It was a long morning for the two exhausted detectives as they patiently awaited the ballistics report on the bullet that had been extracted from Markus's chest just a few hours before. While Hank had resorted to doubling-down on his usual morning cup of coffee, Connor had to resort to intermittently entering and exiting low power mode to try to conserve his dwindling energy from his lack of a full rest mode from the previous night. Between carrying Markus to the car and performing chest compressions for almost a full hour on the wounded deviant leader, Connor was physically exhausted and the exertion of taking care of Markus as on a physical scale and then being the literal shoulder for North to cry on had drained Hank of his own energy as well.

Fatigued and ready to drop, Hank was resting his head against his palm as he leaned his arm against his desk waiting for some kind of update to appear on his terminal screen and Connor was sitting statuesque with his arms crossed over his chest awaiting the same update. As Hank let out a sleepy yawn he looked down at his already empty mug of coffee before he leaned back in his chair and set off for the breakroom.

"Need more coffee." Hank stated needlessly as he grabbed his empty mug by the handle and walked past Connor as he let out another yawn. "Again."

"...Understandable." Connor closed his soulful brown eyes as he allowed himself to enter a light rest mode to aid his depleted system until he could return home to enter a proper rest mode and regain his lost energy entirely. "No one would blame you for getting another refill."

As Hank returned to his desk across from Connor's desk the deviant opened his eyes and watched as Hank placed the fresh mug of coffee on his desktop and covered his mouth as he let out another yawn. "Damn, I haven't been this tired on the job since Cole was born."

Truly empathetic Connor sighed a little and then covered his own mouth as he let out a sleepy yawn as well.

The little feat didn't escape Hank's attention and it actually surprised him. "Did you just yawn?"

"Apparently so." Connor admitted as he dropped his hand away from his mouth and leaned forward against his own desk a little. "...I am quite fatigued."

"I didn't think androids could yawn."

"People say yawning in contagious." The clever deviant casually stated to explain his behavior. "It must be true."

"Yeah. Must be."

From where he sat Connor's L.E.D. flashed from blue to yellow as the much awaited update finally appeared on their terminal screens. The bullet had been traced back to a gun that was reportedly destroyed three years after being confiscated by an officer from another precinct - said destruction was evidently untrue. The officer in question has a history of abusing androids, harassing androids and had been an outspoken anti-android bigot long before, and even after, the Revolution had taken place.

"Looks like we found our shooter." Hank lamented as he read the report with a heavy stare in his blue eyes. "His Captain is going to take him in for questioning and search for the gun. If anything, the gun was already tossed into the river."

"Even if we cannot locate the gun perhaps we can confirm the officer was in the area of New Haven at the time of the shooting."

"Maybe. But no guarantees."

"I'm just glad the shooting wasn't the result of another gang-war, or gang member." Remembering his own close call with anti-android gang members in the past made Connor's already somber eyes look all the more distressed. "My assaults were bad enough."

"Yeah, things are getting pretty tense again. This time it's between humans who have their own more positive opinions on androids, not just the androids for existing."

Rubbing his right fingertips over his yellow L.E.D. shifted back to blue Connor looked to his partner and best friend for some answers. "When will this type of violence stop?"

"I wish I could say, kid. Hate runs deep and it leaves painful scars that take generations to heal."

"But it will heal, right?"

"Yeah, it will." Tentatively Hank sipped at his coffee and noted the time on the terminal screen. "It's almost four already. We've finished our report and identified a possible shooter. I say we clock-out early, go home, rest and only answer the phone once that sorry son of a bitch is in cuffs and waiting for one of us to ask him some very interesting questions."

Connor nodded a little as he tried and failed to run a self diagnostic on his system. His power was too low to initiate such a command. "...Yes. Rest will prove to be very beneficial for both of us."

"You must be tired." Hank smiled as he finished off the coffee and stood up from his desk. "You're agreeing to go home instead of trying to keep working."

"I promised that I'd stop obsessing over work," the deviant reminded Hank sharply as he too stood up from his desk and cybernetically clocked-out for the evening. "and I intend to keep all of my promises."

The duo was thoroughly exhausted and ready to drop despite the shooting nearly taking Markus's life less than twenty-four hours prior. Once the two fatigued detectives were back home, Connor let Sumo out into the backyard for a few minutes - his body leaning heavily against the kitchen counter from his exhaustion as he waited for the large dog to finish his business and reenter the house for the rest of the evening. Needing to get some rest before he collapse, Hank had opted for a quick but relazing shower before heading right into his bedroom without so much as reading a single chapter of his current book in order to crash for the rest of the evening and all through the impending long night.

Connor again tried to initiate a self diagnostic but a red 'Error' message appeared in his visual processors as the program once again failed to boot-up properly. Rubbing his hand anxiously over the back of his neck Connor let out a tired sigh and slipped his hand down to the knot of his black tie to loosen the garment from its place around his neck. As he pulled the tie from around his dress shirt's collar Sumo began scratching at the backdoor and Connor happily let the massive bundle of fur back inside.

"I'll get you some food."

Connor spoke to Sumo as if the dog could perfectly understand what he was saying as he scooped out an ideally measured cup of food from the large kibble bag resting against the corner in the kitchen's pantry. Dropping the food down into the clean bowl Connor patted Sumo's head to greet the loyal dog as Sumo happily chowed down and wagged his tail.

"Good boy."

Walking down the hallway to his own bedroom Connor slipped off his gray blazer to place it properly on a hanger in the closet and draped his tie around it. He hung up the garments next to the leather jacket he had hastily discarded earlier that same morning as he and Hank hurriedly changed into clean clothes before reporting to the precinct directly from New Jericho Tower. Throwing off his white dress shirt, shoes and jeans in favor of a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, Connor happily laid down in his bed and entered his much needed rest mode for the remainder of the evening and hopefully into the night.

The sound of the shower turning off and the bathroom door opening up told Connor that Hank had finished his own evening routine and was now heading to bed himself. It wasn't long before the second bedroom door opened and then shut as Hank disappeared into the privacy of his bedroom and was surely laying down to sleep as well.

As Connor fell into his much needed rest mode his fingernails began to subconsciously drag into his forearm as if something was irritating him, yet he was completely unaware of the simple reaction. With his L.E.D. pulsing a steady blue in tandem with his calmly beating heart Connor drifted off to sleep and knew nothing more of the waking world around him.

The following day Hank awoke just before noon to find Sumo staring at his face as he slept. The massive dog had his tongue hanging out of his mouth and his tail wagging rhythmically in a patient manner as he waited for Hank to notice him. The loyal dog got excited as he saw his human master wake up and spun around in a clumsy circle beside the bed to showcase his excitement in a quiet yet effective manner. Hank put his hand under the dog's soft chin to give him a few scratches as he pushed himself upright on the the bed with his other hand, then ran his hand through his messy locks of gray hair as he woke up a little more and stretched his muscles.

He had slept well throughout the night without any disturbances. It was a nice change considering how his previous attempts at a peaceful rest had been disturbed by Connor calling for help and him needing to head out to the shady motel in the middle of the rainy night.

"G'morning, boy."

As Hank rose from the bed Sumo rushed out of the bedroom door and headed right into the kitchen in anticipation of his usual morning routine. Following after the dog Hank noticed Sumo eagerly pawing at the backdoor and noticed that Sumo's food bowl was completely empty.

"Looks like Connor slept in, too, huh?"

Smirking a little Hank pushed open the backdoor and watched as Sumo trotted into the backyard to circle around his usual tree by the fence to set about his business.

"Can't say that I blame him. Life is exhausting."

After refilling Sumo's food and water bowls Hank walked down the hallway and pushed open Connor's bedroom door just enough to peer inside without intruding on the sleeping deviant. As he expected Connor was still in rest mode laying on his left side facing the door, a gentle blue light pulsing from his L.E.D. in his right temple, and the quilt pulled up all around him to where it was tucked just over his face.

"I know how you feel, son. Keep sleeping."

Closing the door as quietly as possible Hank wandered back down the hallway and turned on the television to catch up on the news reports he otherwise slept through. Still somewhat exhausted, Hank returned to the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee to help him wake up further and listened to the muffled voices on the television talking in a low voice. As he poured himself a mug of coffee Hank heard Connor's bedroom door open and then the bathroom door open and shut quickly behind him.

"Trying a new morning routine, kid?"

Hank wondered out loud as he then heard Sumo scratching at the backdoor. Walking over to the backdoor Hank obliged in opening the door to let the giant dog back inside the house and watch as Sumo promptly trotted over to his bowls and began eating his breakfast.

"You're welcome, ya' furry mooch."

The senior detective then took his coffee into the livingroom and sat down in the middle of the couch to watch the news now that Sumo had been taken care of.

"Ten bucks say they won't say a damn word about someone trying to gun down Markus the other night."

The weather was being broadcast, as well as a few upcoming construction projects, but nothing on Markus's failed assassination as predicted.

"Typical."

However, it was a news report regarding androids and a new virus that caught Hank's attention and made him turn up the volume as he leaned back again the couch cushion heavily.

"Ah, fuck. Now what's going on?"

'Apparently a new type of virus has been reported in deviant androids in the Detroit metropolitan area.' The anchorwoman relaying the information sounded as indifferent and bored as ever. She never seemed to care about news regarding androids unless it was something negative against androids and positive toward humans. 'The affected androids are NOT dangerous by any means, but the affliction itself is considered highly contagious to other androids.'

"Oh no." Hank rubbed his hand down his still tired face toward his bearded chin as he mentally prepared for a worst case scenario. "Another cybernetic terrorist attack or a stupid bug? Please be a stupid bug."

'During the latest software update for android systems a reported glitch-'

"Oh, thank fuck!"

'-is causing a malfunction in the sensory protocols in the affected androids. Those who have been affected are experiencing anomalies including, but not limited to, the inability to use advanced programs or modes. Symptoms include overheating, fatigue, fluctuations in Thirium volume, Thirium pressure, gyroscopic imbalance and the most unusual effect of the glitch involves aesthetic defects or blemishes in the android's artificial skin that can cause an inflamed appearance and an unpleasant sensation to the androids affected.' The report sounded complete and yet it was evident that not all of the answers had been found just yet regarding the new glitch. The anchorwoman continued to deliver the report professionally, and yet she seemed anxious to get to her next story. 'According to the technicians working on the glitch the damage to the skin is the direct result of the deviancy program that allows deviated androids to feel emotion. and in rare instances, pain.'

Hank glanced back over his shoulder to the closed bathroom door as tight knot formed in the pit of his stomach. "...Fuck."

'In the most severe cases of the glitch; found primarily in older models of androids, rapid and erratic Thirium pump rates have been reported as well as complete loss of motor control. Facilities throughout the city are working quickly to find the appropriate means of eliminating the glitch and undoing the damage to the affected androids. The glitch itself has reportedly originated from an unfinished software update that had been scheduled for release from the now defunct CyberLife industries and was mistakenly implemented in the newest update within the past seventy-two hours.'

"Good ol' CyberLife..." Hank sighed as he rose from the couch and ventured down the hallway. Knocking on the closed bathroom door he called out to Connor who was still inside and moving about very quietly. "Hey Connor, are you all right in there? There's a news report about a software update glitch affecting androids, are you okay?"

There was no answer as Hank pushed the bathroom door open slowly and eyed Connor who was sitting on the edge of the bathtub staring down at his left forearm with a curious stare. His L.E.D. was cycling yellow slowly as if he were lost in deep thought at the sight of his own limb and was unnervingly quiet.

"Connor?"

"Hank." Slowly Connor looked up and stood up just as slowly as if he expected Hank to come to his rescue and give him answers. "There's something wrong with my arm, but I cannot run a self diagnostic to identify the problem."

"Let me see." Hank entered the bathroom and grabbed onto Connor's wrist gently as he pulled the deviant's forearm outward to examine it. Two small blue, circular blemishes had formed on the interior of his forearm and they looked raw; like someone had been scratching at them. "Shit. Connor, I think you have that glitch that the news was just talking about."

"My self diagnostic program isn't functioning. I cannot confirm or deny such a glitch."

"Do you have these marks anywhere else?" Hank asked as he let Connor's arm go and pressed the back of his hand to the deviant's forehead. The comment about overheating on the news made the 'fever check' instinctual. "Shit. You're running a little bit warmer than usual."

Connor's brow furrowed as he visually checked his other arm for anymore strange blemishes, only to become aware of an unpleasant sensation radiating from small areas across his chest and abdomen. Pulling up his t-shirt Connor looked down at his torso and noticed six additional blemishes had appeared over his body from seemingly nowhere.

"Yup. You have more of those marks."

Replacing his shirt Connor started to absentmindedly scratch at the blemishes on his arm as the spots began to aggravate him with an unpleasant sensation he hadn't felt before. "Do you know what these marks are?"

"Hey, don't do that." Lightly Hank grabbed onto Connor's hand and wrapped his fingers around the deviant's wrist to count his pulse. "That can hurt you."

"I'm sorry, but these strange marks are very uncomfortable and distracting. It feels like I have something prickling just under the surface of my artificial skin and I dislike it very much."

"That's called an 'itch', kid. Don't scratch it or you'll make it worse."

"But my skin temporarily felt better after I had scratched it."

"How much better will it feel if you tear open your skin from all that damn scratching?"

"...I imagine it wouldn't feel pleasant if I were to commit such an act."

"Right, so stop it." Trying to find a solution Hank decided distracting Connor for a moment was the best option. "You said you can't run your self diagnostic program, right?"

"Correct." Connor confirmed as Hank let his hand go and he again began to scratch at his arm. "I haven't been able to-"

"Stop that!" Hank scolded as he grabbed onto Connor's hand again to stop him from scratching the blemishes. "Look, the news report said androids that have been affected by this glitch would have trouble using some of their programs, could that be the problem right now?"

"It's difficult to say without a proper diagnostic." The irony wasn't lost on the afflicted deviant. "It seems I'm in a paradox."

"I'd take you to a facility to get checked out, but this glitch is pretty contagious. I don't know how a glitch can be contagious, but whatever, that's why I'm a detective and not an engineer or a technician."

"It's possible that the glitch can be transferred by cybernetic contact or cybernetic communication to those who have yet to receive the affected update to their software."

"How'd you get it?" Hank let Connor's hand go so he could put a clean washcloth under the cool tap in the sink. "Bump into a sick deviant at the precinct?"

"No. My software automatically updates whenever I enter rest mode." The deviant explained as he again briefly scratched at his arm only to force his hand to his side to prevent further damage to his artificial skin. "It must've entered my system when I entered rest mode and hadn't checked through the updates my system was attempting to download due to being distracted with Markus as of late."

"You got sick because you fell asleep? That's a new one."

"I... cannot contact New Jericho Tower." Connor's L.E.D. flashed from a distressed yellow to a somewhat panicky red as another 'Error' message appeared in his visual processors. The L.E.D. only returned to yellow when he dismissed the warning and continued to speak with Hank. "I wonder how many others have been affected?"

"Well, if it made the news," turning off the faucet Hank wrung out the excess water from the washcloth and pressed it down against Connor's scratched up forearm. "then it must be pretty bad. Try holding the washcloth against your arm. Maybe the cold will numb the itching for a while."

Connor nodded as he placed his right hand over the washcloth and held it in place against the blemishes on his left forearm. "Did the news report mention a possible time frame for this affliction to begin and potentially end?"

"Sorry, kid. They listed the symptoms, the cause and said that technicians are looking for a way to fix the glitch; but no time frame for anything."

As Connor tried and failed again to initiate a self diagnostic his yellow L.E.D. flashed red with another 'Error' message and he shook his head despondently at the lack of information. "...Damn it."

"Why don't you lay down on the couch and try to relax? I'll call Abby and see if she can tell us anything." Hank exited the bathroom first and shouted back as Connor followed him. "And don't scratch! I don't want to have to duct tape oven mitts to your hands like you're a damn toddler or something..."

Following Hank out of the bathroom and down the hallway Connor tried to lay down over the couch to rest, but the sudden onset of a headache thanks to a fluctuation in his Thirium pressure made that practically impossible. Draping his arm over his eyes Connor tried to steady his breathing in hopes it'd ease his discomfort while he let his other arm hang freely off the edge of the couch and toward the floor.

Curiously Sumo's cold wet nose pressed into Connor's free hand as the dog cuddled up under his arm and rested his chin atop Connor's chest affectionately as he sat down on the floor beside the couch to keep his deviant master company.

Taking charge of the matter Hank paced about the kitchen with his phone in his hand as he spoke to Abby at her usual facility a few blocks away. At that moment Connor didn't have the ability to cybernetically tap into the phone to listen to the conversation, and his head was hurting him too much to really focus on what was being said anyway.

"Yeah, Abby." Hank returned to the livingroom casually with the phone still pressed to his ear. "I think Connor has that glitch. Only a few of those marks are on his skin, but it feels like he's starting to run a mild fever, you know, overheat." There was a brief pause as he listened to the technician over the phone. "No, I checked a minute ago and his pulse rate was fine." Standing still beside the couch he listened to Abby's calm instructions over the line and followed her every word perfectly. "Sure, just a moment."

Lightly pulling Connor's arm away from the deviant's eyes Hank noticed that Connor immediately flinched at the painful light overhead as the sun poured through the front window easily throughout the entire livingroom. Closing his eyes as tightly as possible while his L.E.D. flashed in a pained red, he turned his face away from the sunlight.

"Yeah, looks like he has a headache, too."

Squaring his jaw Connor just gave Hank an annoyed stare from one partially opened eye as he forced himself upright into a sitting position. Without thinking about it he began to scratch at the blemishes over his chest and abdomen as the itching return. Sumo moved his head when Connor moved, only to rest his chin back down atop Connor's knee as he continued to seek attention.

"Quit it." Hank pointed at Connor's scratching hand as he listened to Abby over the line. "I have no idea what his system says. His self diagnostic thingy isn't running." Arching his brow a little he continue to listen to her instructions and turned to look down the hallway over his shoulder. "Yeah, I can do that. Give me a minute."

Without a word Connor watched as the senior detective walked down the hallway and into the bathroom, only to return with a digital thermometer in his hand. Staring at the device in Hank's hand Connor just waited for the Hank to reenter the livingroom and inform him of Abby's instructions.

"Open your mouth." Hank stated casually as he sat down on the couch next to Connor. "Technician's orders."

"What orders?"

"You need to hold this under your tongue until it 'beeps'." Just waiting for the deviant to respond Hank held out the thermometer toward Connor to take. "It's the only way to figure out how hot you're running without your self diagnostic thingy working."

Looking somewhat skeptical Connor took the thermometer and placed it in his mouth as Hank had directed. Waiting for the necessary time to pass the digital device 'beeped' once and it showed Connor's current core temperature. Connor took the thermometer from his mouth and read aloud his temperature as it appeared on the small display. "...One-hundred point two degrees."

Hank repeated the number and waited for Abby's response. "Yeah, I can do that. Thanks a lot, Abby."

Connor watched as Hank ended the call and placed his phone down on the table next to the couch. "Well?"

"Abby says that, yes, you were indeed infected with the glitch and that you need to rest."

"Rest? Because of a glitch?"

"Yup. The technicians working on this glitch have called the condition that you and the other deviants are suffering 'Pyrexia Impairment', and it's being compared to what we humans call the 'chicken pox'."

"...Chicken pox?" Connor's L.E.D. blinked yellow rapidly as the itching from the blemishes continued to irritate him. As his hand made a move to his chest once more he noticed Hank's own annoyance at the gesture, but continued to make the move to scratch seemingly against his will. "What else?"

"For starters..." Hank grabbed Connor's hand and pulled it away from his chest before he had the chance to damage his artificial skin any further. "Like the chicken pox, scratching at those marks is only going to make you worse, like I already told you, so, knock it off!"

"I'm sorry, I don't realize I'm doing it until you tell me to stop."

"It's okay, I'm not mad or anything." Softening his tone Hank spoke to Connor as he would any other sick kid. "I just don't want you to make yourself sicker by accident."

"How can I possibly get sicker?"

"According to Abby, if those marks on your skin get opened up by scratching or anything else, then you risk getting foreign matter stuck under your skin that can get through your frame and into your biocomponents or Thirium lines, or whatever."

"...I see." Connor dropped his hand from his chest only to reach up toward his neck instead. "That would be unfortunate."

"Connor," noticing the deviant's mounting discomfort Hank put his hand under Connor's chin and gently tilted the deviant's head back and slightly to the left to examine his artificial skin further. "you have marks on the side of your neck now, too. Don't scratch them."

Clenching his hands into tight fists atop his lap Connor tried to obey and stop scratching. "How do you make this itching feeling stop?"

"I don't think human remedies can work on androids." Hank admitted as he dropped his hand from Connor's chin. "Just keep holding the cold washcloth against the marks and do your best to ignore them."

Connor looked down at the washcloth still wrapped around his left arm and picked it up curiously. There were two additional marks on his arm near the first two blemishes, and a third mark had formed higher up on his bicep than the previous four blemishes. "Hank, there are even more blemishes."

"Jeez, kid." Hank stared at the blue blemishes beginning to dot Connor's skin one by one. "It looks like you're breaking out."

"I don't like this." The sick deviant admitted as he dropped the washcloth on the coffee table. "I can confirm that this experience is very unpleasant and I do not like feeling so limited."

"No one does. Maybe like the chicken pox you'll be immune to future infections after this is all over."

Frustrated and tired, Connor's yellow L.E.D. blinked again as he fought the urge to scratch at the numerous blemishes that were starting to form all over his body. Fighting the urge to tear off his artificial skin, he pressed his hands down against the cushions of the couch at his sides to keep himself from scratching at the irritating marks that were quickly forming elsewhere on his body.

"It'll be fine."

"...It won't." Connor closed his eyes and his L.E.D. flickered in red rapidly before returning to yellow. "Shit. I can't even deactivate my artificial skin to make the itching stop."

"Try to get some more sleep instead." The senior detective and father figure hated to see Connor so miserable, and he hated that there was very little he could do to ease the deviant's discomfort. "Abby said you need to rest, so why don't you go into rest mode and sleep through all of this until the glitch can be fixed?"

"...That may be my best option." Connor agreed as he rose from the couch and kept his hands firmly at his sides, lightly pushing Sumo aside as he stood as to not trip over the massive dog as he walked. "I don't want to exasperate my current condition."

Trudging down the hallway with Sumo loyally right behind him Connor returned to his bedroom and all but collapsed onto his bed atop the neatly smoothed out quilt as he tried to ignore the insensate itching that was beginning to crawl all over his body. Rolling onto his right side Connor's hand reached up to his neck to feel the new marks that had recently formed, but instead became distracted by three small blue marks that had appeared on the back of his hand instead.

"Damn it."

Connor swore again as he closed his eyes and tried to initiate rest mode, but instead he had to wait for the program to activate on its own. Manual activation had been disabled

"...I can't even make myself sleep when in this condition. This is truly inconvenient."

Sumo let out a sympathetic whimper as he jumped up onto the foot of the bed and curled up next to Connor's legs to keep him company. Sometimes the dog showed more empathy toward people in pain than most people did.

"I'll be okay, Sumo."

Darting his eyes down toward the loyal dog, Connor sighed and wrapped his quilt up around himself as a means of keeping a layer between his itching skin and his restless hands. Closing his eyes again Connor's L.E.D. pulsed yellow slowly and his body began to relax.

"Good boy."

The afternoon remained thankfully quiet and uneventful.

Periodically Hank peered inside Connor's bedroom to check on the sick deviant detective and noticed that the deviant's L.E.D. was still yellow in coloration. The L.E.D. was pulsing slowly and steadily to match his heartbeat as he slept. Even from the distance Hank could see that there were a few additional blue marks now lining the side of Connor's face and over both of his arms thanks to the glitch causing more blemishes to appear as the error persisted. The fact that Connor was asleep seemed almost miraculous.

"Shit. Poor kid."

Moving quietly Hank entered the bedroom and stood beside the bed as he put his hand over Connor's forehead with a light pressure to check his temperature again. Unfortunately, the senior detective didn't need the thermometer to tell him that Connor's fever was getting worse. Retracting his hand Hank stepped out of the bedroom so he could fall back on his paternal instincts with treating a sick kid.

"Can't you catch a damn break just once?"

Retrieving the washcloth that Connor had left behind on the coffee table in the livingroom Hank ran it under the cool tap in the bathroom sink to freshen it up with the cool water. As he wrung it out just as he had done previously, he walked into the bedroom and leaned over the sleeping deviant as he lightly smoothed the washcloth over Connor's too warm forehead without disturbing him in the process.

The fact that Connor didn't react to the cool compress being applied to his overheated forehead spoke volumes of how sick and tired he really was.

Still cuddled up by Connor's legs, Sumo watched Hank curiously as the senior detective took care of the deviant without fail. As Hank stood back Sumo gave him a lick to the side of his arm for his troubles.

"He'll be fine, Sumo."

Hank patted the dog's head as he silently backed out of the bedroom and pulled the door partially shut behind him.

"Stay."

Reaching for his phone on the coffee table in the livingroom a knock at the front door stole his attention. Approaching the front door curiously Hank peered through the nearby window and let out a sigh of relief.

"Perfect timing." Answering the door with a prompt motion he immediately stepped to the side to allow his unexpected but welcomed visitor to enter. "Come in, Abby."

"Hey, Hank." She walked inside the house with her leather and canvas emergency satchel over her shoulder. The young technician looked as tired as Hank felt, and he knew it was because she had been working hard taking care of her other deviant patients. "The glitch has been corrected, but it requires manual activation to work properly."

"Thanks for stopping by." Closing the door behind Abby as she walked into the livingroom, Hank made his gratitude known. "I didn't know if taking him to a facility would've been better or worse for him."

"Worse." Abby confirmed casually as she stepped about the livingroom and adjusted her satchel over her right shoulder. "Right now isolation is the best thing for all of the affected androids so no one else gets infected from direct or even cybernetic contact."

"Well, he's in the bedroom down the hallway."

"Asleep?"

"I hope so."

"All right, let's see how he's holding up. Bring the thermometer with you." Abby walked down the hallway and opened the slightly ajar bedroom door and looked inside. Seeing the deviant laying on his side with the massive dog keeping him company would've been a sweet image if Connor's skin wasn't marred by the blue marks from the glitch running rampant in his system. "Yup, he's got the glitch."

Placing her satchel down on the edge of the bed next to Sumo, Abby leaned over Connor and pulled back the quilt. With a controlled motion she pressed her hand down against his chest to check his Thirium pump rate before moving aside the washcloth from his forehead - the removed cloth revealed more blue marks beneath, to press her hand over his warm forehead for her own fever-check. Hank had followed Abby into the bedroom and had noticed that in the short time since he had left the bedroom that even more blemishes had appeared along Connor's face and neck.

"Strong pulse." Abby confirmed as she noted his elevated temperature and made a motion for the digital thermometer in Hank's hand. As she placed the device in Connor's mouth between his teeth she gave the senior detective a somewhat worried glance as the display showed his fever had gone up to one-hundred and two point six degrees, then promptly replaced it to keep his temperature monitored. "He's definitely overheating."

"Can you do anything about those marks? He kept trying to scratch at them."

"I have something I can give him to ease the itching."

Opening her satchel Abby pulled out a transparent plastic bottle containing a pale pink liquid. "This is diluted incrassation compound. It'll keep the marks from overreacting by his affected sensors, but it won't sting like its concentrated counterpart."

"Looks like calamine location."

"That's an accurate way to describe it. Too bad the actual stuff doesn't have any effect on androids."

"I figured as much."

Next pulling out a small rectangular shaped gray electronic sensor from the satchel, Abby pressed it to Connor's yellow tinted L.E.D. for a few seconds as she uploaded the appropriate software to reverse the effects of the glitch. In doing so it would allow his normal system processors and advanced programming to resume full function, and with it his self healing program would remedy the discomfort to his artificial skin.

"This not only removed the glitch from his system, but it will prevent his condition from getting any worse. His system will fully reboot and recalibrate in three hours. In that time his self healing program will repair any and all damage that the glitch had caused to his artificial skin and let his core temperature drop."

"So, there's no permanent damage, right?"

"Right. Just a few faint scars that'll fade over the next couple hours."

Using the cool washcloth that had been draped over Connor's forehead at her disposal, Abby dabbed the pink compound onto the cloth and lightly pressed it down over the blue marks that had spread over Connor artificial skin fairly quickly. A pale pink coating of the compound managed to hide the blue marks, but the pink was almost as noticeable as the blue it was covering.

"This might take a while to get every mark coated." After covering his face, neck, arms and hands, Abby lifted up Connor's t-shirt and visibly winced at the number of blemishes all over his chest and abdomen. "I thought you said he only had a few marks."

"He did back when I called you." Grimacing at the numerous additional blemishes now marring Connor's chest and abdomen, Hank felt his own skin beginning to crawl empathetically. "How fast does this glitch make androids sick?"

"Pretty fast." Abby noted as she began covering the dozens of marks on Connor's chest and abdomen under the pink compound. There were additional ones along his shoulders stretching over his back as well, and now moving down his legs. "But I hadn't seen any other android with this many blemishes."

"Is it serious?"

"I doubt it." She stated confidently as she applied the compound over Connor's upper and lower back without disturbing him in the process. "He's stable and doesn't seem to be in any distress. My guess is he had a more severe outbreak because of his prototype programs."

Connor's tired but still soulful brown eyes opened slowly as he felt the cold compound being applied to his artificial skin. Glancing around the bedroom he noted both Hank and Abby now hovering over him as he laid on his side on the bed, while still feeling absolutely miserable.

"Connor, can you hear me?" Abby asked casually as she finished applying the compound to Connor's abdomen and pulled his t-shirt back down. She pulled the thermometer from Connor's mouth and read the temperature. "One-hundred two point four, that's already a little better."

"...Yes." The deviant replied tiredly as he lightly turned from his side and onto his back. "I'm fully conscious."

"Can you run a self diagnostic for me?"

Connor's L.E.D. flashed from yellow to red as the same 'Error' message appeared in his visual sensors. "...No."

"All right, don't worry about it." Abby took the audioscope from her satchel and slipped the ear pieces into place. As she pressed the bell down against Connor's chest she listened to his heartbeat and ventilation rate carefully. "Everything sounds normal. Did you detect any arrhythmia or tachycardia after you became infected?"

"No."

"Name all of your symptoms."

"Mild headache, overheating, numerous skin blemishes and the inability to access my advanced programming."

"Any dizziness or nausea?"

"No."

"That's good, at least you're not a text book case of this glitch." She teased playfully at the semi good news. "I already uploaded the necessary software to remove the glitch from your system, so you won't get any worse. I promise.

Accepting her words as truth Connor looked down at the pink spots over his arms curiously. "...The itching sensation has stopped as well. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Placing the bottle of the pink liquid into Connor's hand Abby packed up her satchel and hefted it back over her shoulder. "I'm going to go over to New Jericho Tower and take care of the deviants there before this glitch spreads any further. By the way, I heard about what happened to Markus. I'm glad you two were able to save him."

Hank's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms defensively. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"One of the Jerry's from that rundown 'Pirate's Cove' amusement park outside the city now lives at the tower and works at my facility. He goes by 'Barry', and he was talking about it as soon as he came in this morning. He was thrilled to sing praises of your heroism."

"He shouldn't be talking about it..."

"I know. But it gives other deviants hope knowing that their leader survived and is going strong. Now," Abby stood up and gave both Connor and Hank a respectful smile. "I'll be on my way. Just keep tending to his fever until his self healing program is able to resume normal function. He'll be just fine in a few more hours."

"Thanks, Abby. I'll see you out." Hank volunteered as he watched Abby pet Sumo's head in passing before exiting the bedroom. "We appreciate all your help."

Once the two human were outside of the bedroom Connor proceeded to use the compound on the rest of his blemishes as they steadily began to itch at him mercilessly. Fortunately, the outbreak of blemishes seemed to stop as soon as Abby uploaded the new software into his system, but the blemishes that had appeared and still remained were less than ideal for the deviant to deal with it.

After Connor finished applying the compound on his sides, his legs and his feet, he replaced his sweatpants and placed the half empty bottle of android medication down on the nightstand beside the bed as he let out a weary sigh. Attempting one more time to run a self diagnostic resulted in the same annoying 'Error' message popping up. Losing patience with his lack of information resorted in Connor using the digital thermometer to check his temperature out of curiosity.

Sensing the deviant's distress Sumo snuggled up closer to Connor until his head was resting over the deviant's abdomen and began wagging his tail as Connor instinctively began petting his head with great affection.

"Good boy. Always a good boy."

Feeling a little relieved himself Hank returned to the bedroom with a bag of ice wrapped up in a clean, damp washcloth and presented it to Connor as the deviant laid back against his pillow. "This should help break your fever." Noticing the thermometer in Connor's mouth Hank gave the android a bemused grin. "I take it your self diagnostic thing still isn't working right."

"Correct." Connor pulled the thermometer from his mouth after it 'beeped' and noted his fever was remaining static at one-hundred and two point four. "But at least the blemishes have stopped spreading and have ceased in their uncomfortable sensation."

"Well, Abby said you'll be able to reboot everything in about three hours." Hank placed the cold compress over Connor's forehead casually and took the thermometer from Connor's hand. "Get some sleep and you'll feel better."

"Thank you for helping me."

"No problem. I'll be monitoring the news in case anything else happens while we're trying to make good use of our time off. Just sleep this off and you'll be a lot better in three hours."

A nice quiet afternoon turned into an equally nice quiet evening for the two detectives. The latest news report had confirmed the patch for the unusual glitch had been created and was in fact successful, and there were no reported fatalities of any of the afflicted deviants due to the glitch being reported. It seemed as if the unusual android unique plague had been only a mild 'blip' on the radar, and the city would be able to keep moving forward without any further issues by the next morning. With any luck none of the affected deviants would be able to resume their usual routines without any setbacks and the glitch wouldn't make a second round throughout the city.

Wanting to keep things simple for the night Hank had called for takeout to avoid making any noise or messes in the kitchen. Being able to order in his meal without Connor questioning its caloric contents was just a very small bonus.

"Keep the change."

Hank paid the pizza delivery boy and tipped him well before shutting the front door quietly. The senior detective carried his dinner into the kitchen to flip open the lid and have his first slice of pizza. As he sat the box down atop the kitchen table Sumo came trotting out of Connor's bedroom and promptly sat down at Hank's leg as he smelled the warm, fresh food that had just been brought into the house.

"No way. If I let you start eating scraps again Connor is going to give me a lecture on canine dietary needs. I don't got that kind of time to lose these days."

Shortly thereafter, Connor himself walked into the kitchen with his L.E.D. pulsing a steady blue and his skin still covered in the pink compound. For the first time since he had been infected by the glitch, Connor wasn't tempted to scratch at the blemishes or seek a remedy to the itching, and he seemed comfortable again.

"Hey, Connor." Hank quickly noticed Connor's presence and saw that his condition had seemingly improved. Pressing the back of his hand to Connor's forehead Hank noted that his temperature seemed normal and that the deviant was no longer overheating. "You were out for almost six hours, so I assume you rebooted. How do you feel?"

"Normal. The glitch has been removed from my system and I am able to run full self diagnostics once again." Pressing his fingertips to one of the pink tinted marks on his face Connor gave Hank a somewhat embarrassed look. "I'm going to wash this compound off of my skin now that it has served its purpose. Any further reports on the glitch?"

"Only that the software update that Abby helped create is working and they expect it to be entirely contained before the night is over."

"That's good. No one else will get sick."

"By the way," finally Hank flipped open the lid of the box of pizza and turned around to look at Connor over his shoulder. "Abby called while you were asleep. Everyone at New Jericho Tower is fine, Markus has fully healed from his transplant and Abby is going to be their human liaison for all technicians in the city. In the event that Simon is either incapacitated or overwhelmed, she'll be called in as their back-up technician."

Connor smiled in approval at the positive news. "Progress. And it didn't have any bullets involved this time."

"Don't get philosophical on me, son. It's been one long-ass day..."

"Sorry, I'll keep that in mind."

"Cool, that's all I ask."

"I'll go take my shower now." As Connor stepped out of the kitchen Hank dropped a single piece of pepperoni on the floor for Sumo to eat, and smirked as the massive dog immediately gobbled up it up. "You still shouldn't allow Sumo to eat pizza toppings." The deviant called out as he opened the bathroom door just down the hallway to step inside. "It could make him ill."

"See what I mean, boy?"

Hank shook his head in amusement as he looked down at Sumo happily licking his lips and wagging his tail.

"He knows every single time I do that for you. The kid's one hell of a detective."

-next chapter-