Dancing the spare quarter he kept in his jean pocket over his left knuckles, Connor focused on honing his senses and sharpening his reflexes to the max before setting off on his potentially deadly mission. Connor hastily left the safety of the secured house just before midnight dressed in his dark leather jacket in favor of his usual gray blazer, and had the black wool beanie pulled over his head to hide his blue glowing L.E.D. from sight. Leaving a note for Hank to find on the kitchen table when the senior detective awoke the next morning, Connor slipped away under the cover of darkness to locate the Eastern Motel downtown in total secrecy.

Using the cold air and the pouring rain to his advantage, Connor managed to avoid being seen by any passersby as he trudged along the dark sidewalk on his unusual mission completely alone. Reaching his destination Connor pulled his hat down lower over his head and pulled the collar of his jacket up higher to hide his face as much as possible as he crossed over the large, relatively empty parking lot to get to the motel. Jogging up the exterior metal staircase to the second floor terrace Connor knocked on the fourth room's door and waited for an answer.

The door opened slightly, the chain on the other side of the door barring any unwanted intrusion, and saw North's frightened face peering through the doorway back at him. "Connor." She breathed with relief as she shut the door just enough to unfasten the chain on the door to unlock it. "Get in here, quick!"

Moving with absolute discretion Connor slipped into the motel room as North held the door open behind him before she slammed it shut and locked it once more. Connor's soulful brown eyes immediately fell on Markus laying in the middle of the single large bed against the wall of the hotel room and felt his Thirium pump skip a beat in his chest.

A massive blue stain of Thirium soaked through the fabric of a formerly white towel that had been pressed down against the bleeding wound in Markus's chest. Markus himself was breathing slowly in deep, labored breaths and seemed to be unconscious as he laid unnervingly still in the middle of the bed.

"Markus?" Connor rushed over to the bed and gently peeled back the bloodied towel to examine the catastrophic wound beneath. Blue blood seeped from the bullet hole in middle, left portion of Markus's chest. "Shit..."

The wound was sickeningly close to the deviant leader's heart and had caused significant damage to the plastimetal frame of his chest.

"He's lost a lot of Thirium." The deviant detective noted as he replaced the towel and pressed his his hand down against Markus's left cheek as he spoke to him in a firm voice. "Markus, can you hear me?"

The mismatched irises revealed themselves slowly as the wounded deviant leader regained consciousness and looked up with his blurry eyes at his ally leaning over him. "Connor..." A trickle of blue blood ran from the corner of Markus's mouth down along his chin and against the white pillow he was resting against. A weak cough escaped Markus's lips and caused the blood to speckle in a macabre manner over his chin. "...H-How'd you find us?"

"Josh sent Rose Chapman a coded text message and she relayed the message to Hank's phone for me to decipher." Connor carefully tore open the hole in Markus's already ruined shirt over the bullet wound to examine the horrific injury more closely. The bright white plastimetal frame outlined the injury from where Markus's artificial skin had receded from the trauma inflicted and showed the warped framing beneath. As Connor pressed his fingertips down around the wound Markus let out an audible gasp of pain and flinched from the pressure being applied. "I'm sorry about that. Can you tell me what happened?"

Markus swallowed the blue blood collecting in the back of his mouth as Connor used the corner of the towel to wipe away the trail running down his chin.

Unable to answer North spoke up on Markus's behalf as she dared to take a step away from the door. "We were ambushed. Someone opened fire on us after we got off the train. Markus got hit, but I didn't." Walking over to the bed she sat down on the edge of the mattress and gently pressed her hand to Markus's cool cheek sympathetically. "We escaped only because an autonomous taxi drove by and we managed to get inside of it. We bailed about four blocks from here and have been hiding here ever since. One bullet struck him in the chest, another passed through his shoulder."

"Do you know who shot you?"

"No. We didn't see their face."

"Where was the location of the shooting?" Connor replaced the towel and applied additional pressure as he ran a scan over Markus's condition. "Did anyone else see you?"

"We were leaving the train station at New Haven and we were alone except for the shooter."

"New Haven?" Connor tossed aside his wet hat and slipped the warm, albeit rain drenched leather jacket from his arms to drape protectively over Markus, revealing his plain black t-shirt beneath. "And at the late hour there were no other possible witnesses, correct?"

"Yeah, we just came back from a meeting with Mayor Nero regarding the expansion of hospital wings to include emergency android care units."

"You arrived at the meeting at a designated time and place, correct?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

"That means someone knew you'd be at the new New Haven station at that particular hour. North, Markus," he looked down at the deviant leader with his now revealed L.E.D. flashing yellow as his soulful brown eyes reflected his righteous worry. "this wasn't a random shooting. It was an assassination attempt."

"What?!" North was immediately on guard at the revelation and ready to fight the whole world. She grabbed onto Markus's cold hand in a tight grip as if she needed to make sure she was still beside her as her always fiery eyes seemed to burn even hotter. "I thought we were past all this bullshit!"

Markus's free hand reached up slowly and grabbed onto North's other hand as tightly as he could. "...It's a work in progress."

"Why does 'progress' need bullets?"

"It doesn't." Connor shook his head as he cybernetically sent another coded text to Hanks phone back at the house. "I'll need supplies."

"Supplies?" North was a little confused by the comment and didn't understand Connor's plan. "For what?"

"The bleeding needs to be stopped." Connor motioned toward Markus with his eyes as he finished the text and sent it off to Hank. "But I can't do it without an emergency repair kit. The motel doesn't have anything for android care, not yet."

"What can I do to help?"

Carefully Connor pulled back his jacket from Markus's chest and lifted up the towel again. The artificial skin around the wound had begun to recede even further away from the wound as Markus continued to lose blood at a steady pace. "I need you to get additional towels to help me stem the bleeding. We need to get the bullet out as well before it causes further damage."

"Can you do that in here?"

Unsure of his skills as a technician Connor admitted that he wasn't entirely confident in his abilities. "...I can try."

Markus let out a pained sigh as he stared up at Connor with a somewhat confident focus. "...Do it, Connor. I trust you."

Nodding once Connor agreed to do the procedure and looked to North standing beside the bed. "We'll need to be clever and make sure to hide our tracks to avoid any further problems from bigoted humans."

Unceremoniously, and rather rudely, Hank was awoken from his deep sleep by a loud 'buzzing' sound coming from the drawer of the nightstand next to his bed. Exhausted from a long shift and just wanting to sleep, Hank had no idea what was going on at the motel, or that Connor had left the house in the middle of the night. Lifting his head up from the soft, warm pillow it took the senior detective a moment to recognize the intrusive sound that had disturbed his coveted sleep. It was his phone.

"Who the fuck is texting me?"

Opening the drawer Hank snatched the phone from its place with an annoyed hand. Reading the coded text message on the screen with great interest Hank proceeded to throw off his quilt, climb out of bed, pull on some clothes, holster his gun and rush down the hallway to get his coat and car keys to set out for the night. In doing so he caught sight of the note Connor had left behind in the kitchen and grabbed it to read quickly.

'Hank, an emergency regarding New Jericho required my presence. I will return shortly.'

"Damn it, Connor."

Putting the note aside and rechecking the message on the phone's screen Hank ran his hand through his messy hair as he marched toward the front door to leave the house.

"What's going on with this city now?"

With North's help Connor was able to help Markus remove his bloodied, torn shirt and lay back down on the bed over a clean, large white towel. Propping Markus's head and neck slightly upward under a pillow Connor was able to prevent the deviant leader from choking on any blood that had collected in the back of his throat, and kept any additional blood from rising up his throat in the process. The simple motion was absolutely exhausting and it was evident that Markus was still losing blood at a pace that his self healing program simply couldn't keep up with.

"I'll need some cool water." Connor stated as he reexamined the injury in Markus's chest. A deep graze to the top of Markus's left shoulder indicated a second bullet had nearly penetrated his body as he and North fled from the gunfire just as they stated. "And any additional towels you can find."

"Right." North replied as she walked into the adjacent bathroom and gathered the supplies that Connor had requested. "We're almost out of towels and there's no way I'm going to call management to ask for more."

Weakly Markus turned his head a little to watch North checking through any and all available items in the bathroom before he returned his focus to Connor as his friend kept tabs on his wound. "Connor..." Whispering to keep North from hearing him, Markus asked for his friend's help. "Get the bullet out and find the person responsible for this."

"Yes, that's what I plan to do."

"...Don't worry about wasting supplies on me." Markus let out a pained breath that made his entire chest shudder. Connor pressed his hand down firmly against Markus's chest to help hold the wounded deviant leader as steady as possible until the pain passed. "...I-I know that I'm dying."

"No, Markus. You're not going to die." Connor lowered his voice even further as his eyes narrowed and he grabbed onto Markus's hand to support his weakened friend. Forcing his L.E.D. to cycle only in yellow and not red to prevent the already thick tension in the air from getting any thicker, Connor promised Markus that he'd survive. "You're going to make it."

"Please, take care of North." Sounding weak and pitiful Markus blinked once as a single rogue tear away from his blue eye. "Promise me you'll take care of her. She needs... She needs to know someone loves her, and I-"

"Markus, don't talk like that." Cutting him off mid sentence Connor refused to let Markus give up on himself. "You're going to be fine."

"Connor... I-I ran a self diagnostic as s-soon as North got me into the taxi. My odds are-"

"Remember what I said about statistics and unlikely events taking place?"

The question caught Markus completely off guard. "...What?"

"The night of the Raid at Jericho, when I became deviant. Do you remember?"

"...Yeah. I remember that."

"If I can infiltrate CyberLife Tower and come back out alive, then you sure as Hell can survive a bullet in a hotel room." Connor smiled sincerely as he ran his own scan over Markus's body. It was true the deviant had suffered severe damage to crucial components and biocomponents and had lost a substantial amount of blood, but Connor wasn't going to let Markus die without a fight. "Just hold on a little while longer, and we'll get you back to New Jericho Tower for proper repairs. It shouldn't be too much longer."

North returned to the bed with the rest of the towels from the bathroom under her arm and what was supposed to be the ice bucket full of cool, clean water. "This all we have left to use."

"Then it'll have to work."

Dipping one of the fresh towels into the water as it was placed on the floor beside the bed, Connor used it to wipe away the blood surrounding the bullet still embedded in Markus's chest carefully without causing any unnecessary pain the already suffering deviant. Just as Connor had wiped away the congealing blue blood that had masked the bullet inside the white plastimetal frame next to Markus's Thirium pump - his heart, there was a soft knock at the door that immediately drew the attention of the three deviants elsewhere.

Connor dropped the towel and pulled his gun from the holster wrapped around his back and pointed it at the door as his yellow L.E.D. turned red. Cautious in his every move Connor approached the door and peered through the peephole to see who was outside the door. As his shoulders slumped he lowered his weapon and glanced at his friends over his shoulder behind him. "It's Hank."

Pulling the door partially opened Connor waited for Hank to say something.

"Rose sent me."

Removing the chain over the door Connor let Hank enter the room and quickly closed the door behind the newly arrived, rain soaked senior detective while simultaneously replacing his gun into his holster and locking the door.

Hank had a black dufflebag in his hand as he entered the room and checked the window behind the thick, drawn curtain to make sure no one was watching him. Turning around he stared at Markus laying on the bed and his blue eyes went wide with shock. "Fuck, kid. I didn't expect this."

Relieved to have his partner at his side Connor lightly put his hand to the senior detective's shoulder. "Thanks for coming."

"What the fuck happened to Markus?"

North answered as she resumed cleaning the bullet wound with the cool towel in her hand. "Some psycho shot him. We had to hide."

Crossing the room over to the bed quickly Hank dropped the dufflebag down on the floor beside the bed and peered at the wound in Markus's chest. "Why didn't you take him to a facility?"

Markus sighed as he turned his head a little and groaned in pain. "...T-Too dangerous. Whoever tried t-to kill us could be checking every facility in the city t-to find us. I won't... l-let other deviants g-get hurt because of me."

Hank looked over to Connor who was kneeling on the floor riffling through the dufflebag with precise movements. "I found that in the laundry room right where you said it would be. What the hell is in there anyway?"

"Emergency supplies." Connor stated firmly as he pulled out two plastic bottles of fresh Thirium, an android first aid kit and a sharp hunting knife. Placing the supplies down on the bed Connor prepared checked the blade of the knife for any and all possible imperfections or contaminants before he leaned over Markus warily. "I'm sorry about this, but it's going to hurt."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hank protested loudly as he grabbed onto Connor's hand to stop him before he even began. "What the hell are you going to do to him?"

"I have to extract the bullet to stop the bleeding."

"Exactly how're you going to stop the bleeding once the bullet's out? I've seen way too many gunshot wounds in my life." Hank lightly pressed his other hand down on Markus's chest and he could feel blood collecting in his chest around his heart. "If you remove this bullet he's going to bleed out. You can't just pack the wound and hope it holds until it's safe to move him."

"What should I do then?"

Hank looked at the knife in Connor's hand and asked a rather unnerving question. "Does anyone have a lighter?"

"...Y-Yeah. I do." Markus answered weakly as his hand fished for the lighter from his front jean pocket. "...Kind of a good luck charm. Guess it didn't work this time. I've had ever since... I found Jericho."

"Actually, I think that thing is pretty damn lucky." Hank took the lighter from Markus's hand and held it in his palm. "We need to cauterize the wound as soon as the bullet's out. Then I'm taking you straight to New Jericho Tower for repairs."

Connor swallowed nervously at the thought of having to hold a piece of scorching hot metal to his friend's chest, but it needed to be done. "...I'll do it."

"You sure?"

"Yes. I can do it." Connor took the lighter from Hank's hand and flicked the orange flame to life. Taking a deep breath he placed the lighter on his leg as he sat on the edge of the bed to keep himself steady. "Markus, this is really going to hurt. You can't move or it'll make the pain and your injury worse. Do you understand?"

"Yeah... I get it." Looking up at North he grabbed onto her hand and held tight. "I w-won't move." Taking a deep breath himself Markus closed his eyes and tried to relax as much as he possible. "...D-Do either of you d-detectives have a bullet I can... b-bite on?"

North looked around the room and spotted a pencil sitting atop the nearby dresser pressed up against the far wall. Grabbing the item she placed it between Markus's teeth and gave him an uncertain glance. "Bite down."

Connor glanced up nervously at Hank as he prepared to extract the bullet from Markus's chest. "Hank, can you help hold him steady?"

"Yeah, I got him." Moving to the opposite side of the bed from where North and Connor were sitting Hank push his hands down against Markus's arm and his hip to keep him in place. "Do what you gotta' do, we'll do what we can to help."

Nodding slowly Connor held the knife over the bullet wound and pressed the sharp tip down against the side of the bullet inside the plastimetal frame. "I'm going to loosen the bullet enough for me to pry out, then I will apply pressure until the knife is hot enough to cauterize the injury."

Nervously Markus acknowledged the comment with an anxious 'hum' as North held onto his hand and rubbed her other hand over his forehead affectionately. Biting down harder on the pencil Markus opened his mismatched eyes and nervously darted his gaze back and forth along the blank, white ceiling above himself in anticipation of the impending procedure.

Holding his own breath Connor dug the knife down against the bullet and applied pressure until he felt the bullet give. Markus's entire body jerked in reflex as the pain in his chest intensified to level he hadn't felt before, causing North and Hank to press down against him harder to keep him still.

"Almost done." Connor stated as he carefully retracted the knife as the bullet nearly popped out of the wound and then pressed the towel down over the bleeding wound again. Using the lighter Connor began heating the metal blade of the knife and monitored Markus's condition closely. "...Just hold on."

Hank reached out his hand and pressed down on the towel over the wound to apply more pressure until the knife was hot enough to cauterize effectively.

"Damn it." Connor swore as he realized the lighter would not be enough to heat the knife appropriately. Glancing about the hotel room resourcefully Connor honed in on the metal trashcan up against the far wall and had an idea. "I need to get the blade hotter faster."

"How're you going to do that?" North asked curiously as she impatiently waited for something to happen. "We don't have anything else."

"I'll need to make a bigger fire."

Connor explained as he picked up the trashcan and stuffed it with one of the bloodied towels that had been used to cover Markus's wound earlier in the night. Returning to the dufflebag Connor pulled out a large bottle of rubbing alcohol and poured it inside the trashcan as he carried into the bathroom and placed it down inside the bathtub. Using the lighter once more Connor ignited the towel and created a bright orange fire inside the can.

Holding the knife over the large flames Connor scanned the knife in his hand to monitor the temperature as it rose quickly. Mentally steeling himself for the unpleasant task at hand Connor tried to think of how he could possibly look Markus in the eye again after willingly inflicting the necessary evil upon his friend. Harming his friend was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

"Hank," Connor shouted from the bathroom loudly as he focused on the knife. "open the kit and pour the incrassation compound over the wound."

"Yeah, okay." Lifting his hand away from the towel over Markus's chest Hank flipped open the lid of the android first aid kit still inside the dufflebag and located the correct bottle containing the coagulating orange tinted liquid. As he unscrewed the lid on the bottle he gave Markus an apologetic glance. "Sorry about this. I know from experience with Connor that it stings pretty badly."

From the bathroom Connor heard Markus let out a deep groan of pain as he endured the incrassation being poured over the wound and he closed his eyes empathetically. While effective, the liquid itself did little to ease the intense discomfort to android injuries; and it did even less for the two 'RK' prototype models who were able to feel pain more so than other models of deviants.

Satisfied with the the increased temperature of the knife Connor returned to the main area of the hotel room and wiped away the excess incrassation compound that had been poured over the wound. The bleeding had slowed thanks to the compound but it still needed to be cauterized to close it properly.

"Sorry, Markus." Connor quickly apologized as he pressed his fingers down around the wound and immediately pressed the side of the scorching hot blade against the opened, bleeding injury. "I'll make this as quick as I can!"

Markus stifled an intense groan of pain as he bit down on the pencil until it nearly snapped in half between his teeth. North squeezed his hand as tightly as she could while also moving her hand down from Markus's forehead over his eyes to keep from from watching what was happening to his own body. Using as much strength as he dared Hank held Markus down while the deviant's body jerked violently and tried to pull away from the excruciating heat of the blade.

Falling unconscious from the pain Markus was left completely vulnerable to the world with only his friends to protect him.

"...Got it." Connor pulled the knife away and retreated to the bathroom to run the knife under the cool tap in the sink and to put out the still burning fire in the trashcan that was still sitting in the bathtub to be extinguished. "We need to get him to drink some Thirium and bandage his wound."

Once the flame had been extinguished under the faucet in the tub Connor leaned over the edge of the sink and stared at himself in the mirror. The stare in his own eyes was as pained as Markus's wound. With his shaking hand Connor ran the Thirium soaked bullet under the tap in the sink and stared at it with an unsettling realization at the offending projectile as he ran a scan over the nearly lethal object.

Hank had taken the liberty of pulling the ruined pencil from between Markus's teeth as he pressed his hand down against Markus's chest to count his thready pulse. "He's hanging in there." He confirmed as he gave North a serious stare. "But he's weak."

North nodded and looked at the bottles of Thirium that Connor had left on the bed next to the first aid kit. "He needs blue blood, but I don't know how much he can drink since he's drifting in and out of consciousness."

"We gotta' try to get him drink at least one bottle." Hank picked up the nearest bottle and tossed it to North while he used the water and towel to clean up the wound as best as he could without disturbing the cauterized wound or accidentally causing it to bleed again. Showing the same care to the second, but less severe, wound to Markus's shoulder, the senior detective bandaged up the deviant with a skill he had begrudgingly mastered after having spent so many hours patching up Connor at the house. "One's better than nothing."

Walking slowly out of the bathroom Connor reluctantly looked down at Markus laying unconscious on the bed as North carefully tipped the first bottle of Thirium to his lips to try to encourage him to drink the much needed blood even while unconscious. Though quiet and nearly unresponsive Markus managed to drink the offered Thirium slowly without choking in the process.

"Hank." Connor tossed the bullet to the senior detective who caught it easily in his free hand. "The bullet."

Studying the bullet in his palm Hank gave Connor a wary glance. "Shit. Nine millimeter."

North didn't understand the significance of the bullet's caliber. "What about it?" She asked as she gently propped Markus's head a little higher up on her lap and steadily poured additional Thirium into Markus's mouth. She wisely waited for him to swallow before giving him anymore to drink. "Can you trace it to the shooter?"

Connor bowed his head in shame as he answered North's question. "Nine millimeter is very common and it'll make identifying the shooter difficult. But... Nine millimeter is also standard issue for all police officer service weapons in the city."

The gravity of the situation suddenly hit her and North's eyes went wide with a blend of anger and fear. "Do you think a cop shot at us?"

"We can't rule it out." Connor admitted openly. "I sincerely hope it wasn't one of us, but we can't afford to dismiss any possible lead."

Hanging onto the evidence Hank put the bullet in his pocket and let out a deep sigh. "I'll have ballistics check the bullet for me in person. We won't leave anything to chance."

Connor hovered over Markus's body and performed another scan on the wounded deviant's vital signs. "He's stable-" Markus's heart suddenly fluttered and held Connor's attention at the sudden influx of his vitals. The deviant's pulse was becoming erratic, and his heart was struggling to beat. "Shit. Not now..."

"What?" Hank asked as he handed the second bottle of Thirium to North so she could get Markus to drink it. "What's up, son?"

"The bullet didn't directly impact Markus's Thirium pump, but it has compromised the biocomponent." Connor noted as he scanned over the internal trauma that Markus had suffered. "He'll need a full replacement in less than four hours otherwise..."

North's hand reached out and grabbed onto Connor's arm in vice-like grip causing his L.E.D. blink red rapidly in shock. "No! We won't let that happen. If we get him to New Jericho Tower then he can get the replacement biocomponent he needs."

"Correct, but he's too weak to be moved as of the moment."

"Then we'll wait for him to get stronger and then we'll take him."

Connor calculated the odds of Markus's survival if they waited, and it was significantly lower than if they rushed to the tower within the next few minutes instead. "...Waiting will only kill him faster."

"Well, we can't do the replacement here! It's too dangerous."

"Agreed."

"Then what're we going to do?"

Resisting the urge to look to Hank for guidance Connor closed his soulful brown eyes, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides, and he weighed his options: Rushing to the tower could put Markus and North at risk if the shooter was in fact still looking for them, but waiting for Markus to regain strength would reduce the odds of the damaged deviant being able to withstand the physical strain of a total biocomponent replacement.

Either way, Markus's life was on the line and it was up to Connor ultimately decide his fate.

"Hank?" Looking the senior detective in the eyes Connor was firm in his decision. "We need to get Markus to the tower. Now."

"The car's parked nearby." Hank confirmed with a steady voice. "Get him as stable as possible and try to clean up as best as you can. I'll go talk to the motel manager and make sure he gets paid handsomely for his services." Ever cautious Hank peered through the window again by pushing aside the curtain before he unchained the door and stepped outside. "Lock the door behind me, and don't open it for anyone but me."

"Got it." Connor rushed over to replace the chain over the door and let out a deep breath as he tried to calm himself. There were times Connor wished he still had the cold, unempathetic logic of a machine to dictate his every move. With Markus's life at stake he found himself having one of those times again. Forcing himself to take a deep breath Connor set about cleaning up the mess in the bathroom as well as the rest of the motel room. "We need to be quick."

The swift behavior made North's brow furrow slightly. "Quick with that?"

"We can't leave any sign of androids behind." The keenly aware deviant detective explained coolly. "The Thirium will evaporate over the next few hours but we can't risk someone finding any trace of us and reporting it to the manager. It was a brilliant idea to hide in an anti-android hotel, but any traces could put us all in danger."

Staying on the bed, North let Markus rest his head atop her lap as she finished giving him the last of the Thirium. "What should I do?"

"Stay with Markus and monitor him closely. I'll dispose of everything else and make sure no evidence is left behind."

North pulled Connor's leather jacket up and over Markus to try to keep him comfortable while she listened to Connor quickly throwing the blackened remains of the towel into a trashbag, then pressed the bag down into the bottom of the second trashcan under the bathroom sink. After that he rinsed out the black burn marks from the interior of the metal trashcan and wiped it clean before replacing it against the wall in the main room. Gathering all of the used towels he threw them into the laundry bag in the bathroom and waded them in such a way that none of the blue Thirium was visible just in case it didn't evaporate as quickly as they'd want.

"I'll pack up the kit and the dufflebag." Connor stated as he reclaimed his hat and pulled it down until his L.E.D. was concealed entirely. Placing the empty Thirium bottles inside of the dufflebag to be taken away no sign of androids would be left behind. "North, are either of you armed?"

"No." She shook her head a little as she ran her hand lovingly down Markus's arm to provide some kind of comfort. "Markus doesn't like the idea of us carrying weapons while trying to maintain peace."

"Commendable."

"How're we going to get him out of here?"

"Like this." Casually Connor picked up his jacket and motioned for North to push Markus up into a sitting position on the bed. Using controlled motions and strength Connor slipped Markus's arms down the sleeves of the leather jacket then zipped it up to hide the bandaged wounds over his chest and shoulder that the torn shirt would never be able to hide. "As soon as Hank's back we'll carry him down to the car. You get the bag."

"Right, okay."

There was another knock at the door and Connor's hand instinctively hovered over the gun in the holster across his back. Refraining from grabbing onto the weapon he approached the door tentatively and peered out through the peephole again. "Hank." Repeating his movements from earlier Connor opened the door slightly and waited for Hank to say something.

"Rose sent me."

Unchaining the door Connor let the senior detective back inside the room after he repeated the password. "We're ready."

"Good." Hank stated sternly but calmly. "Everything's taken care of with the manager, but we need to leave. NOW."

"Understood." Connor returned to the bed and knelt down as he took Markus's good arm and draped it around his shoulders while Hank did the same for Markus's other arm, being mindful of the injury to his shoulder the entire time. "Hopefully, no one will have seen us."

"It's possible." Hank replied as he and Connor stood up together with Markus hanging limp and unconscious between them. "Most of the people who check into these types of motels are trying to keep to themselves and want to mind their own business. Good place to lay low for a while."

North grabbed onto the dufflebag and followed the two detectives out of the motel room and across the rainy terrace to reach the metal staircase leading back down to the parking lot below. Moving with the utmost caution Connor and Hank managed to carry Markus down the staircase without hurting him and get him over to the rear of the parked car just a few yards away.

"I got the door." Connor volunteered as he grabbed onto the door handle and pulled the car door open wide. Pushing the front passenger seat forward Connor gave Hank and himself full access to the backseats for Markus to lay down across the cushions. "North, put the bag in the trunk."

North pulled open the unlocked trunk and threw the bag inside before slamming it shut and climbing into the backseat under Connor's arm. As she took her seat she reached out her arms and helped the two detectives lay Markus down across the backseats until his head was resting against her lap again. Hank lifted Markus's legs up and onto the backseats as Connor slid the front passenger seat back into place and sat down. Taking his own place behind the wheel Hank turned over the key in the ignition and backed the car out of the parking spot to leave the motel far behind and get Markus to repairs he desperately needed.

As the car drove past the main office of the motel Connor noticed the manager glaring at the car with his arms crossed over his chest and watching the car drive away. Instinctively Connor ducked down a little in his seat and turned his head away to try to conceal his identity as if embarrassed.

"Relax, Connor." Hank observed casually as he turned on the windshield wipers to their maximum speed and took a 'clever route' to reach New Jericho Tower on the other side of the city. "Everything's good with the manager."

"What did you say to to the manager?" Connor asked inquisitively as the car left the drive and he sat upright in his seat again. "He looked upset."

"Well, I flashed him my badge, slipped him a hundred dollar bill and apologized because my 'drunk, idiot college son and his even drunker idiot college friends crashed in the room and made a small mess' back at the motel."

North couldn't help but smile from the backseat when she heard what Hank had said.

Connor flashed an amused but sly grin as he turned to look at Hank. "We can't be that idiotic if we're all in college."

"Wanna' bet?" With a quick motion Hank snatched the hat from Connor's head and tossed it dismissively onto the floor of the car. "And take that off. You look weird with a hat."

Markus let out a pained groan as he began to regain consciousness from the backseat. North caressed his cheek lightly as she spoke softly to him to keep him calm and quiet. "It's okay, Markus. You're safe. I'm with you, don't worry."

Discreetly Connor turned to look at Markus over his shoulder as he laid disturbingly still in the backseat. Seeing the leader of the deviants so weak, so vulnerable, was about as far from the iconic hero status he had so righteously earned on the night of the Revolution. Markus was fading away. "How's his pulse?"

North pressed her hand down against Markus's chest, mindful of the bullet wound beneath, and felt his Thirium pump thrumming under her touch. "Slow, but strong. He's still alive, but extremely weak."

Connor turned to look at the senior detective beside him. "Hank?"

"I know, kid. I know." Hank kept glancing up to the rearview mirror to check for anyone who may have been able to locate where Markus and North had been hiding and could now be following them. "We can't just make a beeline for the tower, you never who could be watching."

"Are you avoiding the main streets?"

"Nope. Rookie mistake." As if on cue Hank turned right at the light instead of passing straight through the intersection like normal. "If we stick to the main roads it'll keep anyone who might be trying to follow us at a distance. If we go along the back roads we risk getting ambushed in an isolated area."

Impressed with Hank's logic Connor nodded in agreement as he gazed out the side window to note any possible unusual activity. "North, did you contact CyberLife Tower to inform Simon of Markus's condition?"

"Yeah, he knows." North sounded as tired as Markus looked. "He and Josh are preparing everything as we speak."

"Does anyone else at the tower know what has happened?"

"No. We don't want them to worry, but Skye is keeping an eye on the security programs just in case something else happens."

"That's a wise precaution. Until we can identify the person who shot Markus we don't want to risk another confrontation between humans and deviants over a potential misunderstanding. We should keep this quiet."

Hank nodded as he glanced at the rearview mirror again. "Check in with the precinct, see if there were any shootings reported in the past six hours."

"Of course." Connor's L.E.D. flashed yellow rapidly as he cybernetically connected to the precinct and noted any and all disturbances that had been reported within the designated frame of time. "Two drunk driving accidents, one woman in labor, four speeding citations, two breaking-and-entering claims, one convenience store robbery, four shootings - but none in the New Haven area where Markus and North had been during the incident, and there was one domestic dispute. There doesn't appear to be any hostile interactions between humans and deviants tonight."

"That sounds promising. Let's hope it stays that way."

From the backseat Markus suddenly let out a choking cough as blue blood splattered over his lips and he began gasping for air. Connor turned his head to look at Markus while Hank glanced back with the rearview mirror.

North pressed her hand down harder against Markus's chest as he eyes went wide with fear. "Connor?"

"His Thirium pump is beginning to strain from exertion." Connor reached his hand back and felt Markus's heart rate for himself as he ran another scan. "We need to hurry if we have any chance of saving him."

Hank nodded as he sped up and resumed taking the most direct route to New Jericho Tower, caution be damned. Handling the rainy streets with the grace that comes only from years of experience from driving at high speeds over weather worn and neglected roads, Hank raced down the long drive that connected Belle Isle to the rest of the city and provided safe haven to the deviants seeking shelter within the tower in the harbor.

Passing over the concrete barricade as it lowered into the drive the vehicle sped to the tower with the sole focus of saving Markus from slipping any closer to death than he already was. Stopping in front of the tower as gently as possible Hank was relieved to see Simon and Josh waiting outside with a gurney and ready to save their leader from certain death. Connor threw open his own door and pulled the passenger seat forward again so they could get in the back to lift Markus up from the backseats as gently as possible. Simon and Josh helped Connor to carry Markus's unconscious body over to the awaiting gurney so he could be wheeled into the tower.

Without a word Hank and North followed right behind as the gurney was wheeled inside at the uncomfortably late hour of the rainy night. Simon unzipped the jacket covering Markus's chest as Connor and Josh wheeled the gurney inside the tower, and as soon as the jacket was opened the trio could see the massive blood loss that Markus had suffered during transport.

"Shit." Connor swore loudly as he pressed his hand down over the bullet wound in Markus's chest to apply pressure. "It was cauterized, I don't understand how this happened!"

Simon didn't worry about the 'how' and was more focused on the 'why'. "Left ascending Thirial line has been damaged. He's going to need a lot of replacement Thirium once he's in the emergency repair wing."

Without hesitation Josh began cybernetically checking through the tower's emergency replacement biocomponents and Thirium they had in stock. "I'll check through everything to replenish Markus's blue blood and find a way to repair his Thirium pump."

Connor's mouth twitched a little as the gurney was wheeled into the elevator and it began its decent to sublevel fifty-one. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I could use a second pair of hands." Simon confirmed as the the elevator neared their designated floor. "You're both 'RK' models so I could use your insight."

"Of course." Eager to save his friend's life Connor agreed to work alongside Simon during the procedure. "I'll do everything I can."

It was a blur of frantic yet controlled activity as Simon and Connor worked together to save Markus's life as Markus continued to bleed out from the bullet wound to his chest. Simon had located the damaged Thirial line and had managed to successfully repair it while also replenishing his rapidly depleting Thirium levels before they fell into a critical range, but Markus's vitals were still incredibly weak. Numerous activity and diagnostic monitors had been hooked up to the shot deviant leader to record his erratic heart rate, his Thirium pressure, his ventilation rate and his core temperature as his vitals continued to decline at an unnervingly steady pace.

The two wireless leads were placed on Markus's chest, the Thirium pressure cuff was wrapped around his left bicep and the diagnostic cable connected to his right temple where his L.E.D. had once been all connected Markus's system activity to the monitor in a grotesquely machine manner. It was crucial to know the full scope of Markus's damage and vital signs.

Connor kept watch over Markus while Simon and Josh set about looking for a compatible replacement Thirium pump for Markus to use, but finding an adequate biocomponent was proving far more challenging than anyone in the tower had anticipated. Being prototypes certainly had their drawbacks at the worst possible times.

Simon returned from the biocomponent storage wing of the repair ward and ran his hand through his blond hair anxiously. "Josh is still looking, but it doesn't appear that we have any replacement Thirium pumps that are compatible with his model."

"Why is his Thirium pump failing to begin with?" Connor asked without looking away from Markus's expressionless face. "The bullet caused minor damage to the biocomponent that his self healing program should've been able to easily repair."

"I don't know." Simon admitted with utter defeat in his voice as he looked over Markus's vital signs on the surrounding monitors. "Markus has always been completely healthy and showed no previous sign of biocomponent failure or software incompatibility glitches. But like you, he's a prototype model. There may be underlying problems in his system that we simply cannot detect by standard tests."

"Standard tests?" Furrowing his brow Connor thought for a moment and remembered the night Markus escaped the android junkyard after piecing himself back together. Running a quick scan over Markus's biocomponents Connor confirm that the model and serial number of the Thirium pump in his chest and the Thirium pump regulator that was keeping his heart beating weren't actually identical. "Simon, his Thirium pump regulator doesn't match his serial number. That will cause problems if his pump is damaged."

"What?" Simon pressed his hand down atop Markus's abdomen to cause his artificial skin to recede from over his torso. Opening the panel to his abdominal cavity Simon checked the model number of the regulator and confirmed Connor's comment to be fact. "You're right, it's a different- Wait! I think I know how this happened."

Connor stared at Simon silently as he awaited the answer to the unusual set of circumstances.

"Markus told us of the night he became a deviant and of how he had been shot by the police." The blond technician noted in a dour tone. "He was thrown in an android junkyard and left for death, but he managed to reboot himself and repair the damage before climbing out of the pit of bodies. That's why he has two different colored eyes as well."

Shaking his head a little Connor looked down at Markus with a sense of worry and respect. "I already knew Markus had gone through such a horrific experience and survived. But now it's coming back to haunt him."

"The damage was to his Thirium pump, not to the regulator." Simon wondered aloud as he tried to diagnose Markus's current ailment. "So why is his heart failing as if it can't hold a proper beat?"

"Is it possible that his prototype self healing program is unable to synchronize the replacement regulator with the pump?"

Simon gave Connor an uneasy stare. "If that's the case then it's not just his Thirium pump that needs to be replaced, his regulator needs to be replaced, too."

"What're the odds of finding two compatible biocomponents that'll fit his model?"

Simon never answered as his silence spoke volumes of the dire situation at hand.

Markus groaned a little as his glassy mismatched eyes opened and hazily stared up at the ceiling above. "...N-North?"

Connor put his hand on Markus's shoulder lightly he spoke to Markus in a calm tone of voice. "It's me, Connor. Simon is here, too."

"...Wh-Where's North?"

Simon's shoulders sagged as he stepped back from the exam table where Markus was laying. "I'll go and get her. I'll also see what Josh has found in our storage room, too."

"Did you hear that?" Connor asked calmly as Simon took his leave of the room. "North is coming."

"...Connor?" Markus blinked slowly and focused on the deviant's face watching over him. Exhausted and on the verge of shutting down Markus looked far too weak to be the strong leader everyone knew he truly was. "P-Please. Promise me..."

"Promise you? What am I to promise you?"

"That you'll... t-take care of North."

"Markus, please." Connor tightened his grip on Markus's shoulder before he picked up the dying deviant's cold hand and held it in a reassuring squeeze. "You can't give up. I've already lost my brother, I don't want to lose you, too. We need you. Our people need you to lead them."

Lethargic on the verge of losing consciousness again, Markus sighed and his eyes began to slip shut against his will. "...Promise me."

Connor swallowed nervously as he hesitated in making such a heartbreaking promise. "I... I promise I'll do everything to save you. I give you my word."

The elevator doors opened and North came rushing through the repair ward as quickly as she could. Hank had followed after her but stayed back out of respect for the young couple in their moment of dread.

"Markus?" North grabbed onto Markus's free hand and held it tightly as tears formed in her eyes. "No, Markus. Please don't leave me."

"...North." Markus forced a smile to his blood stained lips as she rubbed his knuckles against her face affectionately to brush a lock of her hair from her lovely albeit worried face. "I'm glad... you're here."

Discreetly Connor placed Markus's other hand back down before he walked away to give Markus and North some privacy as they spoke.

"Connor?" Hank lowered his voice as the deviant approached him slowly to step through the doorway. "Is it true?"

"...Yes." With his L.E.D. flashing a distressed yellow and his voice a timid whisper, Connor confirmed Hank's suspicions. "Unless we can find a compatible pump and pump regulator, Markus is going to die."

"There's nothing here in the tower?"

"Josh has been looking for almost two hours and there is no compatible 'RK' model biocomponents-" Connor's L.E.D. flashed from yellow to red briefly then back to yellow as a relatively dark thought popped into his head. Pressing his hand over his chest he gave Hank an odd look. "Perhaps I-"

"No!" Hank caught himself before he shouted, but grabbed onto Connor's shoulders all the same. "No. You can't donate your heart to Markus. One life isn't equal to another, okay? You can't just-"

The Thirial activity monitor keeping track of Markus's heart rate suddenly blared a warning alarm as the deviant's heart finally gave out and ceased to beat on its own. The two detectives turned their heads toward the exam table and watched as North began shaking Markus's chest to try and reawaken the fallen deviant.

"Markus? Markus!?" North sounded frightened, genuinely frightened for the first time in her life as she pleaded for Markus to stay with her. "Wake up! You have to wake up!"

Connor broke free from Hank's grip and sprinted back to the exam table to press his hand down on Markus's chest next to North's hand. The Thirium pump had failed entirely and could no longer beat on its own. According to the monitors Markus's intracranial processor was still functioning, but without a properly functioning pump - a beating heart, his entire system would shutdown in less than ninety seconds.

"Shit. Markus!" Connor lifted the deviant's eyelids but there was no sign of consciousness or recognition in the mismatched irises. Reacting on instinct Connor placed one hand over top the other and interlaced his fingers together to create a single fist that he rested over Markus's stopped heart. Using precise rhythm and controlled strength Connor began compressing Markus's chest to manually force his heart to beat again with his compressions. "Markus... Wake up!"

North held tightly onto Markus's hand as she watch Connor's attempt to revive the fallen deviant leader. "Please, Markus... Come back to me."

Obeying an unspoken paternal instinct Hank approached the exam table timidly as Connor performed the lifesaving procedure on the weakened, dying deviant leader to the best of his ability. There was little he could do to help Markus beyond being a comforting voice and a supportive friend.

"Come on, Markus." Connor pleaded out loud as he watched the monitor carefully. The monitor let out a faint 'blip' as it detected a faint heartbeat but it was the result of the compressions, not from the pump resuming its normal function. "Wake up... You have to wake up."

Markus's eyes opened slowly as he regained some basic form of consciousness. Looking up at North's face he saw the tears in her eyes and his hand still in her hand. He gave her a small grin as he tried to squeeze her hand back.

Hank just watched silently as Connor continued to force Markus's heart back into motion in a desperate fight to keep the deviant leader alive.

"North." Connor kept his voice as level as possible through the compressions. "You need to talk to him. Help me keep him alive."

Tightening her grip around Markus's hand even more North leaned down toward Markus face to rest her forehead against his. "Hang on, please. We'll find a way to save you. You just need to hold on a little while longer."

Markus responded by squeezing her hand as tightly as he could but he didn't have much strength to spare.

Simon and Josh returned to the ward with timely fashion. The two deviants rushed to their fallen leader's side and were immediately aiding Connor in keeping Markus from shutting down permanently.

Josh had checked every registered spare biocomponent in stock but there were simply no spare parts compatible with 'RK' model androids. The only technician who had successfully modified another model to make it compatible with the 'RK' series was Lucas after he used his own circuitry to create the necessary enhancements and that very modification was still functioning Connor's own heart.

Lucas was gone. There were no more modifications to be created. No one else in the tower knew how to replicate Lucas's results.

"Connor." Standing next to Connor so he could whisper discreetly, Josh gave the deviant detective the devastating news. "We don't have anything that can be used to save him."

"...Yes, we do." Connor's eyes narrowed as he looked over to Hank for a moment then back to Josh. "Hank? Please take care of North."

"What?! No!" North refused to leave Markus's side, but the senior detective had already put his hand on her shoulder and her arm to guide her away. "I won't leave him!"

Simon sided with Connor and tried to reason with North to encourage her to leave. "North, you don't want to be here when we do this."

"I-" North looked down at Markus who had given her hand a reassuring squeeze as he smiled up at her. Repressing an enraged sob she slowly bent down and kissed Markus's still bloodied lips before she finally let go of his hand and allowed Hank to guide her away. "I love you, Markus! I love you!"

"...I love you, too."

Connor, Josh and Simon all watched and waited for Hank to lead North out of the repair ward and to the elevator where she wouldn't be able to see or hear anything regarding Markus's life. Once Hank had escorted North out of the room, the three deviants fought as one to save Markus from death.

"Connor," Josh gave the deviant a skeptical look as he stepped back and raised his voice so Simon could hear him as well. He knew Connor had something in mind but what it was he couldn't even begin to fathom. "what's your plan?"

As much as he hated to do it Hank had practically pushed North into the elevator in order to get her to leave Markus behind and he hated every minute of it. The last thing he wanted to do was drag her away from Markus if Markus truly was dying, but he knew Connor all too well at this point to accept that the deviant leader was really going to die. The clever deviant detective had something up his sleeve, and what that thing was Hank almost dreaded finding out. Until the procedure was sorted through and completed Hank and North would have to wait elsewhere and hope for the best while fearing the worst outcome for Markus.

Falling on his training as a first responder Hank did his best to go into chaos control mode and calm down a worried spouse after a horrible tragedy. Markus was still alive but that didn't mean North didn't have a valid reason to be worried.

"North, please trust Connor."

"Trust him?!" North began pacing back and forth across the elevator car with her arms wrapped around her chest in a tight hug. "Markus is down there dying and you just want me to trust Connor just because you said so? You may be able to look past him hunting down deviants, but I can't! Markus trusts him and that's the only reason I'm willing to work with Connor and why I called him to the motel, but I'll be damned if I forget that he was once my enemy!"

"Whoa, what the hell?" Hank was genuinely awestruck by her outburst. "Didn't you risk yourself to save him only a few months back? Didn't you cross the border with me to save him and the other refugees?"

"Like I said, Markus trusts him." Reiterating her point North managed to give Hank a rather venomous glare. "And Markus wasn't there to help that day. Besides, there were other deviants in need of help and Connor just happened to be one of them."

"So that's it, huh? You have all the emotions and freewill of a human, but you still hold onto petty grudges and let them fester in your soul even after everything that's changed? I don't know what's colder; you or the damn rain."

"Shut up, Hank. You don't know anything about what I've been through."

"The 'Eden Club'?" He snapped back in such a way he matched her bitter tone. "Pretty sure I covered that with you before when we had our little chat over the border."

"That Hellhole is nothing like what I'm going through right now!" She practically screamed in Hank's face as she tried and failed to restrain her mounting frustration. "And you just want me to trust Connor because you do, because it makes it so much easier to deal with all this bullshit, doesn't it? Just throw an android in the middle of the problem and let them solve it for you."

"No." Hank pressed the 'stop' button on the elevator panel before crossing his own arms as he stood his ground before the fiery deviant. "I want you to trust him because he's earned it. Connor is ALWAYS putting others before himself and he has nearly lost his own life more times than I want to fuckin' count because of it! It's in his nature to help people."

"No offense, but that means jackshit coming from you. You're his best fucking friend, so of course you're going to sing high praises for him. If that was Connor laying on the table you wouldn't leave his side. What this is right now, you trying to be a rock for me to lean on, is all just a hollow gesture. The same damn song and dance that every human has done before; it's all talk and no show. So save it!"

"Wrong, North. I'm not talking a big game just because I care about the kid or because I want to blow smoke up your ass because that's 'police protocol 101'. I'm saying these things because I know Connor can save Markus. Just be patient, he CAN do this."

"And you know all this because you're his partner, right?"

"North." Hank softened his tone and the expression on his face as he let his arms drop away from his chest in less guarded manner. "...I know these things because he's not just my partner or my best friend, it's because Connor's my son."

North stopped pacing and gave Hank a strangely empathetic look. The sincerity in Hank's blue eyes showed the emotional depth that the gruff Lieutenant had tried to hide at the bottom of a whiskey bottle for so many years after the horrible personal tragedies that he had suffered had finally returned to the surface. Something about his words struck a chord with her even if she wouldn't admit it.

The senior detective sighed as he rubbed his hand over his bearded chin and spoke with North in a comforting manner. "The fact that I'm willing to risk letting myself have any sort of family again means there's something deeply trustworthy in that kid. I can't explain it, but it's like I've know him my entire life. The way he acts and the way he refuses to give up on me," grimacing at his own flaws Hank finished the sentence with a heavy heart. "I guess it means Connor sees me as someone worth trusting, too."

"...You really do care about each other, don't you?"

"Connor saved my life without even knowing it, and he gave me something to live for again. I want to do the same for him. I want to give him the guidance and understanding that I had given to Cole when he was with me. I miss my firstborn son, and I always will, but Connor is the son I never knew I needed or wanted until he showed up in my life. Just as I would with Cole, I'd gladly give up my own life to save his; and I know Connor would do the same for me and everyone else in this whole damn tower. Markus is his friend and I know Connor won't let him down."

Fresh tears formed in North's cinnamon brown eyes as she fixed her gaze onto Hank's blue eyes at long last. "...That's how I felt when I saw Markus fighting for our people. He gave me a reason to keep trying, to not give up on myself. He helped me learn how to feel something other than hatred and resentment. Markus helped me find the faith and courage to actually love someone else."

"And now that you know you might actually lose him it's tearing you apart in a way you never thought you could feel."

Wiping aside a rogue tear North admitted that Hank was right. "How do you know what that's like?"

"Aside from losing Lucas? And my wife? And my firstborn son, Cole? It's because I started to care about other people, too."

The horrible past tragedies that Hank had suffered gave North an odd common ground to share with him. "...You've lost so much."

"And Connor gave me so much back. More than I deserve. He didn't see me as the broken down, old alcoholic with revolver pressed against my head. He saw ME. The real me that I had thought died so long ago when Cole died." Hank explained with a deeply remorseful yet gracious tone. "Now I can finally live again."

"Markus never saw me as a... victim." North took in a deep breath as the horrible memories of the 'Eden Club' overwhelmed her mind like a never ending nightmare. "He saw me as a fellow deviant just looking for a place in the world. Like he was. He saw me. He saw a survivor."

"You were both looking for a place to belong, looking for a family, and you found each other."

North let out a weak sob as she began losing her emotional fortitude. As she wiped away the tears that were beginning to stream down her face North saw that Hank had taken a step toward her and just waited for her to respond. Taking her own step forward North let her arms fall to her sides as she felt Hank wrap his strong arms around her in a tight hug. North slowly wrapped her arms around Hank in return and began to cry against his shoulder as he held her in his arms.

"It's going to be okay, North." Comforting the distressed deviant as much as he could Hank just hoped that his promises didn't turn into lies. "In the end everything will be all right."

Loyal to a near fault and determined to succeed in his self appointed mission, Connor was still compressing Markus's bloodied chest and refused to stop until the replacement biocomponents were ready for transplant. Working together Josh and Simon had already wheeled a small surgical table and a second exam table into the repair ward, and had placed the new tools beside the first table where Markus was laying completely helpless and prone to the world around him. Fully unconscious, Markus was entirely oblivious to the three deviants who had sworn loyalty to him actively fighting to save his life as his damaged heart refused to beat on its own.

With the replacement biocomponents finally sterilized, successfully tested and ready to go, the only thing preventing the procedure was time itself. It was a delicate process that required absolute precision in order to save Markus from the cold oblivion of irreparable shutdown.

"Connor, are you sure about this?" Simon looked down at the metal case on the table and rested his hand atop it before he even considered opening it to look at the biocomponent stored inside. "There's no going back once it's done."

"Do it." Connor nearly panted as the prolonged physical exertion was causing him to overheat steadily, but he wasn't going to stop. "It's the only way to save Markus's life. I'm sure about this."

"Okay... We'll get everything ready."

While Simon prepared for the transplant procedure Josh rolled a second Thirial activity monitor up to where Connor was standing and turned it on. Reaching for the two wireless leads synced to the monitor Josh lifted up Connor's black t-shirt by the hem and secured the sensors directly over Connor's own chest as he continued to compress Markus's chest. The monitor's display showed Connor's vital signs and with it Josh became righteously worried.

"Your core temperature is up." Josh noted as Connor's vital signs appeared on the monitor's display quickly and accurately. Connor's own heart rate was higher than what was considered normal and his power supply was also beginning to drop from the physical exertion. "Maybe I should take over for you?"

"No." Connor shook his head as he continued the perfect rhythm of compressions on Markus's stopped heart. "If I stop for even a moment his chances of survival diminish considerably. Just get on with it. Do what you have to do to save Markus."

"Right." Josh gave Simon a quick nod of the head as he stood at the opposite side of the table from the blond technician. Everything was ready and it was literally do or die in that moment. "We need to be quick..."

Ever attentive to people in need of help or guidance, Hank stayed with North as she paced about anxiously in the ground floor office that she and the other deviant leaders used to conduct official business at the tower. Every time she passed by the window overlooking the dark and rainy harbor outside, Hank caught sight of her reflection on the shining glass and saw the pain in her eyes that she was still trying to hide despite already opening up to Hank earlier in the elevator. The way deviants emulated human emotions and reactions perfectly made it all the more easy to see that deviant were in fact alive and were in fact capable of feeling pain.

It was North's instinct for self preservation that kept her from getting close to people in general and made her appear reclusive. Her behavior had nothing to do with what Hank or Connor could had possibly ever done to her in the past. She was still healing just like the rest of the deviants in the city and a prime example of how stress and heartache affect all forms of life.

The painting that Lucas had created of Markus and North standing together was proudly displayed on the far wall of the office and Hank caught North's gaze frequently darting over to the large portrait as she paced. Whether the painting was a friendly reminder of a painful taunt, neither could say.

"Why don't you sit down for a minute?" Hank suggested kindly as he watched North pacing about and knew she was exhausted. "You're going to wear a hole through the floor if you keep going."

"I'm fine."

The door to the office slid open and Josh greeted the duo waiting inside. "...You both need to come with me."

"Markus?" North stopped short and stared at Josh with a worried gaze as she tightened her arms around her chest. "Is he...?"

Josh nodded as he entered the room put his arm around North's shoulders in a comforting manner. As he guided her out of the office back toward the elevator he nodded subtly to the human detective who had been keeping North company. "Hank, you need to see this, too."

The repair ward that had once been full of frantic energy and hectic commotion was now quiet and still. Simon was standing between the two exam tables to keep tabs on Markus's vital signs and watch over Connor as the deviant detective laid back and rested for a moment. All the while Simon continued to check their inventory to find any other possible compatible parts for 'RK' models of androids in the event of another tragedy. Any future incidents such as this would need to be prevented as much as possible by stocking up on supplie before any accidents, rather than scrambling for a suitable replacement after tragedy had already struck.

Markus himself was propped upright on the exam table with a peaceful expression on his face. Inside his repaired chest was a new heart thrumming away on its own; strong and healthy. The monitors still attached to his body showed a healthy, steady stream of vital signs as Simon hovered warily over the resting deviant leader while he continued to run numerous tests to ensure there was no sign of biocomponent rejection.

Stepping out of the elevator and into the repair ward North saw Markus laying on the table and more importantly she saw that he had a heartbeat on the Thirial monitor's display. Rushing over to his side once more North picked up Markus's his hand and held it tightly as she waited for him to open his beautiful uncoordinated eyes to look at her again.

Hank was also relieved to see Markus that was still in fact alive, but when he saw Connor laying on his right side on the second exam table next to Markus, his heart sank. The deviant's leather jacket was draped over his body like a dark shroud and Connor wasn't moving. It didn't look like he was even breathing.

"...Connor?" Hank ran over to the table and pressed his fingertips against Connor's neck as he pulled back the jacket and pushed Connor's shoulder just enough to roll the completely unconscious, limp deviant onto his back. Beneath his fingertips Hank could still feel a pulse and the senior detective let out the breath he had holding the moment he saw Connor laying completely motionless. "Shit, you scared me. Connor? Are you okay?"

Josh joined Hank at the table and explained everything to him. "He's okay, Hank. He's just resting."

"Resting?"

"Yeah. He nearly collapsed from doing compressions for so long. It almost completely overheated his system and now he's in low power mode to cool off."

Relieved all over again Hank bowed his head as he leaned down against the exam table with his arms and let out a deep sigh. "...I seriously thought he talked you guys into giving Markus his own heart."

"...Yeah. It was something like that."

Hank's head lifted up as he turned to look at Josh curiously. "What do you mean?"

Connor's weak hand reached up and rested against Hank's shoulder drawing his attention back toward himself. "...Hank."

"You okay, kid?" The senior detective looked down at Connor warily without fail. "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Connor tried to push himself upright with his trembling right arm but he didn't have the strength. Hank hooked his arm around Connor's chest beneath the deviant's trembling arm and guided him into sitting upright on the table. "Help me, please." Even as his L.E.D. flashed a slow yellow Connor was determined to get up. "I want to see Markus."

"Sure. Lean on me."

With Hank's assistance Connor tiredly walked over to the exam table where North was still hanging onto Markus's hand and Simon was keeping track of the deviant leader's vital signs very closely. Josh followed after the two detectives, his attention on Connor just in case the exhausted deviant suddenly collapsed or showed any sign of passing out.

Connor looked down at Markus's face then to the deviant leader's chest where his new heart was beating. Lightly he placed his hand down flate over the center of Markus's chest and felt the heartbeat under his palm as if he needed to be sure it was really there. As a lone tear rolled down Connor's face a gracious smile appeared on his face.

"Hank." Speaking up in a low voice Connor told his adopted father what had happened after he and North left the repair ward as more tears rolled down his face in a gentle stream. "We found the two biocomponents that were compatible with Markus."

"I can see that. Where'd you get them?"

Pausing for a moment Connor steadied his voice and told Hank the truth. "...Lucas."

Hank's blue eyes went wide with confusion as he visibly straightened his posture. "...You mean?"

"Correct." Confirming Hank's suspicions Connor kept his palm on Markus's chest. "Lucas's heart is now with Markus."

Tightening his arm around Connor's shoulders to hug him with an approving grin, Hank nodded proudly. "...Even beyond death Lucas saved a life, and I know you just made your brother very proud."

Connor's L.E.D. shifted from yellow to blue as Hank's words brought the deviant a much needed sense of peace knowing that he did the right thing not just for Markus, but for Lucas as well. Lucas may be gone but Markus was still in their lives, and now a piece of Lucas would continue to live on through him.

Having regained some of his strength after a lengthy rest mode throughout the rest of the cold, rainy night, Markus awoke early the following morning and found himself surrounded by exhausted onlookers who refused to leave his side until he was conscious once again. As he wearily sat upright on the exam table, his elbows being used for balance, he was greeted by North practically throwing herself at him to wrap him up in a tight hug as she cried tears of relief over his shoulder. It felt good to feel her warm arms wrapped around him and Markus could even feel her racing heart beating against his own heart as she held him close.

It was over and Markus had survived the failed assassination attempt. By all account it was another victory for the deviants.

"...It's okay, North." Markus returned the hug and lightly ran his hand through her long auburn hair as it flowed down his back. "I'm here. I'm still here."

Simon and Josh let out collective sighs of relief while Connor and Hank just stood beside the table waiting for Markus to say or do anything else while North embraced him with all of her heart.

Markus turned to look at the two detectives and nodded appreciatively. "Connor. Hank. You saved us."

"Us?" North let Markus go and put her hand to the side of his face. "You were the one who got shot, I was just there for the ride."

Markus picked up North's hand and kissed her knuckles affectionately. "It doesn't mean you weren't in danger."

"I'm just glad you pulled through." Hank stated with a firm, confident tone as he watched the reunited lovebirds cooing over each other. "Thought we lost you for a minute."

"No. I have too much to do here, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." Markus smiled as he shook Hank's hand graciously. Turning his attention to Connor he noticed that the deviant detective had a tranquil stare in his brown irises that he hadn't seen in months. "Connor, thanks for being there for me."

"Of course. That's what we do for each other right?" Connor put his hand on Markus's shoulder for a moment before retracting his grip. "Like a family."

"Yeah. We're all a family." Putting his hand to his chest Markus ran a self diagnostic and discovered what had been done to save his life. As soon as he recognized the original serial number of the biocomponents now beating in his chest his look of contentment shifted to one of surprise. "...Lucas?"

"It was the only way to save you." Connor explained without hesitation. "And Lucas would've wanted his heart to go to someone worthy."

"...I'll try to live up to that kind of reputation."

Hank patted Connor's shoulder once as he pulled the deviant toward the elevator to take their leave of the tower. "Come on, Connor. We still have to get that damn bullet analyzed so we can get that twisted shooter off the street. And you need to get some rest." As he let out a deep yawn Hank admitted that he too was in need of some sleep. "Me, too. Fuck, we should all go to bed."

"Agreed." Slipping his hands into the pocket of his jeans Connor pulled out the quarter he had been fidgeting with the night before and tossed it to Markus to keep for himself. "Here." Markus caught the coin easily in his right hand and stared down at it. "Your lighter is your good luck charm and it paid off. This was mine and Lucas's good luck charm. Hold onto it for his sake."

"I will." Wrapping his fingers around the coin like it was a priceless gem Markus swore to hang onto the trinket. "I promise, my friend."

As Connor and Hank walked out of the repair ward side by side, Connor watched through the still opened doors of the repair ward sliding shut behind them as Markus spoke to North, Simon and Josh. All the while the deviant leader spoke to his smiling colleagues he absentmindedly danced the quarter over his right knuckles expertly as if he had been doing that particular trick all of his life.

Hank saw the familiar motions as well and laughed as he and Connor stepped inside the elevator together. "That was Lucas's coin, wasn't it?"

"Yes. I still have my own coin, I don't need to hold on to his coin as well." Connor admitted as prideful tears welled up in his eyes but didn't fall. Cybernetically confirming that he and Hank were to go to the ground floor of the tower, Connor seemed to finally move past the heartache of losing his brother to a point where the pain wouldn't be a constant presence in his mind. "I'll always be able to remember Lucas without a keepsake."

Atop Markus's hand the coin moved about in the same pattern that Lucas had developed while rehabbing his hand and it made Connor smile as a comforting warmth spread throughout his chest while the elevator ascended back up to the ground floor of the tower. Everything was finally at peace and the tower was still in good hands as Markus survived to lead his people again.

Thinking of his late little brother Connor smiled happily and gave him one final gracious compliment as the elevator swiftly ascended. "...Thank you. Lucas."

-next chapter-