's funeral.

Standing in the depths of New Jericho Tower donned entirely in black Connor stood beside the silver plastimetal casket that held Lucas's body with a heavy heart and a clenched fist. Lucas himself was wearing his original white and black CyberLife 'RK-900' uniform, but the CyberLife insignias and the armband had been removed to give the uniform a less military aesthetic, and let Lucas seem more like himself. Looking sharp in the modified suit and with his hair styled back as neatly as ever Lucas looked more like he was sleeping rather than shutdown after being mistakenly murdered by a reckless hitman hired by a cruel and selfish former agent.

Putting his hand over Lucas's forehead Connor said his final goodbyes to his little brother in private before the funeral began. His palm felt smooth, flawless plastimetal as Simon perfectly mended the damage to Lucas's head out of respect for the fallen deviant.

"I'm sorry I failed to protect you. I'll already miss you so much, little brother."

Connor opened his fist to reveal the silver colored guitar pick that he had used to play music for hundreds of hours in the apartment while Lucas painted dozens of different beautiful imagery on canvases. Slipping the guitar pick into Lucas's right hand Connor tightened his brother's cold, motionless fingers around the item as if Lucas could still somehow feel it.

"I love you, Lucas. I won't forget you, I promise."

Softly Connor closed the lid of the casket as tears began to roll down his face again. As the lid of the casket clicked shut Connor bowed his forehead down against the lid and patted it once with his hand.

"Goodbye, Lucas. I hope we can somehow see each other again some day."

Walking away from the casket Connor was met by Hank, who too was wearing black just as Connor was, who then led the deviant to the elevator. Ascending the tower within the transparent glass car of the elevator Connor and Hank stared at the closed casket through the glass barrier until it was out of sight long before the two reached the ground floor where Markus, North, Josh and Simon were all waiting for the funeral to begin.

"...It's time."

The funeral itself was a modest gathering at the restored church designated a safe place for androids all over the city. The deviants who had stopped by to pay their respects to Lucas quickly departed from the church and its rear cemetery out of fear of bigoted protestors trying to disrupt the funeral with hate speech or violence, but their brief presence was appreciated all the same. Technicians and even several police officers from the precinct had stopped by to pay their respects to the fallen deviant due to their genuine respect for either Connor, Hank or the both of them, and wanted to show support to their colleagues during their time of grief.

Other friends and allies in one sense or another had also shown to pay their respects. Rose and Adam had arrived as two of the dozen or so humans in attendance, while Captain Fowler, Chris, Tina, Ben, Joel and Abby helped fill in the attendance. The other humans paying respect were the friends of the deviant refugees that Lucas had helped save during his lifetime and they too needed to show Lucas their respect.

The other attendees of the funeral were the leaders of New Jericho, Skye, almost half of the tower, and of course Connor and Hank. Every L.E.D. in attendance was either yellow or red to reflect their grief, and Connor's L.E.D. remained a deep, crimson red that pulsed in tandem with his broken heart's sluggish beat.

Connor, much to Hank's surprise, had pushed through his shyness and pain, and had taken it upon himself to deliver the eulogy for his late little brother. As the mourning deviant stood beside the metal casket that was to be lowered into the ground Connor forced himself to speak up and give his late brother the respect he had so rightfully earned and deserved on that fateful, rainy day.

"Lucas Caleb Anderson was a truly unique android." Connor stated in a low voice, his soulful brown eyes transfixed on the rain soaked grass as he was unable to look anyone in the eyes while his heart was so full of emotion. "He was a being who originally came from a place of darkness and in the end shined brighter than any other beacon of light in the city ever could."

The gathered mourners smiled with respect at the kind words as they agreed with Connor's praise toward his late, younger brother.

"Dedicating himself to helping those in need and protecting the lives of those he had come to care for, his presence will be forever missed. And I... I know that my brother's life, though short, was one of tremendous respect and admiration. I'm proud to have had him in my life and even prouder to have had him as my little brother."

There was a moment of silence as Connor struggled to find the words to continue.

"While he may be gone, the changes he made to the world will last forever. I like to think that in the end we'll all be so fortunate to have had met Lucas and been a part of his life just as was a part of ours. I'm going to miss him and I will always miss him. Yet, I know that someday he and I shall meet again in time. It could happen in this lifetime or the next, but I know ghzg this isn't the last time we'll know Lucas; the 'Deviant Guardian'."

During the funeral the rain continued to fall in heavy, cold sheets that soaked the entire city relentlessly. As Lucas was interred into the expansive cemetery behind the church the gathered mourners said their goodbyes, placed the symbolic blue lily that had been stained Thirium blue atop the fresh grave, and departed with silent admiration for the deviant technician that had saved countless deviant lives over his own too short lifespan.

Standing beside the grave with Hank at his side Connor stared down at the marble gravestone that had a metal plaque secured to the face of the stone with Lucas's name engraved into the shiny, pristine surface: Lucas Caleb Anderson. Beloved Brother, Son and Guardian to all Deviants.

As expected Connor and Hank were the last to leave the cemetery as the cold afternoon gave way to a freezing evening. The relentless cold of the rain was beginning to affect Hank but he wasn't about to complain about a little chill after burying Lucas in the cold, wet earth. Instead he stood silently at Connor's side and it wasn't long before the always astute deviant noticed that Hank was beginning to shiver.

"Hank? I don't want to go." The admission was as sweet as it was painful. "But, I can't stand here forever."

"I understand." Hank confirmed as he stared at Lucas's name on the headstone as well. "And Lucas would, too. But you have to be the one to choose when it's time to walk away."

"I think... I think the time is now. I've said goodbye and I've mourned. What's left for me to do?"

"Now it's time for you to find a way to live your life without him in it. It won't be easy but it can be done."

Hank empathetically put his hand on Connor's shoulder as he silently guided Connor out of the rainy cemetery and to the car parked outside the church. A patrol car drove by and Hank could see Gavin inside the vehicle as he lapped the block for the dozenth time that afternoon to ensure no one interfered with the funeral in a negative manner. After nodding graciously at the passing patrol car Hank took his usual position behind the wheel of his own car while Connor sat beside him as his lone passenger.

Pulling out onto the street Hank drove through the rain and made his way out of the city rather than heading back to the house or to New Jericho Tower.

"Hank," Connor immediately noticed the unusual route and inquired about their unexpected destination. "where are we going?"

"There's one last thing we need to do for Lucas." Hank replied sharply as he turned on the heater in the car to stave off the cold that had soaked into his dark clothing. "Think of it as a human tradition to go along with this android tradition."

Connor didn't understand what Hank was talking about, but the deviant chose to not ask questions seeing as he'd find his answers soon enough. Turning his head to look out the window he gazed through the rain and turned on the radio to fill the car with an energetic ambience to counter the stifling melancholy that had all but plagued the two detectives over the past three days now.

After drifting off into a light slumber Connor became suddenly aware that the car had stopped and Hank had turned off the engine. Opening his eyes Connor glanced around himself and realized that Hank had driven to the cemetery where Cole and Barbara had been laid to rest several years prior. Hank was quietly staring out his side window at the sight of the two familiar headstones right alongside the main drive that snaked through the cemetery without saying a single word.

"Why are we here?" Connor asked softly as he leaned forward and looked over at Hank with understandable confusion in his voice and his eyes. "It isn't an anniversary or a birthday we need to honor."

"We're here for Lucas."

Connor's brow furrowed slightly as he watched Hank open his door and step outside of the car and back out into the rain.

Following after Hank, who walked to the rear of the car to pop open the trunk, Connor looked inside and saw three white lilies and one red rose sitting inside a small cardboard box lined with packs of ice to keep the flowers alive. Hank picked up the flowers and walked over to the two headstones and knelt down respectfully and Connor immediately did the same. Motioning toward a newly placed headstone next to Barbara's headstone Hank watched as the deviant's eyes went wide with surprise at the name engraved on the stone in flawless text.

Lucas Caleb Anderson.

"...Lucas?"

"It didn't feel right to have Lucas separated from the family, so I had a headstone placed here. Until the law will allow an android to be buried within a human cemetery I figured this would suffice for the time being."

A very faint and appreciative grin appeared on Connor's face as he took one of the lilies from Hank's hand and placed it down on the headstone with Lucas's name. The gesture caused his red L.E.D. to cycle back to a less alarming yellow and with it Connor felt a tiny piece of his heart begin to heal. "...Thank you."

The rain began to finally lessen and gradually ceased altogether as Hank placed the remaining two lilies on Cole and Barbara's headstones, and placed the rose on Barbara's headstone alone to reflect his eternal love for his family.

"It's not much, but it can help bring you closure and help with the healing process." Hank stated in a reassuring tone as he placed the flowers accordingly. "Just give yourself time to heal, son. Time will be slow during this process, but things will get better."

"I dislike waiting."

"When it comes to pain everyone does."

Standing up together the mourning duo stood in front of the three headstones as they silently paid their respects for those they had loved and lost due to unforeseen, irreversible tragedy. The setting orange sun managed to break through the black rain clouds just long enough to bathe the cemetery in warm amber rays that shone a single bright rainbow over the sky before falling into the darkness of night.

"It's getting late." With a lamentably distant voice Hank watched the orange sun setting lower and lower through the dark clouds in the horizon. "We should head back to the city before the rain picks up again." Putting his hand atop each of the headstones in sequence Hank bid farewell to his loved ones with a silent goodbye. "See you soon Cole, Barbara." His eyes drifted over to Lucas's headstone as a grimace fell over his face. "Lucas. I love you all."

Heading back to the car Hank hadn't noticed that Connor was still standing in front of the trio of headstones behind him until he heard Connor call out his name in a pleading tone.

"...Hank?"

Turning to look at Connor who had kept his head bowed as he spoke up, Hank just stared silently at the deviant who was standing like a petrified statue in front of the headstones, almost afraid to move. "Yeah, Connor?"

"I can't go back to the apartment. Not alone."

"You don't have to go." Returning to Connor without the slightest delay in his steps Hank draped his arm around the deviant's shoulders and held him tight in a half-hug at his side. "You're coming home with me. Remember, you'll always have a home with me, son."

"Then this is really happening." Connor lifted his gaze and turned to look at Hank as tears began to form in his eyes again. Putting a hand over his eyes to needlessly hide the tears Connor breathed through his mounting grief. "...Lucas - my little brother, is gone forever."

"Yeah, and I'm sorry, Connor. He's really gone."

Weeping with heavy sobs Connor's entire body trembled under Hank's supportive arm as his adoptive father tried to ease his pain.

"But I'm still here." Hank tightened his grip around Connor's shoulders again as he pulled Connor away from the headstones and over to the car. The sun had set giving way to a new night and what was soon to be a new beginning at the following dawn. "You'll always have me as your father, no matter what happens. Let's go home, son. We'll go together."

-next chapter-

Author's Note: I genuinely felt bad for killing off Lucas, but heartache, loss and tragedy are all part of the human/deviant experience. It's a harsh truth to be sure. But death isn't necessarily as permanent as we all fear it to be.