Time went on and life in Detroit had settled into a relatively calm lull as humans and deviants seemingly slowly learned to peacefully co-exist with one another in the aftermath of the peaceful Revolution. It had already been almost two full years since the success of the Revolution as led by Markus; the leader of the deviants and founder of 'New Jericho'. During that time Connor had continued worked with his partner and best friend Lieutenant Hank Anderson at the Central Detroit Police Precinct to set about creating new laws and guidelines to protect the deviants from discrimination without compromising the rights of human in the process.

Hundreds of deviants had fled the city during the Revolution out of fear for their own lives, while others boldly stood their ground beside Markus and Connor as they worked together to bring about a peaceful Revolution to free the deviants who had been taken to recycling plants to be deactivated. As a result the two deviants were hailed as heroes, leaders and earned the highest degree of respect from their peers.

In the corresponding comparatively tranquil years that followed the Revolution several deviants returned to the city in an attempt to rebuild their lives while others remained in hiding over the border in Canada. The air was full of mixed emotions as the returning deviants had to confront their pasts regarding humans and their fellow deviants alike.

As the historical night was remembered fondly by some and disdained by others the city was preparing to celebrate its first (official) anniversary of the Revolution, a few odd complaints about deviants suddenly showing signs of machine-like complicity - almost as if they had been reset or reprogrammed, had been initially dismissed as anti-android intolerance. Soon the reports became more frequent and required immediate attention. The reports were alarming enough to put a damper on the festivities for the time being and put the city officials on high alert.

Disturbingly enough the deviants who seemingly returned to their default machine consciousness exhibited signs of violence against other all deviants or humans who approached. The cause was unknown and the investigation was actively ongoing.

"Two more deviants exhibiting bizarre behavior have been reported downtown." Connor noted as an update to the case file caused his L.E.D. to flash from blue to yellow as he sat behind his terminal to continue the investigation. The bright light in his temple then cycled back to blue as he logged the new data into his memorybank and found no new useful information to use as a lead. "Still no connections between the affected deviants has been identified, and no singular possible cause for the resets has been detected."

Tired and getting frustrated with the lack of progress Hank sighed despondently as he studied the numerous reported cases on his own terminal screen across from Connor with a studious stare. "Can we rule out a software virus?"

"Unknown."

"And I suppose the same can be said about a system malfunction, huh?"

"Correct."

"Shit." Picking up his dark blue mug Hank finished off his coffee and leaned back in his chair. Scanning over the bullpen Hank noticed that everyone seemed to be working on the unusual case right alongside himself and Connor. "This is getting us nowhere." As his eyes swept over the bullpen Hank caught sight of someone who seemed oddly familiar and the sight stole his words mid sentence. "I wonder if- Huh..."

A young woman approached the two adjoined desks from behind Connor and immediately locked her eyes on the deviant detective. She froze in place as if she was too shy to say anything but was determined to speak to him regardless of her own fears. Sporting short blonde hair, pale blue eyes and a cautious demeanor, it was this woman in question that was somehow familiar to Hank. Curiously he watched her slowly walk up behind Connor and pause once more before she finally worked up the nerve to speak.

"Ex-Excuse me?" She stammered nervously as she stood behind Connor's chair and watched his posture stiffen slightly at the sound of her voice. "You're still working on cases with deviants, right?"

Connor turned around to face the woman and immediately his soulful brown eyes went wide as he recognized her instantly. "Kara." His blue L.E.D. transitioned back to yellow as he spoke her name and gave her an odd glance. "...H-Hello. I wasn't expecting to see you again."

Hank's brow arched in puzzlement at the name and the fact that Connor already knew it. "'Kara', huh?" A faintly amused smirk then appeared on his face as he observed the interaction. "...Interesting."

"Y-Yes." Kara confirmed her identity with a simple nod of the head as she nervously wrung her hands together in front of herself. "Connor, can I speak with you for a moment? It's important."

"Uh, y-yeah. Of course." Connor stood up from his chair and straightened the fabric of his gray blazer professionally. Standing before Kara at his full height Connor noted that she seemed distressed, if not completely frightened, and wanted to know what could've possibly happened that would compel the runaway deviant to return to Detroit from Canada and seeking police assistance. "Is something wrong?"

"It... It's complicated." The admission was unnecessary as the awkwardness was already heavy in the air. "Very complicated."

Hank was thoroughly intrigued and crossed his arms over his chest as he silently watched the two deviants speaking to one another with a strange timidness.

"What's happened?" Connor worriedly asked, his L.E.D. flashed yellow rapidly then back to a slow blue as he spoke. "Is Alice okay?"

"Oh, yes, she's fine!" Kara soothed with a sincere smile as the concern for her adoptive daughter was greatly appreciated. She and Alice had been through a lot together and now they were living in peace. "She's with Luther back at our apartment in Ontario."

"Luther?"

"A friend." Kara's face blushed a pale blue as she went into a little more detail. "He helped me save Alice and get her to safety during the night of the Raid and during the Revolution."

"O-Oh." Connor's L.E.D. remained blue in color as he spoke with Kara, although there was a vague disappointment in his voice as he spoke. "May I ask why you are back in Detroit?"

"Because... I think I may know what's going on with the deviants in the city."

"You do?" The comment made Connor's blue L.E.D. flash to yellow and then back to blue as he turned to look at Hank over his shoulder. "How so?"

Hank's amusement was immediately replaced by professional curiosity as he gave Kara his full attention. "You do?" Parroting Connor's own surprise Hank rose from his chair and gave the deviant an intrigued glance. "Do you want to make a statement?"

"Oh... I-I..." Kara was openly concerned about filing any police report and wanted to back out of the precinct immediately. "I just... uh..."

"Don't worry." Sensing her hesitation Connor kindly reached his hand out to her arm and lightly held onto it. "We know what really happened the night you fled the Williams' household with Alice in tow. Todd Williams recanted his story and told us that you fled with Alice to keep her safe. He told us that you didn't actually attack him and that you didn't kidnap Alice."

Remaining as friendly as possible Connor tried to give Kara a reassuring grin as mentioning the name of the abusive human made Kara visibly flinch in fear.

"You defended yourself and protected Alice." Entirely on Kara's side Connor did his best to slowly earn her trust. "Todd even admitted himself into rehab after he filed the recanted statement and is attempting to reconnect with his estranged ex-wife and daughter." Smiling as warmly as he could Connor slightly tightened his grip on Kara's arm to keep her from fleeing out of fear. "You're innocent, Kara. And that horrible event is over. You're free whether you're in Ontario or back here in Detroit."

The confident words allowed to Kara visibly relax, albeit slightly, as Connor confirmed her innocence and confirmed that he knew her story. The true story.

"Yes." A breath sigh escaped Kara's lips as she confirmed everything Connor had said. "That terrible night is finally over. Alice is safe and that's all that matters."

"Kara," Connor's hand tightened only slightly more to get her attention. "what's going on with the deviants? Anything you can tell us would be greatly appreciated."

Looking about nervously Kara acted as if she was anticipating someone eavesdropping or trying to interfere with her story and kept her guard up the entire time she was speaking with Connor. "Can we talk about this in private?" The heaviness in her voice was as palpable as it was frightened. "Please?"

"Yes, of course." Connor motioned with his free hand to a vacant interview room just down the corridor. "We can speak in an interview room without anyone disturbing us for as long as you're comfortable with."

"Thank you."

Thoroughly intrigued by what he was seeing and hearing Hank followed closely as Connor escorted Kara to the designated room with an unspoken interest in the relationship between the two deviants. Kara looked very familiar to Hank but, unlike Connor, his memory wasn't perfectly eidetic courtesy of human ingenuity. For the life of him he couldn't quite place Kara but he knew the name and her face were very significant.

Without making her feel overwhelmed Connor showed Kara into the interview room and Hank secured the door behind the group as the trio sat down at the table in the middle of the room. A large electronic pad and its synced stylus pen sat on the table waiting to be used. Beside the pad was digital audio recorder for recording interviews. The large window on the wall facing the corridor was soundproof and had the blinds fully drawn to keep any unwanted prying eyes from looking inside while the group spoke in relative privacy within the busy precinct.

"Please," Connor stated calmly as he sat beside Hank on the opposite side of the table from Kara as she too sat down. "tell us what you know about what's happening to the deviants. Anything you can tell us could be the break we need in solving the case."

"Well, that's the thing..." Kara began nervously, her fear almost tangible to the two detectives observing her. "I can't be certain that this is the actual cause, but when I saw the reports on the news I had to come back and at least say something about what I do know."

Hank nodded his head in approval at her decision. "At this point any information would be useful. Please, tell us what you can about anything you think is relevant to this weird stuff happening in Detroit."

"...Okay." Kara took a deep breath to calm herself as she spoke to the two detectives as smoothly and clearly as possible. "Have you heard of a man named Zlatko Andronikov?"

Connor shook his head slightly as he answered in the negative at the unfamiliar name. "No. I do not know of anyone by that name."

Unfortunately Hank couldn't place the name either. "Is he friend or foe?"

All the more unfortunate was Kara's response. It was tragically somber as she nervously fidgeted with a gold necklace chain tucked around her blouse's collar. "He... He's a monster."

"A monster?" Connor's brow arched slightly at the term and his yellow flickering L.E.D. emphasized his confusion. "Can you please elaborate?"

Letting out a weary sigh Kara's emotional blue eyes drifted toward Connor's soulful brown eyes as she agreed to tell the horriffying tale. "...Gladly. The deviants he mutilated deserve justice, they've waited long enough."

Kara told Connor and Hank every grisly detail about her dangerous encounter with Zlatko and how he had tried to reset her programming to keep her as his servant lock away inside his mansion of horrors. She told them of how he was going to keep Alice and use her in his horrendous experiments and of how Luther had protected both herself and Alice after they escaped his burning mansion together. Kara even spoke of the mutilated 'freaks 'Zlatko had turned innocent deviants into because of his cruel experiments, and how it was those very deviants - tortured beings who had been permanently crippled and corrupted into monstrous shells of their former selves, who killed Zlatko allowing herself, Alice and Luther to finally escape to safety.

The horrendous ordeal struck a chord with the two compassionate detectives. While Connor's L.E.D. transitioned to yellow as he empathized with Kara's plight, Hank managed to expertly conceal his true feelings behind a mask of stone. A mask he begrudgingly wore only to protect himself from the tragedies he frequently found himself becoming a part of whenever he became involved in atrocious investigations.

"And you're sure this Zlatko asshole is dead?" Hank wrote down every crucial detail on the electronic pad beneath his hand quickly but neatly. "There's no possible way he survived?"

"Yes." Kara confirmed as she folded her arms across her chest and slowly rubbed her hands up and down her upper arms as if chilled. "It was... awful. He was shot with his own weapon and the deviants he tortured tore him apart."

"Awful for him." Hank muttered under his breath as he finished writing Kara's statement. "But it's a relief for all the other deviants that he's gone."

Connor sat statuesque in his chair as he contemplated Kara's words and a new theory came to his mind. "You said Zlatko had tried to reset you memory. You were attached to one of his machines and a modem in order for this process to be accomplished, correct?"

"Yes. But I escaped before the process completed."

"If I could access the program he attempted to use to overwrite your memory I may be able to connect the software he used to the deviants who have been exhibiting machine-like behavior. May I make this attempt and connect to your processor to locate his dormant software?"

"Oh, uh, yes. Of course." Kara reached her right hand out toward Connor and retracted her artificial skin from her palm. "If you think it can help then I'm willing to try it."

From the opposite side of the table Connor did the same motion with his own right hand as he took Kara's hand in his with a gentle grip. His L.E.D. flashed yellow rapidly as he downloaded the visual memory of Kara's horrific encounter and gained access to the residual data from Zlatko's program. The information he had been presented with was less than comforting to say the least.

Every vivid detail of Kara being restrained in the machine and breaking free, of her sneaking through the house to avoid Zlatko as she searched for Alice, of coming face to mangled face with the tortured deviants imprisoned in the basement, of her running away from Zlatko as he tried to shoot her as she held Alice's hand for dear life during their flee from the burning mansion and of Luther protecting her and Alice from Zlatko as the monstrous deviants tore him apart in the rain outside the house, came flooding forward like a nauseating tide.

The emotions, fear, panic, sorrow, grief, anger were all painfully vivid in her memory as if she had just endured that traumatic night just hours before.

Releasing Kara's shaking hand Connor's brown eyes went wide with horror and he trembled slightly in his seat. While the information was relayed and chronicled in Connor's own memorybank, his L.E.D. had flashed to red for a few seconds before settling back into a yellow cycle as he began breathing quickly; almost panting, to try and catch his empathetically panicked breath.

Noticing the reaction Hank put his hand on Connor's shaking shoulder as he watched his partner very carefully. "You okay?"

"Y-Yes. The images..." Connor's voice was quaking as he spoke. The shaken deviant detective stared at his palm as his artificial skin regenerated over the white plastimetal of his quivering hand and restored his normal aesthetic. "They were... extreme."

Kara folded her hands back into her lap as she looked away from Connor with a sense of needless shame. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." The stunned deviant replied quickly and honestly as his L.E.D. slowed it's rapid pulse. "Don't be sorry."

"Well?" Hank pressed in a firm but understanding tone as Connor regained his composure. "Is there a connection?"

Connor sighed and shook his head sadly as his L.E.D. finally cycled back to blue as he compiled the data. "No. Zlatko's program has nothing to do with the unusual deviant behavior that's been displayed and chronicled as of recent."

"Damn." Hank leaned back in his chair as he rubbed his hand over his tired face and through his gray hair. "Well, thanks for trying to help us anyway, Kara."

Feeling just as a disappointed as the two detectives sitting across from her, Kara nodded a little from where she sat to acknowledge the comment. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."

"Don't be sorry, at least you tried to give us something. Besides, now we know what the hell happened at the Zlatko residence that night and can close the case." Hank's almost casual demeanor was a little refreshing, especially compared to the high strung and jaded cops who just didn't care about deviants being harmed. "Crazy asshole brought it on himself. Killed by the deviants who were defending themselves from his unprovoked assault, torture and mutilation. A rather poetic ending in my mind."

Clearing his voice a little Connor spoke up again and focused on Kara as she sat nervously across from him. "Is there anything more you can tell us, Kara? Anything at all?"

"No." She replied solemnly as she prepared to leave the precinct and return home over the border. "I sincerely wish I could've been more help."

"You were very helpful." Remaining optimistic Connor rose from his chair to escort Kara back out of the interview room and out into the bullpen. The other police officers didn't pay any attention to the two deviants walking through the opened space between the desks; no one cared that they were deviants or what they were discussing in the other room which was very calming to the duo. "Can you make it back across the border or will you need some assistance?"

"I'll be fine. I have a valid passport and friend who can help me out." Offering Connor a kind but timid smile Kara fussed with the gold chain around her neck again as she began walking toward the front of the precinct to take her leave. "Thank you for listening to me."

"You're welcome." Connor nodded subtly as Kara walked out of the precinct and back through the front entrance from whence she came. "I'm glad that you and Alice are safe."

"So..." Hank walked up behind Connor with the electronic pad in his hands and crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke to Connor in an intentionally low voice as Kara walked through the front doors of the precinct to take her leave. "Kara, huh? You two are on a first-name basis. That's pretty interesting."

"She... She was the deviant that I had attempted to chase from the East Hotel and across the highway when we first began working together two years ago."

"Oh, sh- That's why she looks familiar." Finally connecting the dots Hank remembered that particular case and the occasional references Connor made in addressing her person in the past whenever they had to go back to that questionable hotel for other investigations. "She's the one who ran from the hotel with the little girl. I assume that's the 'Alice' she kept mentioning."

"Yes." The confirmation sounded guilt ridden as Connor answered in a shy voice. "She and I encountered each other once again after we escaped the siege on Jericho. I... I apologized for forcing her to risk her life for her freedom and she forgave me. That was the last time we spoke before Markus led the peaceful protest in Hart Plaza and I went to CyberLife Tower." Regret was heavy in every word Connor spoke. "I wish I could've done more to help her, but I needed to get to the tower in order to aid Markus and the rest of our people."

"It seems like she really has forgiven you and it stuck, and it sounds like she's doing okay for herself over the border." Hank sat down on the edge of his desk as he studied his own partner's demeanor curiously. The way Connor still emotionally punished himself for his past actions was enough to make Hank's previously dormant paternal instincts rise to the surface. "So, why do you look like you just told her the worst news of her life? What's wrong, kid?"

"Hank," Connor turned to look at his partner and clenched his hands into tight fists at his side. "despite everything that's happened since then, and all the progress we've both made, she's... still afraid of me. I don't want Kara to fear me, yet she does, and I don't think there's anything I can do to change that."

"Why would-"

Before Hank had the chance to ask his question Connor turned away from his partner and best friend to take a walk around the block to clear his head.

Backing off for the moment Hank gave the deviant his space and didn't say a word. He was seasoned enough to recognize when a detective was getting stressed out and needed a minute to themself to remain calm.

The autonomous cab ride back toward the border was silent as Kara rode as the vehicle's lone passenger. The runaway deviant watched the city passing her by through the side window of the cab and wondered how much had changed in the two years since she, Alice and Luther crossed over the border on the night of the Revolution. She hadn't seen Detroit in person since that fateful night that had gone down in history for all the right reasons, and she had no desire to return to the city until she had learned of the unusual glitch that was afflicting her people; the friends and allies she left behind, and could potentially spell doom for those innocent people still picking up the pieces of their shattered lives.

There was a strange compulsion deep inside of her heart that was keeping Kara inside the city for a while longer than she had anticipated. Every time the cab neared the Ambassador Bridge she would cybernetically direct the cab to take her elsewhere as if taking a tour of the city that had changed so much in the two years since she left.

As she passed by Todd Williams' house Kara felt her heart clench as she instructed the cab to stop outside the residence. The neglected house had been put up for sale shortly after Todd went to rehab and in that time the property had been purchased by the city and slated for demolition.

The house that had been a place of torture for Alice and nearly ended in tragedy would soon be gone.

What else would be destroyed and forgotten while Kara, Alice and Luther remained over the border?

Unable to leave the city, unable to turn her back on the deviants remaining in Detroit who still needed help, Kara took in a deep breath as she cybernetically directed the cab about the city once more. Even though she wasn't sure what she could do to help, Kara was determined to remain in Detroit until she knew for certain that the deviants in need would be helped by someone who cared.

Two hours after Kara had left the precinct to return back to her home in Canada - her provided information not as beneficial as they had hoped it would be, although her returned presence was welcomed all the same, Connor sat at his terminal with his head hung low and shoulders slouched with a sense of self doubt. Barely reacting to anything around him as the bullpen went about its business and very sluggishly rolling his coin over the knuckles of his right hand, Connor sat in utter silence as his yellow L.E.D. pulsed with a slow beat that would occasionally flicker to a dark shade of red as he sat in deep silent mental contemplation and self reflection.

Hank just stared at Connor for a few more minutes before he finally asked the question that was burning on his lips as his deviant partner sulked quietly across from him. "All right, I gotta' ask." Leaning forward against his own desk and lowering his voice as an act of discretion Hank pressed for some answers. "What do you mean Kara's afraid of you?"

Connor's yellow L.E.D. suddenly blinked rapidly at the unintentionally upsetting question. "...Pardon?"

"You said Kara's afraid of you. Why is that and how do you know?"

"Because I chased her with the intent of arresting her and in desperation to get away from me she risked her life, as well as Alice's life, and ran across the busy highway!" The outburst had caught a few stray ears but not everyone's attention. Slumping down in his chair as a faint blue blush appeared on his face Connor immediately calmed his tone and tried to shrink away from the world. "...That's how I know."

"Okay, I get that, but I thought you said you reunited with her after the Raid at Jericho and apologized to her. She knows you're not a machine anymore and that you're a deviant. You even helped Markus with the Revolution for fuck sake! I don't get why she'd still be afraid of you."

"Yes, but..." Pausing for a moment Connor had to force himself to answer the question honestly. "When I connected to her memory to see her confrontation with Zlatko I also saw her other memories. I saw how... cold I was in her eyes. And I could feel the genuine fear that she had endured while escaping from me. That fear was still present when she spoke with me during her witness statement."

Hank sighed somberly as he watched the emotion welling up in Connor's soulful brown eyes. The kindhearted deviant truly disdained the idea of anyone being intimidated by him now that he had taken up the role as a protector and guardian rather than a hunter. "Give her time, kid. The fact that she was willing to speak with you in person says a lot about how much trust she must have in you, even if she is still a little timid."

"...I suppose you're correct."

Chris approached the two detectives with a small tablet in his hand and held it out toward Hank. "Hey, there was another deviant incident reported downtown barely five minutes ago. Captain Fowler wants you two out at the scene."

"We're on it." Hank stood up from his desk and took the tablet from Chris's hand. "Connor, you up for this?"

"Yes, of course." Without hesitation Connor joined Hank as the seasoned Lieutenant made his way toward the front receptionist area to step through the front doors of the precinct. The incident needed immediate investigation regardless of how Connor was currently feeling. "We need to figure out the cause of this strange phenomenon before the situation becomes dire; if not irreparable."

The scene of the most recent deviant incident was oddly chilling.

A deviant turned android had lashed out against an entirely innocent deviant without any known provocation in broad daylight. The android was standing perfectly still with its hands cuffed behind its back and its L.E.D. blinking a calm blue while the original responding police officers covered the now deceased deviant's body under a white sheet. While the spilled blue blood puddled under the victim's body the murderous android stared at the sapphire puddle completely unphased by its previous actions and unresponsive. By all account the android had reverted back to being the cold heartless machine it had been initially designed to be.

There was no sign of consciousness or even awareness in the android's dark blue eyes. Its face was entirely blank of any and all expressions that gave it a corpse-like presence as it stood idle under the watchful eyes of the responding officers.

Tentatively Connor and Hank approached the scene of the attack while taking precautions as Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow while he ran a cybernetic scan on the android from a safe distance. The information he uncovered was just as enigmatic as all of the previous androids that had been arrested for assault and tragically on rare occasion, murder.

"Connor, got anything useful you can tell me?" Hank asked as he planted himself between Connor and the cuffed, murderous android to ensure his partner was still safe while at the scene. "Got a name and a motivation?"

"Its name is registered as 'Gregory'. It was formerly owned by William Hudson who had Gregory employed as a mechanic at his garage. After the Revolution William granted Gregory its freedom but it continued to work as a mechanic under William's employ voluntarily."

"And there's no history of violence or malfunctions in Gregory's past, right?"

"Correct."

"All right, shit." Hank motioned to the other two police officers at the scene to take Gregory into custody and gave them firm orders. "Take it to the precinct and keep it away from the other androids. We don't want a damn riot in the bullpen."

The officers responded accordingly and escorted the eerily cooperative android to their squad car. Connor stepped aside to give the arrested android a wide berth of space and didn't take his eyes away from the suspect until he was secured in the back of the squad car.

"You good?" Hank asked as he noted Connor's cautious demeanor and turned to face his deviant partner. "You seem a little spooked."

"Yes. It's just... This situation feels... It feels..." Trailing off as he struggled to find the correct term Connor just seemed lost. "How do I describe it?"

"Weird?"

"Unsettling." Shaking his head with shame Connor locked onto Hank's eyes somberly as he sought more answers. "Is that how I used to look? A hollow, empty stare of nothingness contained inside of a heartless shell?"

Shrugging his shoulders a little Hank answered casually and honestly. "Only at first. Like, back at the first crime scene we worked together and during the interrogation of that deviant we arrested afterward. It wasn't too long after that when you started to seem more alive; less machine. When you finally obeyed my order and stayed back instead of rushing across the highway I got a sense that there was something more to you than just one of CyberLife's tools."

"Hank, I need you to make me a promise."

"Uh... sure." Such a request was bizarre and caught the senior detective off guard. "What's up?"

"If I ever begin to revert back to being a machine," speaking as if he was certain his fate was sealed Connor stared at the deviant's body concealed beneath the sheet on the sidewalk a few feet away from where he was standing. "if I ever start exhibiting erratic or dangerous behavior, I want you to ki-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Hank put up his hands as if to surrender while also silencing Connor mid sentence. "Easy! I won't hurt you, EVER. But I will help you i anything like that happens to you, okay?"

"I don't want to be helped, I want to be-"

"Connor. I'll do everything I can to help you, but I will NOT kill you. I don't care what happens, I won't kill you."

Remaining silent Connor didn't look entirely convinced by Hank's words to save him from himself.

Pressing for the deviant to respond Hank put both hands on Connor's shoulders and held them there for a moment. "Hey, I promise that you won't end up like that and lose everything you've become. I won't let that happen. Okay?"

Nodding weakly Connor finally answered his partner in a solemn manner. "...Okay."

"Good. Now," Hank dropped his hands after patting Connor's shoulders and motioned to the covered body on the sidewalk beside them. "let's get this scene under control. What can you tell me about the victim?"

Professionally and calmly Connor knelt down on the sidewalk next to the body slowly. Reaching out with a slightly trembling hand Connor pulled back the sheet and identified the victim with a quick, silent scan; though the cheerily familiar face was enough for even Hank to recognize without the need of a scan. "This is one of the 'Jerry' models that had been abandoned at the now defunct 'Pirate's Cove' amusement park. His name was 'Terry'."

"Wait, one of the always smiling, always happy to see you 'Jerrys' got picked off?" Putting his hands to his hips Hank gave the victim a truly perplexed look. "Those guys are the least threatening deviants I've ever met. Why him?"

"Unknown. Just like all of the other previous victims there is no singular link to properly isolate a potential motive for the assaults or the murders." Connor pulled back the sheet a little further and noted the numerous stab wounds inflicted over Terry's body, as well as the flakes of broken glass embedded in each wound. "The android used a broken bottle as well as a large shard of glass from a nearby broken window as the weapon. Terry was stabbed sixteen times, each inflicted wound is uncoordinated and frantic, which is very unusual for a machine minded android. This murder wasn't planned, it was spontaneous but equally as dangerous as anything meticulously plotted out."

"Great. We have TWO mysteries to solve." Frustrated and tired Hank held out his hand as he noted the first case on his extended thumb. "First we need to figure out what the hell is causing deviants to turn back into machines," he then extended his index finger of the same hand as he counted up. "then we need to figure out what the hell is causing the machine androids to snap and kill other deviants."

"Agreed. We should return to the precinct." Connor replaced the sheet respectfully over Terry's face as he stood upright and lightly brushed the dirt from the knees of his pants. "Joel may be able to run diagnostics on the arrested androids and find a corresponding link in their behavior through previously undetected software malfunctions."

"Joel's a great technician but he didn't find anything before." Almost ready to give up Hank motioned toward the car as a C.S.I. team arrived to secure the scene on their behalf. Ben Collins was leading the team which made it easier for Hank to turn over the scene knowing that it was in good hands. "What makes you think he'll find something now?"

"I have a feeling that Kara's statement was more beneficial than she realized."

Hank pulled open the driver's side door of the Oldsmobile and leaned against the hood as he studied Connor's face very carefully. "What're you getting at, kid?"

Opening the passenger side door of the car Connor glanced at Hank over the hood and answered with a single, succinct reply. "Zlatko. He need to keep looking into what Zlatko had been doing to androids and deviants before he was killed."

Lost in silent contemplation at his terminal Connor danced his coin over his right knuckles as he and Hank waited for Joel, the precinct's personal technician, to finish the apportionment of the latest deviant casualty. It's take some time before the report was submitted since Joel also had to perform a system analysis on the android in custody for the murder of said deviant. Working with meticulous dedication Joel was able to file his reports on the two androids within two hours, but even so the wait seemed to take even longer as the city remained sitting on a ticking time bomb just waiting for another android to go berserk and assault another innocent deviant.

Playing the waiting game was something that Connor had never been good at, but knowing that more lives could be lost while he and Hank sat at their desks waiting for a lead to come in made waiting twice as painful. The spinning coin and Connor's still posture was all the evidence anyone would need to see to know that Connor was stressed out.

"Humor me, kid." Hank returned to his desk with a cup of coffee in his hand and sat down across from his partner. "What makes you think Zlatko, a dead guy, is responsible for all this mayhem?"

"When Kara allowed me to access her memories I was able to see everything that had happened to her during the Revolution, before the Revolution and during her escape from her previous owner, Todd Williams. The only reason she found Zlatko to begin with is because another android had told her to where to go. The question is, why would an android send another android to what was certain death? What possible benefit could've befallen Zlatko's messenger android to send victims to Zlatko's doorstep?"

"You're thinking this messenger was programmed by Zlatko specifically to 'recruit' runaway deviants for his sick experiments." Ever attentive Hank was able to follow Connor's theory easily and felt it had some merit. "Now that Zlatko is dead you think his messenger android is running around infecting other androids with his programs that Zlatko intentionally fucked up."

"Exactly. If Joel can locate the program that had been affected or uploaded at the time the most recent android reverted back into a machine-like mind we can use the time frame noted in the android's internal memory as well as the android's internal G.P.S. to potentially track down the original android spreading this anti-deviancy protocol. We may also discover the trigger causing hostile behavior in the affected androids. I have been able to isolate the android that Kara had met that night and uploaded its model number into our terminals."

"You said you could see the android in Kara's memory, does that mean she may have been infected by this program as well?"

Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow and his coin came to a halt over his knuckles as a dreadful thought settled into his core. "...We need to find her."

"How? She went back over the border."

"Can you contact Rose?" Connor remember that the kind woman mentioned helping deviants cross the border prior to the Revolution and would surely still be keeping tabs on deviants hiding out in Canada. Rose had saved Connor's life and he knew she'd be willing to keep Kara safe again. "She should know where Kara is staying in Ontario."

"Yeah, I'll get on it." Hank pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through his list of contacts to locate Rose's number. The two humans had developed a friendship shortly after meeting during that stormy night almost two years ago and after helping her out when anti-android bigots set fire to her house several months prior. "You go work with Joel up in the dispensary and try to speed things up."

"Very well." Standing up from his desk Connor's L.E.D. cycled back to blue as he calmed himself and walked toward the corridor to get to the elevator and reach the dispensary up on the second floor. "Please inform me as soon as you locate Kara."

"I will, kid." Hank had his phone pressed to his ear as he waited for Rose to answer the call. "I swear to it."

The two reports provided by Joel weren't as informative as the two detectives had hoped for. There was no sign of program errors or infection in Terry's system that could potentially lead to a motivation behind his assault and subsequent murder, and the android who committed the crime in question seemed entirely normal upon examination. If there was an error in the murderous android's programming, the error being dubbed the 'Zlatko Virus' it had been masked behind expert programming that even the most skilled of technicians couldn't detect. In a way the lack of information was very informative as it confirmed that someone with resources and skill had been responsible for the tragic incidents happening in the city.

Patiently Hank joined Connor outside the precinct as the deviant detective stood out in front of the building with his L.E.D. yellow and his eyes closed as he ran a self diagnostic on his system to ensure that no unwanted programs had been accidentally uploaded after he connected with Kara. The diagnostic finished without a single anomaly detected; whether that was due to Kara not being infected by the aptly named 'Zlatko Virus' or if it was because Connor's prototype programming rendered him immune to such a virus, Connor couldn't say for certain.

An autonomous taxi pulled up in front of the precinct and Kara stepped out with a confused expression on her otherwise calm face. She looked to Connor and to Hank as she hesitantly approached the two detectives and called out to Connor in a soft tone. "Connor?"

Connor's eyes snapped open and his yellow L.E.D. cycled back to blue as he locked eyes with the deviant. "Kara." As his L.E.D. slowed down his Thirium pump - his heart, unexpectedly skipped a beat. "Thank you for coming back."

"Rose said you may have found a lead and that I could help before I returned home." She stated somewhat skeptically as she stood in front of Connor and briefly glanced at Hank standing just a few feet behind him. Kara had to look upward a little to lock eyes with the taller deviant while she spoke to him and did so with a sense of determination in her words. "What do you need me to do?"

"The night you escaped from Todd Williams' house you encountered an android who gave you the address of Zlatko's residence," Connor explained in a calm tone. "we need to find the android you met that night."

"Oh..." Kara knew who Connor was referring to but never got his name or learned anything about him. "I'm not sure where he might be."

"We just need you to take us to where you first encountered the android. Perhaps even walk us through your initial encounter with Zlatko."

Kara visibly stiffened with fear as she crossed her arms defensively over her chest. "I-I don't know."

"Please." Connor resisted the urge to put his hand on her shoulder as he didn't want overstep boundaries. She was already frightened enough and he knew that she didn't trust him. "If we can properly identify the program that Zlatko had altered within the androids he experiment on we can stop his virus before more innocent deviants fall prey to its effects one way or another."

"I..." Kara nervously ran her hands up and down her arms as she considered what was at stake. Too many deviants were susceptible and there was too little time to refuse to help. "...O-Okay. I'll show you where I had gone."

"Thank you."

At those words Hank pulled his car keys from his pocket and held them out to create a jingling noise that drew Connor's attention. "You two go without me. I'm going to check through city records to see if we can find that model of android you suspect to be the cause of all this bullshit."

Connor nodded and easily caught the keys as Hank tossed them over to him from a few feet away. "I will call you if we find any information of use."

The drive through the city was tense and silent as Connor and Kara rode together in Hank's car. Cooperatively Kara directed Connor to the small bus stop outside of the abandoned building near the hotel where and Alice took shelter for the night, and told him how the android approached her when she and Alice used the small bus stop to seek temporary shelter from the cold rain. The abandoned building itself was a decrepit mess and had been torn down some time ago leaving only a square foundation behind. The abandoned car beside it in the neighboring lot had been towed away and subsequently the neighboring alley had been cleared for a new structure to be built.

It was fascinating to see the old and neglected buildings designed to house humans were torn down while new facilities designed to aid deviants were being built. It was no wonder so many humans were still wary of deviants.

"We were right over here." Kara walked up the bus stop where two humans were sitting together and patiently waiting for the afternoon bus. "Alice had gotten cold from the rain and was sitting right here to try to keep warm. That's when the android came up to me and told me where to go."

"The android who spoke to you was employed as a sanitation worker for the city. There should be a record regarding his activity in the city for that night." Connor cybernetically uploaded the coordinates of the bus stop to the precinct for Hank to potentially use at his own end of the investigation. "Zlatko's address is on the opposite side of the city. How did you get there?"

"We walked." Kara stated despondently as she thought back to the following morning when Connor had chased her and Alice over the highway. "We were going to use the train, but..."

"Yes. I'm... aware." Still feeling entirely guilty despite everything having taken long ago the pain felt all too recent. "And I'm sorry for doing that."

"I know you are. You've already apologized." She tried to give him a kind smile but the lingering fear in her eyes made the gesture seem hollow. "Zlatko had many androids imprisoned in his basement." Returning her focus to the case at hand Kara tried to ignore their painful and awkward past together. "Maybe there's something still in the ruins of the house. It burned down but I doubt everything escaped the fire, and if it did... Well, we have to at least try to look."

Connor nodded in full agreement at her suggestion. "You could be right." Giving her a wary glance as his blue L.E.D. briefly flashed to yellow then transitioned back to blue, Connor made sure Kara was okay with continuing the investigation. "Are you comfortable with showing me the house?"

"Yes. I'll do it."

"Thank you. Let's go search the property and report back to the precinct as soon as possible."

Exhausted and frustrated with the lack of progress on the case, Hank tried to study the reported details on the androids that Joel had provided, but he was too much of a cop to understand the technical aspects of android physiology and programming. Fortunately, Joel had volunteered to help Hank in the bullpen until Connor returned to the precinct and was able to explain things in a much more accurate manner to the mentally drained senior detective. Using his phone Hank kept in contact with Connor while keeping him in the loop of things happening the precinct while Connor did the same thing for Hank regarding the situation out in the field.

Sitting at Connor's desk and using the terminal Joel was able to walk Hank through the basics and pinpoint any curious modifications to the programs and software of the deviants who had returned to being cold, mindless machines. The technician was just as stumped as the two detectives.

"This is intriguing." Joel highlighted a file of interest and sent it over to Hank's terminal screen to view for himself. "It looks like the androids who have been affected had their internal regeneration program as well as their basic cognitive function program affected by-"

"Joel..." Hank sounded somewhat annoyed by the technician as he sat across from him at his own desk. "Please simplify it. Cop to cop, not technician to technician."

"Okay, uh... The program that lets androids self heal and the program that allows android to recognize humans and other androids as either familiars or possible threats has been corrupted." That type of explanation was easier to comprehend. "Every single android that the affected 'patient zero android' meets is seen as a threat. As a result the self healing program was kicked on to three times its normal maximum capacity, kind of like when a human's 'fight of flight' response kicks in and we're given a major boost of adrenaline."

"So the affected androids are paranoid and hopped up on synthetic adrenaline? Sounds like they're overdosing on P.C.P. or some shit."

"In a way." Confirming the crass analogy Joel continued to help explain the potential cause for the erratic and dangerous behavior. "Androids were originally designed to be pacifist and non-aggressive, which means any behavior beyond that is a clear factor for programming errors. Whatever it is that affected the programs has also made them uncharacteristically violent and therefore very dangerous."

"Great. So now we have an idea on what's causing the chaos, but do we know how to stop it?"

"We need to have the original software used to create the virus. It's the only way."

"Connor's searching the ruins of that mansion as we speak." Holding up his phone Hank showed Joel the text message that Connor had sent to him after investigating the bus stop in search of the antagonistic android that directed Kara to Zlatko. "He should be able to find Zlatko's equipment while checking out the ruined building."

"Once he gets back to the precinct let me know." Joel pulled out his own phone and looked at the current time of day. Getting up from Connor's desk Joel took his leave of the bullpen to resume his own reports up in the dispensary. "I need to finish my reports to submit to Captain Fowler, but once he's back I'll look at anything he finds and help you both with more details on the androids being affected."

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Joel. I'll text you as soon as he's back."

Sighing tiredly Hank sent Connor a text to inform him of what Joel had uncovered and of the vital information that Connor would need to locate while searching for evidence.

"...Let's just hope he gets back sooner rather than later."

The burned down mansion was nothing more than a shell of bricks and charred timber courtesy of the fire from the night Kara, Alice and Luther escaped together from Zlatko's sick experiments. The entire property had been left abandoned, fenced off and slated for demolition after being condemned by the city. No one had set foot inside the mansion since the night the fire department doused the blaze and carted off Zlatko's charred body to the city morgue. There had been no sign of the mutilated deviants who had aided Kara during that horrific night and it seemed like those who had escaped Zlatko's experiments had disappeared into the neighboring forest just outside the city.

By all account not a single living presence was on the property and hadn't been on the property after the fire department extinguished the blaze. It also appeared that it was impossible for anyone or anything to have survived the fire, let alone remain intact while being neglected for two years.

"I never thought I'd ever see this place again." Kara stood outside the iron gate of the ruined mansion while Connor grabbed onto the chain that kept the gates locked shut and smashed the padlock in his strong hands. "It only shows up in my nightmares as a burning building, not a pile of ash."

Slipping the thick chain from around the bars of the gates Connor pushed the creaking, neglected gates open just enough to slip through and waved Kara over to join him as she set foot on the forgotten overgrown property. "This way." Instinctively Connor ran a cybernetic scan over the building and noted the structural instability with a slightly disconcerting stare. "We need to be careful. The mansion has been greatly destabilized by the fire."

"It won't take long." Kara affirmed as she joined Connor on the weed riddled lawn and stared at the decrepit ruins of the mansion at his side. "His workshop was in the basement."

Nodding to acknowledge Kara's statement Connor led the way into the mansion and carefully opened the charred front door. The door itself had been warped by the extensive damage to the door's frame and had rendered the aged lock entirely useless. Loud eerie 'creaks' filled the charred black foyer of the mansion and the smell of ash filled the the air as soon as the door audibly groaned open.

Connor set foot inside the foyer first and ran another scan to get a schematic of the building as a whole. Numerous rooms, each one filled with long evaporated Thirium and destroyed biocomponents, as well as the burnt remains of the dozens of androids that Zlatko had experimented on, filled almost every single room of the mansion. It was like a mass paupers grave for lost and forgotten androids who had been cruelly cremated while still somewhat alive.

Swallowing nervously Connor looked over his shoulder as Kara hesitantly entered the mansion behind him to ask her to point him in the right direction despite having the mansion schematics downloaded. "Which way to the basement?"

"There." With a shaking hand Kara pointed at the partially buried stairwell leading to an underground passage beneath the mansion. A portion of the second floor had collapsed near the entrance to the stairwell, but the passageway wasn't entirely blocked off. "That's where Zlatko took me."

Walking slowly Connor approached the stairwell and pushed aside the fallen black timber that obstructed access to the basement, then tested his own weight on the steps to ensure they wouldn't give way from pressure. "It's safe enough. We just need to move carefully."

"Okay."

Descending the stairs with an anxious focus Connor noted the makeshift cells that lined the corridor leading into the basement and managed to detect trace amounts of Thirium that had saturated into the wooden beams that had created the cells in general. For an android to lack the strength to escape from confines constructed from wood and cheap aluminum pipes spoke volumes to how much Zlatko tore apart the androids he experimented on. He had effectively robbed them of their strength and their dignity.

"I wasn't here the night Zlatko died," Connor's voice was flat; almost frightened as he walked the corridor with Kara right behind himself. "but I'm glad he's gone. Someone this cruel doesn't have the right to live."

"...I am, too." Kara admitted as she followed after Connor into the depths of the lab where she had been nearly reset. "Zlatko got what he deserved."

The macabre, illegal lab had been trashed during Kara's escape as she needed to cause an electrical short to escape from the machine that would've otherwise erased her memory and reset her. The computers had been burned out by the electrical short and suffered from extensive heat damage courtesy of the fire that had ravaged the mansion. While the machinery itself had been destroyed, the internal components of the computer could still potentially be salvaged if handled in the proper manner.

"Here." Motioning to the physically burned modems Kara watched as Connor knelt down and ran a scan over the machinery. "Does this tell you anything?"

"All of this equipment had come from CyberLife Tower." Connor noted with a inquisitive lilt to his words as he examined the modems. "...I doubt Zlatko was working alone. We must use his records to track down his provider, possibly his partner, who had given him this equipment."

Connor retracted the artificial skin from over his right palm and placed his exposed hand down on the large modem against the wall. Cybernetically the deviant detective turned on the modem by feeding it power from his own system and downloaded the encrypted files inside with surprising ease. There was almost four-hundred terabytes of data to decipher, but fortunately Connor's advanced programming allowed him to easily decrypt the data by the gigabyte in a matter of seconds.

"It seems this place wasn't Zlatko's only workshop." Connor turned to look at Kara over his shoulder as his artificial skin covered his hand once more. Kara was standing before the destroyed machine that she had to escape from before her system had been reset and her pale blue eyes were transfixed with a haunting fear. Feeling some strange need to protect her Connor slowly stood up and stood behind Kara as he softened his voice. "Are you all right, Kara?"

"...Yeah. I just thought I'd never have to see this horrible place again, let alone enter it. It feels like I'm walking through a bizarre nightmare."

"After this day you won't ever have to see this place again. It'll be thoroughly destroyed soon." Connor reassured her sincerely as he stayed behind her. "I have the data we need. We can leave now."

"Thank you." Kara sharply turned her gaze away from the machine and toward Connor as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively in a tight hug to help her feel more guarded. "I'd like to go. Right now."

"Of course." Connor stared at Kara for only a few seconds and imagined how nice it would've been to press his palm to the side of her face in a comforting manner, but he refrained from touching the scared deviant as she trembled before him. "...I'll take you wherever you'd like to go."

"I'd like to go back to the police station with you." Kara sounded afraid yet confident in her decision. "I want to make sure this chaos ends with Zlatko and no one else gets hurt because of him."

"Very well. You can stay at the precinct as long as you wish."

As the duo made their way back through the corridor of the basement Connor's L.E.D. flashed from blue to red as he detected a dangerous shift in the destabilized structure overhead. The floor above began to groan and collapse as the weight of the building was beginning to cave through the foundation.

"Look out!" Moving quickly he grabbed onto Kara's arm and pulled her through the corridor and up to the stairwell where he pressed her against the wall before using his own body to shield her from the collapsing floor above. "Keep your head down!" Connor shouted as he felt heavy wooden beams and loose bricks strike him in the back and shoulders as he protected Kara from the dangerous debris. "Stay as still as you can."

Thunderous 'crashes' and thick clouds of ash swirled around the two deviants as they waited for the collapse to cease long enough for them to continue their escape. Sensing a brief window of escape opening up Connor nodded and motioned for Kara to keep moving.

"Go!" Connor instructed as he stepped back to give Kara room to rush away from the wall and up the staircase. "I'll be right behind you!"

Kara only nodded as she carefully made her way up the narrow collapsing staircase and sprinted through the foyer to the front door of the mansion and back to the relative safety of the grass outside. Only stopping once she reached the iron gates at the edge of the property Kara turned around in time to watch the skeletal ruins of the mansion fully collapsing in on itself with an implosive cloud of dust and ash. The remaining windows shattered and the entire mansion violently shook from the internal destruction as the remnants of the sickening android Hell was seemingly disappearing back into the depths of Hell from whence it came.

"Connor?!"

Kara shouted as she watched the scene unfolding in horrific detail. Waving her hand in front of her face Kara wafted away the smoky, ash filled air as she tried to see any sign of the deviant behind her.

"Connor! Where are you?"

Just as the door frame in the front of the mansion began to buckle Connor sprinted through and made his way across the lawn to safety with ash and smoke trailing off his clothing as he ran. Stopping next to Kara at the front gate Connor casually watched the remaining structure of the mansion fail, collapsing entirely into the cavernous Earth, as he brushed the ash from his blazer with dismissive swipes of his hands.

The building was gone within seconds and with it every trace of Zlatko's crimes were buried in the ground never to be seen again.

"Are you okay?" Connor asked calmly as he turned his attention to Kara at his side. "Are you damaged?"

"Me?! You were the one-" Kara took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as she calmed herself and saw that Connor was only dusty and not damaged. "I'm okay. I really am."

"I'm glad."

"How about you? Are you hurt?"

"I'm undamaged, merely in need of a shower."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm certain." Connor kept his voice level as he spoke to Kara with a genuine sense of confidence. Aside from the ash and smoke covering his person Connor appeared entirely normal. Even his L.E.D. was still cycling in blue in his right temple confirming his stable vital signs. "We should return to the precinct. There is a lot of data that must be decoded."

"...Y-Yeah." Daring to turn her back on the massive pit that had swallowed the ruined mansion Kara felt an odd sense of justice now flashing in her pale emotional blue eyes. "Let's go then. We should leave this horrible place and never come back."

The precinct was quiet as Connor, Hank and now Joel worked to decipher the programs and software that Zlatko had designed well into the night. Software that was used during Zlatko's selfish, disfiguring experiments against any wayward deviant who had the misfortune of being directed to his doorstep had been confirmed as the culprit for the odd outbreak currently plaguing the city. The android who had been responsible for recruiting so many lost deviants, Kara herself included, had been destroyed during the Revolution at one of the recycling centers set up in the heart of the city. Without the android to use as a lead the detectives had only the data that Connor retrieved from the decrepit, now collapsed mansion to use at their disposal.

Due to the late hour Kara was sleeping on the couch in the breakroom with her hand wrapped around the gold chain around her neck as the late night had quickly encroached on the group and left the deviant witness exhausted after enduring an unusual day of activity in the city. Hank stared at the terminal screen with bloodshot eyes from a mixture of fatigue and strain from looking at the bright screen for so long. Joel was less fatigued thanks to his youth while Connor had learned how to adjust his power and energy levels to conserve them during late shifts to prevent exhaustion.

Noticing the senior detective's mounting exhaustion Connor picked up Hank's empty coffee mug and volunteered to get Hank a refill. "I'll make some more coffee. I'll also see if there's anything left to eat in the breakroom."

"Thanks, kid."

"Joel?" Turning to look at the technician sitting beside him Connor offered Joel the same courtesy. "Would you like some coffee?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"Very well."

Hank watched as Connor casually strolled into the breakroom with the empty mug in his hand. The deviant's eyes drifted over to Kara who had the fortune of sleeping during the late hour and never broke eye contact even as he brewed a fresh pot of coffee for the human officers still working into the late night. Before pouring the coffee into the mug Connor shrugged off his (recently cleaned) gray blazer and gently draped it over Kara's sleeping form as a gesture of kindness and compassion to the timid deviant who was clearly far out of home and her personal comfort zone.

A sly smirk appeared on Hank's face as he watched Connor fussing over Kara, his blue L.E.D. turning yellow as he stared at her resting peacefully on the couch.

Joel cleared his voice a little to get Hank's attention discreetly as he noticed that Hank was looking away from the terminal screen and no longer focusing on the case at hand. "Connor was right. There is a second place that Zlatko used for his experiments. And..." dropping his voice as remorse set in Joel gave Hank one more piece of critical information. "his partner was someone you've already encountered."

"What?" Looking back at the technician around his terminal screen Hank gave Joel a truly perplexed glance. "Who?"

Joel was silent for a moment as his pale blue eyes narrowed with disgust. "...Jonas."

"Shit. That fucker was as sick as they came."

The return of Martin Jonas, a demented android serial killer who had abducted Connor and nearly killed the deviant after smuggling Connor and five other deviants over the border to Canada, was one of the last things Hank wanted to deal with. Jonas was imprisoned for life and would never be eligible for parole, but the damage he inflicted and the brutality of his experiments was enough to give Connor nightmares for months after he had been rescued.

"Maybe we should-" Connor had returned to the desk with the fresh coffee for Hank to drink as well as a second cup for Joel. Dropping the subject for a moment Hank picked up his returned mug and gave Connor an appreciative nod. "Thanks."

Connor noted that he had unintentionally interrupted the conversation but insisted it be continued despite his intrusion. "What were you discussing? It seemed very important."

"Well..." Hank was uneasy about answering but knew he couldn't keep the details from Connor. Taking a moment to study Connor's demeanor the senior detective prepared for a potentially unnerving reaction. "As it turns out Zlatko did in fact have a partner in his crimes against androids."

Connor could tell by the look in Hank's eyes that there was something very upsetting that he was holding back. "Who was his partner?"

"...It was Martin Jonas."

As Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to red with unspoken fear he closed his eyes and mentally steeled himself for the next part of their investigation. "...That would explain how Zlatko was able to get his hands on advanced pieces of equipment without drawing any attention to his activity." Remaining calm and professional about the situation Connor tried to focus on solving the case at hand. "Jonas must've used his connections at his pawnshop to locate computers and bits of CyberLife equipment to keep their experiments underground and hide the records of purchase."

Joel uploaded the decrypted data onto Connor's terminal from his own laptop and with it came a set of coordinates. "This is where the equipment was taken from." Copying his data onto Connor and Hank's terminals Joel made sure the two detectives saw his work. "And this is where we can find the original virus program."

Hank's eyes narrowed for a moment as he read over the details curiously. "It wasn't in Zlatko's computer?"

"There was a copy of the virus in the computer, but the original software is elsewhere. Outside the city."

Hank let out a tired sigh and swore with mounting frustration. "Shit... All right, we'll look into this new place while you try to figure out how to reverse whatever the fuck it is that has the deviants going crazy."

"I'll do what I can from here, but I'll still need the original virus." Meekly admitting he'd need some time to figure out a proper solution, Joel highlighted a key detail that needed more details. "We need the file called 'IZ3' before I can do anything conclusive."

Connor nodded a little as he understood the gravity of the situation. Running the coordinates through his internal G.P.S. Connor was able to identify the location that Joel had uncovered and with it his red L.E.D. flashed to yellow and he squared his jaw in frustration. "...The coordinates lead to the original CyberLife headquarters that Kamski used when the company was originally founded twenty-two years ago."

"Should we go check it out?" Hank asked as he finished off his mug of fresh coffee and set the emptied mug back down atop his desk. "Or wait until tomorrow? You know, in case you need some time to process all this bullshit."

"We need to investigate as soon as possible." The deviant stated somewhat boldly as he pushed aside his own fear. "We can't afford to wait."

Kara had awoken after hearing the trio discussing their next course of action together at the desks just across the bullpen. Lifting up her head she looked toward Connor and noticed that he had draped his blazer over her as she slept and smirked a little.

Flashing an appreciative nod she picked up the blazer and rose from the couch to approach the dedicated detectives slowly with the blazer draped over her arms. "You know where the other workshop is located?"

Connor turned around to look at Kara, his L.E.D. flashing from yellow to blue as her locked onto her eyes. "Yes. We know where we need to look."

"I need to go with you."

"Kara," Connor shook his head as he approached her slowly. "it's too dangerous to allow a civilian-"

"Please, Connor." Stopping him mid sentence Kara pleaded her case and held her head high as she spoke. "Those androids that Zlatko butchered... I need to make sure they get justice. I was too afraid to report Zlatko after I fled from the mansion that night. I was afraid that if I were to say anything that I'd... I'd be killed." She was beginning to tremble a little but Kara wasn't going to back down. "I couldn't do anything to help them back then, but I can do something to help them now. I need to do this."

"We can't-"

"Please." Kara's hand reached out and lightly grabbed onto Connor's right forearm causing the deviant's blue L.E.D. to flashed to yellow for a moment before returning to blue as her touch made his heart unexpectedly race again. "Let me atone for my mistake."

Atonement. An act that Connor himself had been compelled to achieve ever since his deviancy took hold over his mind and his heart. Something that seemed as impossible as it was necessary and a self imposed mission that Connor himself was determined to accomplish. Going against his better judgment Connor finally agreed, but he was going to lay down some guidelines for her to strictly follow.

"...You cannot enter the warehouse if there is anyone inside the building." Connor stated firmly as he kept his eyes locked on Kara's eyes. "You MUST remain in the car and you must wear a bulletproof vest the entire time."

"Yes, of course." Relieved to know she'd be able to go to the warehouse Kara readily agreed to the conditions. "I'll do whatever I have to, just let me help."

Hank arched his brow as he watched Connor's reaction while speaking to Kara and his fatherly instincts took hold again. "Uh, Connor, I need to speak with you. Hey, Joel?" Looking over at the technician Hank was able to easily communicate the need for temporary discretion with just his eyes and tone of voice. "Could you get a vest for Kara? Make sure it'll fit her under her jacket."

"Sure." Closing his laptop Joel stood up casually while motioning with his hand for Kara to accompany him. "Right this way, Kara."

As Kara handed Connor back his gray blazer the deviant detective sensed that Hank was about to speak to him with a rather intense sternness, if not disapproval. Bracing himself for the potential verbal lashing Connor turned his full attention to Hank and stood next to the desk readily. "Hank, I know we can't-"

"Connor," Hank leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together neatly as he set them atop his lap. "you like her."

"I..." The comment was unexpected and turned Connor's blue L.E.D. yellow in an instant as his face filled with a pale blue blush. "What?"

"You like Kara."

"Why wouldn't I? She is very kind, compassionate, empathetic, courageous..." His soulful eyes drifted away as he tried to imagine Kara in his mind causing his heart to race yet again. "Very... beautiful."

"Right. So you like her, like her. You know, as more than just a friend."

Connor's brow furrowed as he regained eye contact with Hank and tried to decrypt the senior detective's comments. "I do not understand the difference despite your inflection indicating otherwise."

"It means," Hank smiled coyly as if speaking to a high school buddy admitting his very first crush. "that you're in love with her. Or at the very least have a 'crush' on her."

"I-" Connor's face suddenly flashed a darker shade of blue over his cheeks as he blushed more and his yellow L.E.D. shifted color to blink red rapidly with shy embarrassment at his admitted feelings. "I'm not sure... How do I-"

"Love is natural." The senior detective responded casually. "You were bound to have your first crush eventually now that you can feel emotions."

"...You're not angry that I'm allowing her to accompany us?" His blush faded as he spoke with his partner about the situation. "It's arguably a bias decision on my part."

"Angry, no. Nervous, yes." Watching Connor's behavior closely Hank explained his reasoning. "I know we can protect her as long as she's outside of the warehouse, but as we both know she isn't afraid to get involved and might enter the warehouse."

"I'll watch over her."

"Yeah, I bet you would!"

Connor blushed again and stammered in defense of his comment. "N-No! Not like that! I-I-I meant-"

"I know, kid." Withholding his laugh Hank tried to calm the situation without embarrassing Connor any further. "It was a joke. Take it easy. Breathe."

Taking a few deep breaths Connor calmed his racing heart and caused the blush in his his face to fade away again until he had regained his normal complexion. Forcing his yellow L.E.D. to cycle back its normal blue tone in his temple Connor regained his composure and slipped his gray blazer back up his arms and over his shoulders.

"We should keep in contact with Joel here at the precinct." Mastering the art of regaining professionalism Connor redirected the conversation and smoothly changed the subject. "A constant cybernetic uplink could prove very beneficial."

"I have no idea what the means, but I know better than to question it." Standing up from his desk Hank fished his car keys from his pocket and spun the keys around once by the keyring around his right index fingertip. "All right, let's head out now. By the time we get back to the precinct it should about six in the morning and the morning shift'll be here to help us close the final details on the case."

It was dark due to the late night hours that hadn't even begun to fade into early morning light. Locating the long abandoned single story warehouse just outside the city; the isolated building that had been designed specifically to remain subtle and discreet as it sat alone at the end of the long dirt road, Hank pulled the car up to the warehouse and parked in front of the doors with his eyes transfixed on the ominous building. A single motion activated light was still powered thanks to solar paneling on the rooftop and illuminated the single door in front of the forgotten warehouse almost like it was beckoning the detectives go to the building to investigate in person.

By all account the warehouse had been designed to be discreet and forgotten about when the building outlived its usefulness. Based on the condition of the warehouse and the surrounding property, it indeed had been forgotten.

"This is it?" Hank looked to Connor for confirmation before he turned off the engine. "We're at the right place?"

"Correct."

"Okay." Turning the key in the ignition Hank reached for his gun at the holster on his right hip and checked it for any possible flaws in the weapon before replacing it to the holster. "Let's go check it out." Turning his head he looked at Kara quietly sitting in the middle of the backseats of the Oldsmobile to give her a small task of her own. "You stay here. If it's clear we'll let you know."

"Okay, Lieutenant."

"Hank. Call me 'Hank', please."

"...Hank." Kara smiled a little as she spoke to him in a soft voice. "I'll wait right here."

Connor took in a deep breath and ran a cybernetic scan over the building curiously through the windshield. "No sign of activity within the building itself," he noted as he stepped out of the vehicle and stared at the warehouse with a keen gaze. "but I can detect still functioning machinery within."

"Computers?"

"Most likely. The energy being used is consistent with large computer modems and terminals running at maximum capacity."

"Stay behind me." Hank instructed as he exited the vehicle to take the lead and waited for Connor join him. "This is a CyberLife warehouse, so I don't want you to walk into some weird ass trap set up a disgruntled former technician."

"Very well." Looking back to Kara who was staying put in the car as instructed Connor gave her some final words of encouragement before he walked away and toward the warehouse. "You'll be safe in the car, don't worry."

"I'll stay right here, I swear."

Feeling confident that Kara would remain in place Connor jogged over to where Hank was waiting for him in front of the large closed door at the front of the warehouse. Hank reached out his hand and tested the door's handle and found it to be already unlocked which was a huge red flag for the seasoned detective. Nodding silently to Connor to ensure they both kept a low profile Hank pushed the door open and withdrew his gun purely as a precaution.

The door opened with an ominous creak and allowed the detectives to see the interior of the building. No one was inside the barren office space. Abandoned, dusty furniture filled the area but there was a strange sense of being watched looming over the two detectives from an unknown location.

"I don't like this, Connor." Hank whispered as he visually swept over the area. "Something's wrong."

"I agree." Connor withdrew his own gun from beneath his blazer and scanned the layout of the building's schematic and structure. It was then Connor noted the severity of the situation as he located something that shouldn't be there. "Hank, there is a sublevel to this warehouse that does not appear on the original blueprints. It's fifty-two feet below us and leads into a rectangular cell that is fifty feet long, thirty feet wide and twenty feet tall. There are numerous corridors and smaller rooms interconnected as well."

"A secret lab."

"The second workshop." As his L.E.D. cycled from the blue and to yellow it stayed that cautious hue as Connor felt his instincts confirming the severity of the situation at hand. "It must be where Zlatko and Jonas disposed of the android bodies to avoid detection."

"How do we get down there to check it out?"

"There should be an elevator hidden within the wall."

"Let's check the rest of the building before we call in C.S.I. to comb over the building."

Again Connor agreed as he and Hank worked together to sweep the ground floor of the warehouse and search for the elevator. While Hank kept his eye out for any and all signs of human activity Connor scanned the walls carefully to locate a hidden access point to the illegally constructed elevator leading to the just as illegal underground workshop.

A workshop that had been built in secrecy in the depths far down below the warehouse to imprison and torture androids with immoral experiments.

Hank shouted as he reholstered his gun and stood in the middle of the lobby. "Clear."

"Clear." Connor yelled back as he took slipped his own gun back into the holster over his back and under his blazer. Meeting Hank near the middle of the lobby the deviant hadn't detected any human vital signs in the area that didn't belong to Hank. "No one is here."

"Right. I'll alert C.S.I. and Ben while you take another look around and try to locate the hidden elevator."

"Okay."

Connor looked back through the opened door of the warehouse where Kara was still waiting in the backseat of the car out in front and gave her a quick nod. Waving for her to come inside to join the two detectives, Connor kept vigil in the event that someone had managed to elude detection and could pose a possible threat to the unarmed deviant.

"Did you find anything?" Kara asked as she joined Connor in the opened doorway and glanced about the dimly lit lobby. "Anything at all?"

"Not yet."

Hank was on his phone requesting C.S.I. to their location while Connor proceeded to scan each wall of the warehouse in search of the hidden entryway for the elevator. Running his hands over the smooth surfaces of the walls Connor scanned carefully and froze his left palm over what felt like a hollow point in what should've been solid concrete. With his L.E.D. now glowing red Connor retracted the artificial skin from his palm and located a single access port hidden under the thin layer of plaster.

"...Interesting."

A loud 'ding' resonated through the warehouse as the plaster surface of the wall receded into itself before parting and disappearing into the wall on either side. Perfectly hidden metallic elevator doors soon parted and gave access to the elevator that had been long since hidden thanks to Connor's electrical signature from his palm activating the long dormant access point under the wall.

"Hank." Connor alerted the senior detective to his discovery as his artificial skin regenerated over his palm. "I found the elevator."

"Does it still work?" Hank asked as he pocketed his phone and joined Connor and Kara in front of the glowing accessible elevator car. "Looks like it's still in pretty good shape."

"Yes, but I have to feed it power in order to get it to work properly." Confirming the functionality of the elevator Connor stared at the vacant elevator car just waiting to be filled with passengers. "I would like to go down to investigate."

Hank hated the idea of splitting up while so far away from potential back-up, especially with CyberLife being a threat on some degree. "I don't know, son. It's risky for you to go down there."

"It's also important."

"Will you be able to keep in contact with me while you're that far down?"

"Unlikely. As I stated, it's important and must be done."

"...Fine. Ten minutes." Pointing at Connor as if needing to emphasize his point Hank spoke in a terse voice he normally reserved for rookie cops. "Then you get your ass back up here, got it?"

"Got it."

Kara grabbed onto Connor's arm causing the deviant to freeze in place as her touch sent a strange shiver up his spine. "Let me go with you. I'll be careful."

Unable to set aside his personal bias in favor of Kara's very welcomed presence Connor looked to Hank for guidance.

"Kara you need to stay with Connor at all times." Hank ordered in a firm but non-threatening voice as he knew that if Kara wasn't nearby Connor would be worried for her and subsequently distracted. "Don't get separated."

"We won't." Kara happily agreed to the terms that Hank had laid out. She tugged a little on Connor's arm as she turned her attention to him and ushered him into moving. "Let's go."

Connor nodded as he tried to keep his blue blushing face from Kara's view. Stepping inside the elevator Connor noted the only two buttons on the panel inside the elevator: up and down. "There is only the sublevel fifty-two feet down just as my scanner detected. This shouldn't take too long to reach."

"Just get down there and get back up here in one piece." Hank called out as the two deviants entered the elevator car. "This place creeps me out."

Taking a deep breath Connor pressed the 'down' arrow on the panel with Kara at his side. The elevator doors shut and the elevator car began a hasty descent to the hidden sublevel of the warehouse.

"I'm not sure what we'll find down here," Connor spoke up with a flat voice to break the silence during their short journey. "but if it can help the other androids it'll be worth it."

"I just want to do my part and then get back to Ontario. Alice and Luther are waiting for me."

Connor felt his hands briefly clench into fists upon hearing the name 'Luther'. He wasn't sure why since he didn't even know who Luther was. "...You're a family together, correct?"

"Yeah. We are." Kara replied with a blinding smile as her fingers returned to the gold chain around her neck. "It's not a traditional family, but we're happy. Does that sound strange?"

"Not at all." Truly empathetic Connor's blue L.E.D. pulsed steadily as he looked to the deviant standing beside him with a kind smile on his face. "Hank is the father I never knew I needed, let alone wanted, until he took me into his home after the Revolution. We're an unorthodox family as well."

"You live with him?"

"Yes. I had temporarily lived in an apartment with my... brother." The story of Lucas's demise was still raw and hurt to talk about. He'd never truly get over the 'RK-900's' cruel and pointless murder. "But..."

"I know. I heard about what happened to Lucas from Rose. And I'm sorry you had to endure that."

"Thank you." Connor cleared his throat a little to remove the somber emotions from his voice. "After the incident I returned to Hank's home and I find the accommodations to be very comforting."

"Why don't you live at New Jericho Tower with Markus and the rest of his team?"

"I make the other deviants uncomfortable. They don't trust me; I'm the infamous 'Deviant Hunter'." Feeling guilty all over again Connor's blue L.E.D. blinked yellow then went back to blue as he helped Kara understand his decisions. "And I can't fault them for doing so."

"Oh... I see." Kara bit at her lower lip as a twinge of her own guilt washed over her. She was just as guilty of mistrusting Connor as the other deviants for the exact same reason. She knew that Connor wasn't the heartless machine that he had been when he chased her and she could see and feel the humanity that her fellow deviant was exhibiting; yet she still couldn't bring herself to fully trust him. Not yet. "It'll get better in time, I'm sure."

"...I hope so."

The elevator reached its destination of the hidden sublevel with a gentle motion. As the doors parted Connor's hand hovered over his holstered gun beneath his blazer and he stepped through the doors first. Numerous motion activated lights illuminated the cold, gray metal walls of the massive room that was lined with narrow corridors full of old CyberLife machinery that was humming on low power mode.

What appeared to be storage crates roughly the size of a dumpster were filled to the top with various android limbs. Some limbs appeared humanoid and other limbs were apparently designed for animalistic androids. A dozen of the crates sat at the end of the corridors while large metal rolling cabinets full of pouches of expired Thirium and broken biocomponents lined the walls in all directions as if there was no other place to store the equipment.

Numerous plastic bags of Thirium had been torn open in a savage manner and littered the ground as if some feral beast had shredded the packages in need of the Thirium. Some of the pouches looked like they were years old, while other packets looked entirely fresh and recently opened.

"Kara," sensing a potential danger Connor directed the innocent deviant to remain at his side. "stay close behind me."

Kara timidly stepped out of the elevator and followed after Connor as he walked the dimly lit corridors slowly. Stopping only to check the branching corridors for any sign of motion or threat Connor was able to easily locate the massive workshop at the far end of the main corridor where the illegal experiments against the androids had taken place.

The workshop itself was lined with the various machines and exam tables that had evidently been used during the experiments. Despite having been long evaporated the massive abundance of the spilled blue blood had left a noxious odor that lingered in the stagnant air as it had saturated the tables and the floor beneath. A gentle whirring of a massive computer in the corner of the largest room housing the hidden workshop created an unusually calm ambience over what was surely a macabre crime scene. Shelves and desks were full of stolen biocomponents and severed android limbs that encircled the entire workshop and greeted the two deviants as the reached the end of the corridor.

"This is an illegal android lab without question." Connor confirmed as he walked the corridors with Kara right behind him to enter the workshop. As he moved Connor's scanner picked up on something unexpected and it made his blue blood run cold. "Wait for just a moment. I need to check out the workshop first."

"...Okay."

Entering the room Connor honed in on the unusual reading as he took in the macabre sight of the lab all around him. The stolen machinery and blue blood was as grotesque as the rest of the space. However, the most upsetting feature of the lab was the very human corpse left to rot in the chair behind the desk next to the largest computer modem.

It was a female human's body and had been deceased for approximately two years. Connor approached the corpse with a cautious gait and ran a scan over the body to attempt to get an identity on the deceased woman. "Dr. Kendra Mason. Reported missing November 6th, 2038. Cause of death: a single gunshot wound to the back of the skull."

"Connor? Are you-" Kara put a hand over her mouth as she grimaced at the brutally cold room of death that she had willingly set foot into. "What is this place?"

"Hell." Connor answered without hesitation as he walked away from Dr. Mason's body. His soulful brown eyes gleamed with empathy as he ran a scan over the evaporated Thirium stains that only he could still see. The blue blood was absolutely everywhere. "It's android Hell."

Thousands of different androids had been brought to the workshop to be tortured, torn apart and put back together as a monstrous shell of whom they once were. Hundreds had been killed while hundreds more begged to be killed to have their misery end and for the pain that had become their minuscule lives to finally stop.

"Is this how they really saw us?" Kara dared to ask as she looked at the gruesome, haunting sight surrounding her. "Nothing more than pieces of a puzzle that they can reshape into any design they want?"

"Not all humans are like that." Connor replied as he honed in on the computer in the corner of the room to resume his investigation. "Hank is proof of that."

"And Rose." Kara remembered with a breathy sigh. "And Adam. You're right. I'm just..."

"I understand." Connor retracted the artificial skin over his right hand and placed his palm over the large modem to download the files contained within the old computer. "I should be able to-" An unfamiliar presence in the room drew Connor's attention from the modem and to the doorway behind Kara. Seeing something ominous, threatening and unknown Connor created quickly and warned his friend of the potential danger. "Kara!"

Turning around quickly Kara jumped back and cowered next to Connor as a strange figure stepped into the room with a menacing electronic device in its menacingly oversized hand. The device was no larger than a playing card and solid matte black. A single red light was glowing atop the device at the central edge as power flowed through the device steadily.

The figure itself was that of an android model that had been built as a unique design. Model number 'XM-700'. The android was of masculine design, broadly built, tall and reminiscent of Luther's own build, yet somehow even taller and stronger. It didn't have any exterior artificial skin to give it a humanoid appearance and its artificial irises glowed with an amber, reddish light with no discernible color over top.

The figure had jagged, sharp fingers that were more like claws and it had deep gouges in the plastimetal lining its arms and legs as if it had been in numerous physical confrontations. Its legs were long and bulky, almost like a bear's legs, ensuring it could move about quickly. The broad shoulders and density of the plastimetal made the figure look incredibly muscular.

The figure's L.E.D. glowed red in its right temple as it stared at the two intruding deviants. "You are not Mr. Jonas." Its voice was deep, mechanical and held absolutely no emotion as it spoke. "You are not Mr. Zlatko."

"N-No." Connor confirmed as he reached for his gun with his left hand as he continued to cybernetically download the data from the modem under his right palm. "My name is Detective Connor Anderson, I work for the Detroit Police."

Kara stayed beside Connor and knowingly used her own body to help mask Connor's movements as he reached for his gun in case he needed to defend himself and Kara from the threatening enigmatic android.

Relying on his training as a hostage negotiator Connor pressed for some information from the android to use as an advantage. "What is your name?"

"I am 'XM-700'." The reply remained cold and without emotion. "Serial number: 000 000 001 - Beta." Kara hated the coldness of the android's voice and pushed herself up closer to Connor as the clever deviant finished downloading the data from the modem. "What is your purpose?" 'XM' questioned still without emotion and yet managed to deliver a hostile approach. "You will answer."

"We are investigating a case." Connor replied quickly and firmly. "We aren't here as vandals, as thieves or as a threat. We are only here due to professional responsibilities."

"You are not permitted access to this area."

"...Then we'll leave." Aware of the danger Connor decided it'd be best to go as he stepped away from the modem. Placing himself between Kara and the 'XM' model Connor slowly made his way toward the door of the workshop, his eyes fixated on the 'XM' throughout the tense journey to simply cross the room. "We aren't a threat, I assure you."

"All trespassers are threats." The 'XM' remarked quickly as he approached Connor and Kara in an attempt to cut off their retreat. "You must be subdued. If you cooperate the pain will be minimal."

"Run!" Connor pushed Kara through the door in front of him as the two began sprinting back toward the elevator. "Keep running and do not stop!"

Kara sprinted as fast as she could knowing that Connor was going to be right behind her yet again and could feel her heart hammering away in her chest. Grabbing onto the gold chain around her neck as if it could provide some sort of protection Kara closed her eyes and thought of Alice and Luther as she made an internal personal promise to see them again.

The fleeing duo reached the elevator at the end of the corridor but upon their return the doors wouldn't open. The power to the elevator that Connor provided had been cybernetically severed by the 'XM' model who was slowly walking down the corridor to capture the two deviants. If the 'XM' succeeded neither Connor or Kara knew what it'd do to them.

"Shit!" Connor smashed his palm against the control panel but failed to restore the power. With their options limited Connor made another decision and prompted Kara to follow suit. "Come on!" Grabbing onto Kara's hand Connor led her down the branching corridor to another room that his scanner had isolated as an examination room that could be used as a temporary safehouse. "This next room has a lock on the door."

Kara didn't argue or try to pull her hand from Connor's grip as he raced down the corridor and located the room that his scanner had located. Rushing into the room Connor placed his exposed right hand over the electronic panel to seal the doorway from the inside and hopefully bar anything on the outside from getting in.

"I don't know how long that'll hold," Connor admitted as he ran another scan to trail the pursuing 'XM' android's current location. "but we don't have any choice. in the matter."

"W-Will Hank find us in time?"

"He should. But with the elevator out of commission we're trapped down here." Connor's L.E.D. was blinking yellow from stress as he stayed beside the door warily, ready for a fight if necessary. "The 'XM' has cybernetically cut the power to the elevator effectively trapping us down here until it's willing to let us go. We need to find a way to wait it out or find an alternate exit."

Frightened but determined to survive, Kara finally let go of Connor's hand as she turned to glance about the new room that the duo had taken as shelter. This room was less bloody than the last, but it was still grim and mechanical. There was a single exam table against the far wall that had various monitors and displays wired to the table to automatically record the vitals of any android who was laid upon it. The worst feature was the three strong leather straps secured to the left side of the table at the head, middle and end that would restrain any android unfortunate enough to be laid upon it.

Beside the exam table was a metal desk with a computer monitor and television screen. A single computer modem was hooked up to both screens allowing easy access for the technicians working inside the room. Atop the modem was a small blinking green light indicative of recorded footage already cued up and ready to be played from an experiment long since passed.

"Connor, look."

Following Kara's voice Connor saw her staring at the modem and noted the light as well. Pressing his right hand down on top of the modem Connor powered up the two monitors and allowed the recorded footage to play out before them on the screen.

"What is this?"

The images that played out on the screen showed the very 'XM' model who had chased after them strapped to a table in another examination room on the other side of the sublevel. It was hooked up to dozens of wires that snaked over its body and had lines running in and out of its neck, arms and legs. Zlatko himself appeared on the screen as he pressed that same black electronic device that the 'XM' was holding against its right temple and powered it on.

"Oh, RA9." Kara was immediately sickened by what she saw. "Its one of their experiments. That thing... they made it."

As the 'XM' android's body jerked violently with painful shocks on the table the haunting voice of Martin Jonas began narrating the events from an unseen location: 'The date is April 15th, 2037; time is sixteen hundred hours. Test subject is model "XM-700", number triple zero, triple zero, zero, zero, one - Beta. Date of initial operation April 4th, 2037.'

The sound of Jonas's voice made Connor feel just as sick as Kara as the two watched the footage together and in turn Connor's L.E.D. flashed to red.

'Subject was designed to assist with heavy maintenance at construction sights but decommissioned due to an ineffective Thirium pump to sustain the model's high power needs. Using the new software "Impugn Zenith number three" will allow the subject's self healing program will triple in capacity forcing its Thirium pump into permanent overdrive.'

Connor's brow furrowed as he listened to the gruff, cold voice on the video and dismissed the very theory. "This is ludicrous. 'Impugn zenith three' is-"

"It's 'IZ3'." Kara realized as she turned off the monitor and locked eyes with Connor. "This is the file, the virus, we needed to find. We have it!"

Realizing that Kara was right Connor's L.E.D. flashed red very quickly then back to yellow. "It's not a virus, but it behaves like one. One of the androids that had been experimented on must've been improperly disposed of at a junkyard after it shutdown." Things were finally beginning to make sense. Pulling the hard drive from the modem Connor pocketed the invaluable information and tried, but failed, to send a message to Hank up on the ground floor. "Another android scrapped it for parts and unknowingly infected itself and soon after began infecting others through cybernetic communications."

"But now that you have the original file the infection can be corrected, right?"

"...Theoretically, yes. We need to get the file back to Joel so he can examine it further."

A massive fist pounded loudly on the sealed door of the exam room as the 'XM' model began breaking down the door in an attempt to get to Connor and to Kara inside. Thinking quickly Connor positioned Kara on one side of the door while he stood at the opposite side.

"When the door opens run through and don't stop running until you reach the elevator." Giving Kara a simple order Connor knew that running was their best bet to escape with their lives. "Do not wait for me."

"I'm not going to-"

The door began to buckle and bulge forward as the 'XM' damaged the metal structure with its powerful fists. With one final punch the 'XM' model burst through the doorway and stepped inside with horrifying ease. As Kara tried to run through the doorway the 'XM' reached back and easily grabbed her by the throat to hold her at bay. Unable to speak or breathe Kara tried to claw at the towering 'XM' android's strong arm but she didn't have the strength to pry its hand away and run.

"Kara!?"

Connor grabbed onto the 'XM' android's arm that was restraining Kara with both hands and began bending the model's forearm in a painfully extreme direction until the limb snapped with loud 'crack'. As strength left the arm Connor saw the 'XM' model's hand loosen from around Kara's throat in an instant.

Kara fell to the floor on her knees and put her hand to her blue bruising throat only to have Connor pull her back up to her feet with a firm, but non-aggressive pull of her arm.

"Run, Kara!"

Coughing lightly Kara regained her balance and fell forward onto her hands and knees as Connor tried to push her out of harm's way down the corridor.

"Go!" Connor shouted again as he put his hand to Kara's back to push her forward, but she could only run a few feet before she collapsed to the ground onto her knees to gasp for breath again. "Keep going!"

The 'XM' threw aside the device it had been clutching as it then grabbed onto Connor's shoulder with its undamaged hand and spun the deviant detective around quickly. Before Connor had the chance to react to the threat the 'XM' reached back and punched Connor in the center of his chest causing the weaker deviant to fly backward down the corridor and land hard on his back on the floor a few feet in front of Kara.

"C-Connor!?" Kara gasped as she looked at the downed deviant who had been so frighteningly subdued with a single strike. "...Shit."

Laying on his back with his L.E.D. cycling a slow red Connor's head suddenly jerked up from the floor as he took in a gasping breath and put his hand to his chest where he had been punched as red warnings appeared in his vision. "K-Ka...ra?"

Kara put her hand on the ground to push herself onto her feet once more and felt the rectangular box of the electronic device that the 'XM' model had dropped on the floor suddenly under her palm. Taking the device with her Kara darted over to where Connor was laying and helped him to roll on his side as he coughed in a desperate bid to catch his breath.

"Come on!" Encouraging Connor to get up and run Kara helped him to get to his feet just as he had done for her and pulled his arm around her shoulders. "We can still make it!"

Once he was able to balance on his knees Connor forced his legs into motion to support his weight and began running as fast as he could after enduring such a harsh blow to his chest. Keeping his hand wrapped around Kara's hand he pulled her alongside himself to safety as they ducked down another branching corridor to find another room to hide from the 'XM' for a while longer.

"...Th-This way!" Connor huffed as he pulled Kara into the large storage room and. just as before, he hacked the electronic panel to secure the room electronically from the inside. "We need to... b-barricade the door."

"Right!"

Short of breath and in pain Connor struggled to push the large pieces of abandoned equipment in front of the locked door. Kara did her best to help Connor as they worked together to create another barrier between themselves and the dangerous 'XM' model.

"How long do you think it'll take for it to find us?" Kara dared to ask as she slid a metal cabinet in front of the door. "Do you know?"

Connor fell back against the wall opposite the door and fought to breathe as the damage to his chest continued to steal his strength. "...N-Not long."

Turning to face the deviant Kara's eyes widened as she saw how weak Connor suddenly appeared. "Connor?"

Too weak to stand any longer Connor slid down to the floor and began breathing rapidly and deeply as if the every molecule of air had been forced out of his body. Thirium began to seep through the white fabric of his dress shirt in the middle of his chest, right over his heart. With every frantic beat of his heart he bled more profusely and faster as he tried and failed to catch his breath. "...T-Try to find... an escape."

"Connor?" Hearing the pain in his voice Kara knelt down in front of Connor and pressed her hand to his bleeding chest beneath his black tie. "You're hurt!"

"...F-Frame was cracked." Connor closed his soulful brown eyes and winced in pain as the damage to his system began to burn at him angrily. "...Thirium p-pump compromised."

"No... No, no, no!" Kara pulled her hand away from his chest long enough to loosen Connor's black tie from around his neck and toss the garment aside. Pulling open the top buttons of Connor's quickly staining white dress shirt Kara exposed his chest and stared at the significant damage beneath with horror. "Oh, Connor. You need help."

The impact of the 'XM' android's knuckles and fist against Connor's chest had completely destroyed the artificial skin over the center of his chest directly over his heart. The white plastimetal frame beneath was cracked with a dozen fractures and his Thirium pump had been structurally compromised creating a profuse leak of blue blood that was now running down Connor's chest through those very fractures.

"...Kara..." Connor was beginning to physically tremble and it was audible in his faltering voice. "L-Listen to me..."

Gently Kara put her hand against Connor's cheek and held it there in an attempt to offer some form of comfort. "You're shivering."

"...It's going t-to get through that d-door. You need t-to run. Hide."

"I'm not leaving you behind."

"...I c-can't move. Go." Too weak to even try to lift his arms Connor knew he wouldn't be able to run anymore, let alone fend off that monster. "S-Save yourself. Go h-home to Alice. Luther. Th-They're waiting... for you."

Unwilling to let Connor just die Kara looked down at the electronic device in her hand and tried to think of a solution. It was the very device that infected the 'XM' model with 'IZ3' and gave it all of its enhanced strength and enhanced healing program. Holding up the device for only a moment she pressed it against Connor's red slowly pulsing L.E.D. and prepared to activate it.

"W-What's that?" Connor asked as his glassy eyes honed in on the device being held against his right temple. "What're you... doing?"

"It's 'IZ3'. It can save you."

"No!" With a trembling hand Connor managed to push the device away from his head and stared at the floor. "I... I won't b-become like that."

"Connor, if you don't let me do this you're going to bleed out. Your heart is going to stop and I don't know how repair it." Speaking calmly and logically Kara tried to reason with the stubborn deviant as best as she could. "But this device can make your self healing program increase in efficiency."

"...I can't. I r-refuse to be a machine." Not wanting to risk becoming something he feared Connor refused to accept Kara's help. "N-Never again."

"You won't be. Connor you're strong enough to keep it from affecting your deviancy."

"...Kara..." Connor's eyes raised from the floor and locked onto her face with shame and doubt. Unshed tears of regret welled up against his warm brown irises as he addressed her in a truly remorseful tone that shook his voice even further. "I'm not as s-strong as everyone thinks."

"No one's ever as strong as they think." Lightly Kara caressed Connor's cold cheek as she spoke softly to him. Despite the incredible pain he was in it seemed just Kara's touch was enough to soothe his discomfort and bring him peace. "Please, I can't watch you die."

"Kara." Forcing his voice to stabilize Connor put his own hand atop of her hand as she rested her palm against his cheek. "Before I became deviant, before I knew what it meant to be alive, I had done some very... bad things. I don't want to do something... bad to you."

"You won't." Kara promised as she returned to the device to Connor's L.E.D. without any doubt in her choice. "You're my friend. You risked so much to save the deviants during the Revolution and have risked even more to protect me now. You won't hurt me. I know it."

"Wait!"

Kara stared into Connor's distressed eyes as the energy, the very life he spoke of, began to drain away from his kind bright irises.

"...If I become a machine-"

"You won't."

"If I become a machine," Connor repeated as he weakly pulled his gun from the holster under his blazer with his trembling hand. Pressing the gun into Kara's hand resting against his face, pushing her palm away from his cheek, he begged for her to put him out of his impending misery. "shoot me. Directly... into the heart and again through the cranium. T-Two shots."

Kara accepted the gun for a only a second before she set it down on the floor next to her. "I won't have to shoot you. You won't become a machine."

Entirely vulnerable to the world around him Connor's brow furrowed as his eyes began to roll up in the back of his head. His struggling heartbeat faltered, slowed and quieted as his remaining life drained away within seconds.

"...Connor?

A horrible pounding against the locked door confirmed that the 'XM' model had found them and was still in pursuit. There was no time left to wait or argue. Whatever was going to happen needed to happen now.

"I know you'll be okay, Connor."

Kara pressed the device against Connor's L.E.D. one more time. Pushing down against the release trigger a jolt of electricity surged from the device and into Connor's system just as Connor's eyes fell shut and his body went completely limp against the wall. The sudden shock made Connor's body twitch for only a moment before he went limp a second time.

Dark blue Thirium collected under Connor's body as his L.E.D. flickered red one last time before going out and becoming a blank gray circle.

"Connor?"

Kara's hand returned to his cheek but she couldn't feel any sign of life from her friend. His chest was completely still. He wasn't breathing and his heart had stopped beating.

"Connor?!"

The door behind her thundered loudly again with heavy, pounding fists as the 'XM' model attempted to break down the door to get inside. Kara grabbed the gun and pointed it at the door as she positioned herself in a kneeling pose between the door and Connor in an attempt to shield her fallen friend from the approaching threat. The metal of the door began to buckle and Kara aimed the gun at the widening fracture as amber eyes stared at her through the surrounding darkness of the corridor.

Closing her eyes Kara held her breath, aimed at the amber eyes peering through the door at her and she squeezed the trigger.

The ground floor of the forgotten warehouse had become filled with members of the C.S.I. team as the investigation into the warehouse began. The discovery of the hidden floor of the warehouse had quickly gained a lot of attention and was put at the top of the priority list by the investigating precinct. Any cases revolving around CyberLife's illegal activities and the activities of technicians performing services or using their skills without proper certification, were to be treated with the highest of priorities to ensure that deviant justice wasn't denied by someone with deep pockets who could pay to make it all conveniently disappear.

Unable to get any response from Connor down in the mysterious sublevel Hank paced anxiously in front of the elevator as the C.S.I. crew attempted to bring the entire warehouse into a form of lockdown while simultaneously trying to restore power to the elevator. It was the only way in or out of the hidden sublevel and Hank instinctively knew that something had gone wrong.

Connor and Kara had been missing for almost thirty minutes now and Connor was too clever to let a broken elevator stop him.

"Can't you guys work faster?" Hank griped as he ran his hand through his gray locks of hair for the umpteenth time since the elevator lost power. "He's been down there for over half an hour."

"We're doing everything we can, Lieutenant." The crew member working on the electronic panel was attempting to locate the source of the severed power and never looked directly at Hank as he spoke. "It looks like the power failure had been remotely activated from a secondary source."

"Shit."

Putting his hands to his hips Hank pulled out his phone and texted Joel for any updates on the case and to see if Connor had tried to contact him back at the precinct as a means of distracting himself from thinking the worst for the time being.

"C'mon Joel, I need some kind of good news..."

A strange sensation filled the dim room as pained brown eyes slowly opened.

Unsure of what had happened during his brief shutdown Connor's system rebooted slowly and his power levels reached one-hundred percent despite the substantial Thirium he had lost. Stranger still, his Thirium pump was now beating at a normal rate once more despite sustaining critical damage. Opening his eyes fully Connor glanced about and found himself laying up against the cold wall entirely alone. The door across from him had been broken open from the outside and there was no sign of Kara anywhere.

"...Where?"

Regaining his bearings Connor remembered where he was, what had happened and who had accompanied him into the sublevel.

"Kara?!"

Scanning the room for clues Connor's eyes fell to the single spent bullet casing on the floor a few inches in front of the broken door and felt his healed heart skip a beat out of fear. With his L.E.D. once more glowing red the entire room around him took on a symbolically crimson hue that made him feel sick.

"Kara?"

Calling out to his friend again Connor's hand reached for his chest expecting to feel some lingering pain, but there was nothing.

"...How?"

Glancing down at himself Connor peeled back his bloodied white shirt and saw that the injury he had sustained had already fully healed while he was shutdown. His Thirium pump was functioning normally, his plastimetal frame was intact and his artificial skin had regenerated flawlessly. Running his hand over his undamaged chest he wiped away the excess Thirium and rose to his feet with newfound determination guiding his every move.

"Kara!"

Pushing through the forced opened door of the storage room Connor scanned the lengthy corridors for any sign of Kara or the 'XM' model anywhere nearby.

The smell of gunshot residue was thick in the air of the poorly ventilated sublevel. The scent would be most prominent around Kara as she was the one who had fired the shot from Connor's gun in what was clearly self defense. Tracing the scent to where it was the strongest Connor found his gun dropped on the floor in the middle of a branching corridor pathway leading in four different directions as Kara fled from the 'XM' model.

"Shit."

Grabbing the gun from the floor Connor checked the clip and found it empty. There was only one bullet left and it was already in the chamber ready to be fired.

"She fought back and then ran."

Thinking quickly Connor traced his steps back to the elevator knowing that it was the only way in or out of the sublevel. Holstering his gun Connor crept along the corridors and listened to every little sound that echoed his way, felt every sensation that vibrated through the floors and walls and watched every little movement that flitted through the remote area.

Locating the elevator Connor saw no sign of Kara but he did see the 'XM' model at the very end of the shared corridor leaving the exam room from whence Connor and Kara had first located the underground workshop. Ducking down in the shadows silently Connor watched from around the corner as the 'XM' model walked out of the room in the direction of the storage room where Connor had just awoken as if needing to locate something specific.

"I don't have a lot of time."

Crouching down Connor moved quietly through the corridor and made his way back into the workshop without drawing the 'XM' android's attention in the process. Slipping inside the room where the 'XM' had just departed Connor spotted Kara laying on the exam table with her arms and legs strapped down against her will under leather restraints.

She was unconscious. A dark blue laceration from her hairline dripped blood over her forehead from where she had clearly been struck.

The sight of Kara being held captive by a violent machine lit a fire inside Connor that he had never felt before.

"Kara?" Connor whispered as he pressed the back of his hand against her cheek lightly. "Kara, it's me."

"...Connor." Kara's pale blue eyes opened slowly as she recognized the deviant's voice and looked up at him. "...You're alive."

"It's okay, I'll get you out of here." Pulling his hand from her cheek Connor quickly unfastened the restraints from around her ankles and her wrists. Slipping his arms under Kara's shoulders and her knees he carefully lifted Kara up from the table and held her against his chest in a protective grip. "You'll be okay."

"...You're not a machine." She whispered with a soft chuckle in her words. "I knew you wouldn't be."

Squaring his jaw with utmost determination Connor carried Kara out of the workshop and over to the elevator to get to freedom. As he rounded the corner of the corridor he spotted the 'XM' model returning to the workshop at a hasty clip as it had undoubtedly discovered Connor's absence.

"Shit." Kneeling onto the floor Connor gently laid Kara down and whispered to her as he eyed the incoming threat cautiously. "Kara, I need you to try to get to the elevator. I'll take care of the 'XM' model."

Kara slowly turned onto her side and weakly pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. As soon as she felt balanced enough she began to crawl away from Connor and crawl toward the elevator just a few yards away at the very end of the corridor. She had kept to the shadows and remained out of the 'XM' model's sight as she tried to get to safety.

Planting himself firmly in place Connor refused to let the 'XM' pass by as he prepared for the inevitable confrontation with the stronger android. "Stop."

"You are intruders." The 'XM' stated with a mechanically hollow voice as he approached Connor. "You must be dealt with. It is in my programming to stop all intruders."

"And you've assaulted an innocent deviant. It's my responsibility to see that justice is served, not just to her, but to every one of the other androids you helped Zlatko and Jonas disfigure."

"It was for science. They were my orders."

"No, it was for nothing. Just pain, misery and suffering. No one deserves to suffer." Connor drew his gun from his holster around his back and aimed it at the cranium of the 'XM' model right between his soulless amber eyes. "You don't deserve to suffer."

"I... I am..." Pausing for a moment the 'XM' seemed entirely perplexed by the comment. "Suffering?"

"Do you want to hurt anyone?"

"I... do not... want... anything."

"Yes, you do." The answer pained Connor as he heard his own voice echo with the exact same response from the past. "You're alive. What do you want?"

"I... I want..." The 'XM' model stood before Connor and grabbed onto Connor's throat with his healed hand, but didn't try to crush Connor's neck or injure him in any way. "I want to obey."

Connor scanned the 'XM' and found no trace of deviancy whatsoever. There was no sign of freewill, emotion, feeling, thinking... It was entirely a machine and had never been given the chance to live. The 'XM' model was never alive and never would be.

It could never be alive.

Holding his ground Connor dared to challenge the model one last time. "Then obey me now when I tell you to listen to my words. Hold still."

Though its hand remained in place around Connor's throat the 'XM' did as it was instructed. It listened to Connor and didn't move.

"...I'm sorry."

Lightning quick reflexes allowed Connor to press the barrel of his gun in the center of the towering 'XM' android's forehead and squeeze the trigger before the machine had the chance to react. Thirium erupted from the fresh bullet hole in its forehead causing its L.E.D. to flash red rapidly as its intracranial processors rapidly glitched and shortly thereafter failed entirely.

Connor watched as the machine's massive hand heavily fell away from his throat. He watched as the machine fell to its knees before collapsing onto its side at his feet. The sight of the blue blood pouring from the bullet wound in the 'XM' android's head was like watching a dam burst as Thirium left the machine's body entirely deactivated.

Kneeling down beside the deactivated machine Connor holstered his now empty gun and took a deep breath. Slowly Connor pressed his hand down on the 'XM' android's already exposed white plastimetal frame of its chest panel, effectively opening the chest cavity to expose its internal biocomponents. The machine's Thirium pump had stopped beating but Connor refused to take any chances.

Reaching inside Connor pulled the red tinted, stilled heart from the 'XM' android's chest and held it in his hand as he pulled it from the downed machine's body.

"I'm so very sorry."

Standing up slowly Connor stared at the motionless biocomponent in his hand as it dripped Thirium all down his arm and onto the floor at his feet.

Such a waste of a strong heart.

Carrying the heart into the workshop he placed it down on the exam table far away from the machine as a precautionary measure just in case the machine managed to reboot itself while Connor had his back turned. Leaving the pump behind as evidence to be collected; evidence that androids in fact had hearts and that the atrocities committed by the two humans was an act of vulgarity beyond words, Connor bowed his head as he exited the workshop and made his way back to the elevator where Kara was hopefully waiting for him.

"Kara!"

Connor saw that she had collapsed just a few feet away from the elevator and was laying on her side unconscious again. Connor gingerly rolled Kara from her side and onto her back as he scooped her up from the floor to hold her in his arms once more.

"It's okay, I got you."

Peering up at the elevator just a few steps away Connor noted that the power to the elevator had been restored. The blackout ended when the 'XM' model shutdown, its cybernetic hold on the elevator was now severed. It also confirmed that back-up had arrived and was working to restore power to the elevator on Connor's behalf.

"We can escape."

Pressing his hand to the elevator's panel Connor opened the doors and stepped inside the vacant elevator car with his head held high, his L.E.D. cycling blue in his right temple and Kara safe in his arms. As his hand pushed against the 'up' arrow on the internal panel the elevator doors closed and the elevator car began its quick ascent to the ground level above.

Kara instinctively rested her head against Connor's shoulder, her ear pressing up against his chest just enough to listen to the calm thrumming of his restored heartbeat as she slowly regained consciousness. "...Connor?"

"I'm here."

"Thank you for saving me."

"...You saved me first." Connor replied humbly as he held her up against his chest with great appreciation and earned trust. "Thank you for believing in me."

Kara smiled a little before she fell back into the quiet bliss of unconsciousness against Connor's shoulder and chest.

The elevator came to gentle stop and the doors opened as they reached the ground floor. Connor was greeted by the C.S.I. team who had been working to restore power and of course by Hank who eagerly waited for Connor to emerge from the elevator at last.

"Connor! What the fuck happened down there?!" Seeing Kara in his arms made Hank freeze and then react accordingly. "Shit, is she all right?!"

"I'll explain everything on the way to the facility."

"Are you hurt?" Hank asked as he took off his dark coat and draped it over Kara as she rested in Connor's arms. "You look a little beat up."

"...That has yet to be seen." Whether or not the 'IZ3' would have any side effects was completely unpredictable. Once at the precinct Connor would have Joel remove it from his system as a precautionary measure and undergo a full examination. "It's a very unusual story."

"With you, everything is unusual." Putting his hand to Connor's shoulder Hank guided the two deviants out of the warehouse and back over to the car parked out front. "Come on, let's get Kara some help. And then you can tell me all about this unusual story because I get the feeling it's a good one."

Two days after everything that happened at the warehouse, two days after Connor was able to give Joel the appropriate file to reverse the effects of the strange virus and two days after Kara was released from the facility after suffering a mild concussion, Connor was cleared for active duty. It took Joel a while to isolate the 'IZ3' program from Connor's system even though Connor's own programming was too advanced for the virus to fully overtake, but he succeeded nonetheless. Once the virus was out of his system and secured in Joel's personal terminal Connor was able to feel the full extent of his injury to his heart and the need to replenish his lost Thirium.

After a day of rest Connor knew he had made a full recovery and would be fine.

It had taken hours to fill out their reports at the precinct and to finally close the case on the death of the long missing Dr. Kendra Mason, but it was worth it. Thousands of androids had been spared from the virus while hundreds more had been cured. Now with the case closed Kara could return to her home, her family in Ontario, and do so knowing that she had finally helped the mutilated androids that had been victimized by Zlatko before that dreadful night she found herself at his doorstep.

Justice had at long last been served.

"How's your chest?" Hank asked casually as he and Connor clocked-out of the precinct for the evening to head home. "You look like you're limping a little."

"I'm sore." Admitting he was still a little uncomfortable Connor put his hand over his chest and held his palm there for a moment. "But the pain isn't a hindrance to my physical abilities."

"What about your heart? From what Joel told me you ended taking a nasty hit that would've killed you if Kara hadn't done what she did."

"My heart is functioning normally." Connor confirmed as he and Hank turned to enter the neighboring parking garage to the precinct. As they walked he kept his hand resting over the Thirium pump thrumming away normally in his chest. "The damage was completely repaired and I won't suffer any long term effects from being assaulted."

"Well, that's good. And Kara?"

"She's expected to make a full recovery as well. She should be on her way back home as we speak."

"That's even better." An autonomous taxi pulled up along the sidewalk beside the parking garage and Kara stepped out to speak to the two detectives one last time before she returned to Ontario. "Speak of the Devil..."

"Huh?" Connor turned to look at the exit of the parking garage where he saw the autonomous taxi and Kara as she approached them with a graceful stride. Seeing her again made his blue L.E.D. flicker to yellow for a moment and brought a faint grin to his face. "Oh. Kara!"

"Connor. Hank." Greeting the two detectives warmly Kara stood before them and offered them a gracious smile. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

Hank slowed his pace but kept walking a few feet ahead to give the two deviants some privacy, whereas Connor stopped abruptly and turned to look at Kara as she jogged up the sidewalk to meet the two at the parking garage. "Hello, Kara. I thought you were heading home."

"I'm on my way now, but I had to stop and thank you one last time before I left."

"You... You don't have to thank me." Connor fought back the blue blush he could feel trying to emerge in his face as he spoke to her modestly. "It was my pleasure to help you."

"I, uh, I also wanted to tell you something important."

"What's that?"

"For the longest time I, like so many deviants, had been afraid of you. Now I know that I don't need to be afraid. You're not the 'Deviant Hunter', you're the 'Deviant Protector." Kara took a step forward and grabbed onto both of Connor's hands with her own and held them tightly. "I know I'll never be able to forgive Zlatko or Todd, or anyone else who ever tried to hurt me or Alice," her eyes watered slightly as she gave Connor a sincere smile and looked into his eyes without even the slightest of hint of fear or doubt. "but I do know that I can forgive you. Truly forgive you."

Letting go of Connor's hands Kara wrapped her arms around him his neck and shoulders and held him in a tight hug. Connor finally let the blush blossom on his face as he reciprocated the hug with a genuine happiness that spread like warmth throughout his chest.

"...Thank you, Kara."

"Take care of yourself, Connor." Kara let him go and took a step back never once seeing the blush on his face. "I need to go home to be with Alice and Luther. They still need me and I still love them."

"Alice is your daughter, now?"

"Yes. We officially adopted her three months ago."

"...'We'?" Connor felt a strange tightening overtaking the warmth in his chest and his heart as he spoke to Kara. "You and Luther?"

"Yes, we, uh... Well..." Kara pulled the gold chain around her neck out of her blouse to reveal her wedding band that was secured on the chain for safekeeping when not on her finger. "We made it official four months ago."

"Oh, I see... Congratulations." Connor forced a faint smirk to his face as he watched the truly bright light of happiness gleam in Kara's blue eyes as she showed him her wedding ring. "I'm glad you're happy and have a family."

"Thank you." Tucking the ring back into her blouse Kara took a step back and kept her warm smile on her face. "I'll see you again someday, right?"

"Y-Yeah. I promise... Next time you're in Detroit we should meet up."

"We will. Goodbye, Connor." Kara craned her neck a little to wave to Hank in the distance as she took her leave of the parking garage. "Goodbye, Hank. Thank you both so much for everything!"

Hank gave a little wave in return as he approached Connor from behind slowly as he knew that Connor just experienced one of the toughest emotions anyone with a heart could ever feel.

Stunned and confused Connor just stood silently statuesque as he watched Kara return to the taxi to make her way back home over the border. She gave the two detectives another little wave through the window as the taxi pulled onto the street and out of sight.

"Come on, son. Let's go home." Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and held tight. "We need to have a talk."

Allowing Hank to lead him back to the car Connor remained silent as he tried to understand the new feeling he was now experiencing. It was an experience he couldn't describe but already knew it was one that he never wanted to feel again.

As the two detectives sat down inside the vehicle Hank waited for Connor to say something but he didn't say a word. "Connor? Are you okay?"

"I am... confused."

"About what?"

"I'm... happy that Kara is happy, but I am... sad that I was not the one to make her happy."

"I see. Just remember that her happiness is important and it matters, okay?"

"I feel so conflicted. I can't describe it."

With a breathy sigh Hank steeled himself as he waited for Connor's reaction to his impending dreaded question."...I hate to ask this, but, how does your heart feel right now?"

Connor closed his soulful brown eyes as he suddenly began to silently cry, his hand absentmindedly clutching over his heart with a weak grasp. "...Broken. It feels broken."

"Ah, son..." Reaching his arm around Connor's shoulders Hank pulled the deviant over toward his own shoulder and let the pained young deviant weep against him. The utterly raw emotions of the deviant had a way of unfailingly chipping through the seasoned detective's thick armor. "I'm so sorry. Heartbreak is one of the worst feelings you can have."

"...When does it stop?"

"I don't think it ever really stops." Hank immediately thought about his late wife Barbara and late firstborn son Cole and fought back his own empathetic tears as Connor wrapped his arms around his shoulders to return the hug. "You just keep living."

-next chapter-