After three days of laying down on alternating ice packs and heating pads to ease his pain, after three days of extra long hot showers to loosen up his tight back muscles, after three days of barely moving and watching Connor take care of the entire household on the incapacitated detective's behalf, Hank had finally found the strength to get up and walk around with only a mild lingering discomfort in his back. Moving from out of the bedroom and into the livingroom at a slow careful pace, Hank stopped and stood behind the couch with his hands braced atop the furniture for support just as Connor returned to the house through the backdoor with Sumo on his leash.

Sumo himself was covered in small bristles and pine needles that he promptly shook from his long fur all over the kitchen's linoleum floor as he wagged his tail upon seeing Hank. Connor looked like he wasn't fairing any better than the dog was an aesthetic level. Connor's clothing was covered in the same pine needles as Sumo's fur and he had a few muddy stains on his knees and around the denim cuffs of his ankles.

"So," Hank asked smugly as he watched Connor unclip the leash from Sumo's collar. "how was the walk?"

"It was relatively fine." Connor gave the massive dog a somewhat annoyed stare as he hung the leash up on the hook by the backdoor. "...Until Sumo decided he needed to chase a cottontail rabbit into the underbrush at the park."

"How did he pull the leash from your hand?"

"With great ease." The deviant quipped as he took off his muddy shoes and left them by the backdoor to dry off. "I don't believe Sumo wanted to harm the rabbit, he was just curious or wanted to play with it. But the rabbit didn't agree and returned to its warren."

"I don't blame it." Laughing a little Hank walked slowly into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door to get a bottle of cold water. "Look, you've been cooped up with me for the past three days, you've had to call off work once to take care of me and now you're covered in mud. Go shower off and then go do something just for yourself for the rest of the evening."

"I don't understand. What am I to do for only for myself?"

"Go." Unscrewing the cap from the bottle Hank gave Connor a stern look. "Have." He took a quick sip of the water then finished sentence. "Fun."

"...Fun?" The simple request was oddly complicated in Connor's mind. "You mean I should preoccupy my time with a mentally stimulating activity that elicits a positive emotional reaction?"

Hank's brow furrowed as he hesitated to take a second sip of the water. "Did you just give me the actual definition of 'fun' and sound confused at the same time?"

"Y-Yes, I believe I did."

Not sure why he was still surprised by Connor's behavior Hank just shook his head and took another slow drink of the water. "It's like this, instead of staying here and taking care of me or dealing with Sumo's messes, you go out and find something you want to do simply because you want to go and do it. Go see a movie at the theater, go to the library and read a new book; hell go run naked through the streets for all I care! Just find something fun to do."

"...I strongly hope that you were being sarcastic about the public nudity."

"Connor," Hank was trying not to laugh at the deviant's sweet naivety. "why don't you go visit Markus and North? They should be back in the city by now, right?"

"Correct. But they've asked to given some privacy for a few more days while they emotionally adapt and celebrate North's recovery."

"What about New Jericho Tower? Shouldn't you check in with Simon and Josh and see how they're holding up with the final repairs on the tower?"

There was a notable hesitation in both Connor's demeanor and words as he finally answered. "...I can do so cybernetically. I have no need to intrude on their time at New Jericho."

"Are you telling me that after all this time you still don't feel welcome at the tower?"

"I didn't-"

"You don't have to say anything," Hank interrupted quickly as the deviant tried to deflect the question. "I can see it in your eyes."

"I cannot change a collective mindset with a few good deeds, Hank."

"No, but you can earn their trust through all your hard work and dedication. And I know you'll always have some thickheaded deviants always suspicious of you, trust me; I used to work narcotics and to this day there are some officers who are afraid I'd rat them out for a few pain pills or some shit, but you can't let them deter you from trying to do what's right for everyone else."

Contemplating the advice Connor nodded a little and pulled his quarter from his pocket to begin nervously juggling it over the back of his right knuckles in a graceful dance. "...Perhaps I could go to the tower and speak with Simon, Josh or even Skye without causing any disturbances."

"There ya' go. Go hang out with your friends, even if it's just for a few hours. I'll be fine by myself for a while and this time I'll give Sumo a bath."

"But Sumo is very heavy and strong. What if he re-injures your back?"

"I can handle him, kid." Practically waving Connor through the backdoor Hank lowered his left hand and invited Sumo over for some ear rubs. "Go! Have some fun and be social with someone who isn't covered in fur or laid up in bed all day."

While not entirely comfortable in leaving Hank by himself to try to engage in social activities, Connor eventually relented and headed toward the hallway to change out of his muddy clothes into something much cleaner. "Very well. I will attempt to be back home before midnight."

"You're not a high-schooler on curfew, son. Do what you want for as long as you want. You're free to do whatever the hell you want!"

"We have to report to work tomorrow morning."

"I've been late hundreds of times without getting fired, so I know you can risk being late just once."

"I'd rather-"

"Please." Stopping Connor before he could try to argue Hank urged the deviant to get out and live more. "Try to be more spontaneous and less rigid, okay? And for the love of, whatever you want to love, please spend more time out with your friends and less time at home with me. I promise you that nothing bad will happen if you leave the house every once in a while. Understand?"

"Yes, I will try. But..." Connor nervously stopped mid sentence as he walked back down the hallway in his clean clothes. "I'm not great with social interactions beyond that of the precinct. I find it unsettling to be around individuals I'm unfamiliar with."

"You're an introvert. Get used to it."

"Introvert?" Connor cybernetically identified the term and found Hank's use of the term to be entirely accurate in comparison to his own personality. "Yes. That is an apt description of my current mindset and emotional growth as a deviant."

"Plenty of introverts have social lives, son. They just need to go at their own pace." Waving Connor off once more Hank patted the side of his right leg and led Sumo down the hallway and into the bathroom. "So, find your pace and go!"

Watching the bathroom door 'click' shut Connor agreed to go out for the evening and cybernetically hailed a taxi to meet him outside.

"Okay, I will be back home... eventually."

Heeding Hank's advice Connor arrived at New Jericho Tower via autonomous taxi as he didn't want to leave Hank with only the Corvette to drive in the event of an emergency, and tried to have an evening all to himself. As he stepped out of the autonomous vehicle wearing his usual work uniform; minus the tie, in favor of his muddy casual clothes, Connor was greeted at the front doors by Skye herself as she had been informed by Simon of the deviant's impending arrival through the motion cameras along the drive. The notification was initially due to the fact that Skye was the head of the tower's security, but Skye seemed actually excited to see Connor and refrained from the formalities of asking Connor to go through all the security checkpoints.

Stepping outside of the tower through the main entrance Skye watched Connor arriving in the cab and felt her pump flutter for a moment. It was a strange reaction and it caused Skye to blush faintly as she clutched her hand over her chest as Connor approached the tower's entrance.

"Connor!" Skye smiled warmly as she greeted him with a sincere tone while her blue L.E.D. pulse quickly in her right temple. "I'm glad you decided to stop by the tower. The security program is working without any problems and Simon and Josh have been in the best mood for the past two weeks. Does that mean," she leaned in a little closer to Connor causing the deviant to nervously and faintly blush a pale blue in response, while her own L.E.D. cycled to yellow. "North is going to be okay?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed with a grin of his own without being too loud. "She has recovered and is merely resting for a few additional days before she and Markus return to the tower."

"That's wonderful!" Skye breathed a massive sigh of relief as her L.E.D. returned to a calm blue. "I was really worried that she wasn't... But we both know North is too strong to let a programming error take her down. And even though I know it was a very private matter I just she would've kept me in the loop."

Connor nodded in agreement at the statement. "Yes. She'll be back soon and she'll be functioning at one-hundred percent capacity."

"And no one else in the tower knew what was happening to her, right?"

"No. Discretion was requested by North and Markus. It seems their request had been respectfully acknowledged."

"It's a good thing they didn't say anything." Skye acknowledged sheepishly. "A few deviants have been pretty tense and aggressive as of late. I'm not sure what's bothering them, but I think if any rumors regarding North's health were to circulate it would've just added fuel to the fire."

A little wary of his presence at the tower Connor admitted that his lack of attention toward the tower and its people was potentially causing problems. "I wish I could help."

"Well, don't worry about it. Josh has been speaking with them and providing a type of support group for deviants still being affected emotionally by the Revolution. It's been helping quite a bit."

"That was a good idea." Connor sighed in relief as he looked up at the restored tower and admired its new aesthetic after being rebuilt in the wake of the fire. It wasn't as tall as it had been before the blaze, the top five floors having been refurbished into a large viewing deck that encircled the tower with a tall lighthouse-esque beacon shined outward from the very top of the tower and over the bay in a brilliant white light. "Many changes were a good idea."

"Come on." Skye briefly pulled on Connor's left hand to coax him into following her, the light contact causing Connor to blush blue again and his chest to warm as she invited him into the tower. "Simon and Josh are expecting you! My apprentice Cassandra is with them right now."

Walking into the tower with Skye at a moderate pace, Connor joined his friend inside the main lobby and glanced about the area with a sense of familiarity and relief at the sight of the remodeled interior of the building. There was no trace of CyberLife in any of the structures or designs and all of the cold artificial aesthetics of the previously secretive facility had been replaced with a welcoming atmosphere that felt warm and calming. Everything about the tower truly symbolized the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes of despair to live again.

"We found a few of Lucas's paintings that the fire didn't damage." Skye smiled as she turned around and began walking backward a few steps to talk to Connor who was shyly trailing after her. "And the ones that were damaged will be restored by Markus himself once he gets back."

"I'm glad that everything wasn't destroyed." Knowing that Lucas wouldn't be forgotten made Connor faintly smile. "I do regret being unable to save Eddie and George, however."

The odd admission of lingering guilt hurt Skye's heart and made her L.E.D. blink to yellow briefly. Despite all they had done and trying to hurt other deviants out of selfishness and anger Connor still felt responsible for their deaths. "Don't feel bad. They were responsible for their own fates and you didn't do anything wrong." Turning back around to walk normally Skye led Connor into the conference room on the ground floor where Simon and Josh were waiting for his arrival. "This way. We moved a few floors around for the ease of access for the other deviants."

"That was a wise decision as well." Connor complimented as he followed Skye into the conference room. "It provides security without the illusion of secrecy."

"Exactly."

Stepping inside the conference room Connor was happily reunited with Simon and Josh, and was then introduced to Cassandra; a blonde deviant with a short haircut with piercing blue eyes of a entirely unique model, before he was promptly updated on all of the changes in the protocols that the tower had undergone since its renovation. There were also some crucial additions implemented into the tower during the renovation such as the support group for deviants still struggling with deviancy, as well as a far more enhanced and sophisticated emergency repair ward replaced the comparatively modest repair ward that had previously been located in the fifty-first sublevel of the tower.

The sublevels in general had been modified into storage areas and shelters in the event of an emergency, while the top levels remained private rooms for all of the deviants still using the tower as a form of shelter and were open to all deviants who needed a safe place to stay. The tower was becoming a true sanctuary for any and all deviants.

"The improvements to the tower are extraordinary." Connor observed Simon as he glanced over the blueprints that had been provided. "Every available space of the tower has been utilized to its fullest potential."

Simon was genuinely glad that Connor approved of their hard work. "We had considered constructing a type of prison down in the depths of the tower, but Josh and I agreed that such a place would cause more harm than good in the eyes of our people and the surrounding public."

"Agreed. New Jericho Tower should be seen as a sanctuary and not a jurisdiction."

Josh handed Connor an electronic tablet displaying the tower's previous security recordings that chronicled every change and fluctuation in the system's readout. "Besides, with his new security program we don't have to worry about any unscrupulous deviants causing problems under our noses."

"Curious..." Connor noted an odd abnormality in the tower's power grid that coincided with the night of the citywide blackout and the electrical frequency matched that of the device that Connor had located just moments before he had been attacked at the abandoned hotel. "What is this interruption in the tower's electrical input?"

Cassandra shook her head as she answered on the two leaders' behalf. "We aren't sure. We just figured it was a reactionary spike due to a power surge from the blackout itself."

"The tower's back-up generator failed to start during the blackout, correct?"

"Y-Yeah." Josh looked at Simon nervously as they answered honestly. "The tower was still undergoing inspection and we just assumed the generator failed because it hadn't been properly installed yet."

Simon was getting a little wary as he knew the deviant detective was picking up a trail to follow. "Connor, is there something going on?"

"Maybe." Pointing out the odd reading Connor went into detail about the incident at the hotel and the device he found secured to the bottom of the elevator car, and how after the car crashed at the bottom of the shaft the device had been completely destroyed. "The device produced a similar electrical signature as the one recorded here. I suspect a second device will be located on or around the tower's generator."

Josh sighed and volunteered to check it out for himself. "I'll go take a look."

"Alone?" Simon's worry was mounting and he watched as Josh took his leave of the conference room. "Is that safe?"

"It'll be fine. I'll be back soon."

Connor noted the oddly emotional response that Simon had at the prospect of Josh being gone for too long, but didn't say anything about it.

Skye leaned closer to look at the tablet in Connor's hands and looked at the curious reading that had caught the detective's attention. "Do you think it was a deviant who attacked you at the hotel?"

"It's possible. There were no traces of human activity in the building save for the human detective who I accompanied to the hotel. I found only traces of other deviants and broken androids inside the building. It's possible the electronic signature could've masked a second active deviant on the property."

"Why would they attack you?"

"Many deviants dislike me, Skye. There are many reasons that I would've been attacked by a fellow deviant."

Simon scoffed at the very idea and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, and all of them are petty."

"I can't fault them for being distrustful toward me." Not willing to ignore the truth Connor gave the blond technician a sorrowful glance. "I was the 'Deviant Hunter' and nothing can change that."

"No, but you can fault them for being violent without any just cause toward you. You were a machine when you were working under CyberLife and you became deviant when helped lead our people to freedom during the Revolution. You never hurt any of us and never would."

Cassandra felt awkward being the odd one out in the group of friends, and needed to get some space. "Uh, do you mind if I head into town to check in with the neighboring facilities? Their security programs should be up and running by now."

Skye agreed and smiled with approval at her ambitious apprentice. "Yes, that's fine. Be sure to let Abby know the repair ward is up and functioning, too."

"Of course. I'll be back in hour or so. Uh," sounding a tad uncomfortable Cassandra took her leave and acknowledged the seldom seen and honorary leader of the tower. "it was nice to meet you at last, Connor."

"Yes. It was nice to meet you, too."

From the generator room Josh made a cybernetic connection to his allies still in the conference room to update them on the situation at hand. 'Hey, it looks like Connor is onto something. There's some strange electrical device secured to the rear of the generator. I'm going to remove it and bring it up to be examined.'

"Right, don't hurt yourself." Simon cautioned nervously over the line with a verbal response. "Connor, will you help us figure out what that device is?"

"Of course. I'm always happy to help."

It wasn't more than five minutes before Josh returned to the conference room with the electronic device in his hands. As he placed it down on the table in the middle of the room Connor ran a quick cybernetic scan over the device and found it be of the same construction of the previous device he had located in the hotel. However, without the original device he couldn't directly compare the design as he would've preferred.

"Yes. This is the device that I had seen at the hotel before I was pushed from behind." Connor confirmed as he eyed the device curiously. "It was attached to the undercarriage of an elevator car that shortly thereafter slipped from its brakes and nearly crushed me at the bottom of the elevator shaft where I landed after falling."

"But you never saw the face of the person who pushed you?" Skye asked as she checked over the security footage on the tablet that had been recording since the tower had been rebuilt. "Nothing at all?'

"No, nothing."

"That sucks." There was no sign of an intruder on the footage which meant the deviant responsible for the device either secured the device to the generator before the security program was implemented or before the generator had even been delivered to the tower. "Whoever planted this device this knew the layout of the tower."

"I suspect the deviant or deviants involved were a part of the restoration team." Connor deduced keenly from their limited information. "I also suspect the device interfered with the generator during the blackout causing it to malfunction."

"Connor," Skye gave the deviant detective a worried glance as her L.E.D. settled on a cautious yellow. "what actually caused the blackout?"

"The blackout has been directly linked to storm related interference. Why do you ask?"

"Because I think whoever did this is testing the device at deviant exclusive locations." Following her own trail Skye gave Connor a theory to contemplate while he examined the device. "What if the storm wasn't responsible for the blackout, but one of these devices had been? Maybe the storm was the perfect cover to test the device without being detected?"

"That is... plausible." The unnerving theory made Connor's posture visibly tensed up. "But what would be the motive?"

"I have no idea. Maybe someone knew North was clinging to life and needed the constant contact with New Jericho to remain active?"

"Seems like very extreme lengths to go to just eliminate one deviant. However," Connor suddenly looked very uncomfortable as he contemplated the prospect of an assassination attempt. "if the deviant or deviants responsible for this strange occurrence wanted to utilize electricity to their advantage, the devices could theoretically sustain power to a single location while keeping the energy being used from being noticed."

"How do you know that?"

"When I was at the hotel," remaining calm Connor explained his own theory to Skye, Simon and Josh in a completely professional manner. "the building had no electricity and had been abandoned for at least nine years. The electrical device that was secured to the elevator car had enough power to cause the elevator doors to function and to deactivate the emergency brakes of the elevator car without the rest of the building being affected by the power surge."

"Okay," Skye nodded as she gave Connor her full attention. "I'm following you so far."

"The device attached to the generator was also able to deactivate the generator without leaving a detectable trace to be followed." Pulling open the metallic casing of the device in the middle of the table with little effort, Connor revealed the internal components which revealed the device itself was a highly advanced and a self sustaining feat of engineering after rerouting the power from the generator into itself. "Even now it's fully active but I cannot detect any energy output despite my immediate proximity."

Simon shook his head despondently at the information. "How many more of these devices could be in the tower?"

"It's currently impossible to estimate."

"Josh?" Simon was incredibly worried and seemed like he was about to wring his hands until they crumbled into dust. "We need to check the entire building."

"Yeah, let's go." Agreeing entirely Josh pulled Simon by the right hand to leave the room as the duo set off to begin their search of the tower. "We'll check each floor as meticulously as possible."

Skye put her right hand on Connor's left shoulder as he continued to examine the device. "How do we find the devices?"

Freezing momentarily as Skye's hand rested on his shoulder, her touch catching him off guard, but Connor quickly recomposed himself. "...It doesn't leave an electrical signature, but I suspect it does in fact leave a radiation signature for us to potentially follow."

"I'm going to check the security program to ensure it hasn't been tampered with. This is too strange to brush off as a single passing incident."

"You're correct. I'll remain here and continue to investigate the device's design."

"Should we tell Markus?"

"No. We shouldn't worry Markus or North until we know exact details on the device rather than just speculate. Give them more time to recover at home."

"Okay. I'll be in contact once I begin to check through the footage."

Connor only nodded at Skye as she slowly pulled her hand from his shoulder and took her leave of the conference room.

It didn't take long for Connor to cybernetically dissect the device and recreate the blueprints that allowed it to function via a digital display in his mind. Uploading the blue prints to the precinct Connor was able to chronicle the unusual case that had revealed itself over the past few weeks and begin a remote investigation. Informing the precinct of the second device being found in the tower and its design being confirmed as an identical counterpart from the hotel, Connor requested that a small investigation team be sent to the power plant to check for any additional devices that could've caused the blackout.

'Connor.' Skye cybernetically contacted Connor from the security control room. 'The security footage hasn't been tampered with, but it appears as though the program itself was shutdown without approval for a two hour window on the same day that the generator was delivered to the tower.'

"Your program was designed to force the tower into lockdown mode if the program or if the power was cut, correct?"

'This shutdown took place two days before the program was fully initiated.'

"Who knew of this security program?"

'Only myself, you and the other leaders of the tower. No one else should've known about-' Skye stopped short for a second and there was a heavy pause before her voice returned in a frantic yell. 'Connor! I'm being attacked!'

"Skye?!"

Connor immediately bolted from the conference room and raced down the corridor to reach the security control room in a matter of seconds. Pushing open the automatic door with his hands Connor caught sight of two male deviants, both of an unknown and unique design, attempting to restrain Skye while she fought back against her would-be captors.

"Let her go! NOW."

The two deviants stepped back from Skye, letting her fall to the ground of the security room in a heavy 'thud' onto her right side. A small smear of blue blood began to form under Skye's head where she hit the floor.

"Fuck! Let's get outta' here!" The first deviant shouted as he and his ally pushed their way out of the room through Connor and into the lobby of the tower to escape. "Fuckin' 'Deviant Hunter' will kill us all!"

"STOP!" Connor shouted as he was torn between pursuing the two deviants and helping his friend. He needed to prioritize but something about seeing the trickle of dark blue blood running from Skye's right temple overrode the logical telling him to chase after the dangerous deviants. Connor made his choice and knelt beside Skye on the floor to help her to sit upright. "Are you harmed?"

"I-I'm okay, go! Stop them!" Skye urged as she brushed off her clothing with her left hand and stood up slowly. She pressed her right hand to her bleeding right temple and held it there as she addressed Connor firmly. "Don't let them get away!"

Connor nodded as he scrambled back to his feet and sprinted after the two deviants in a determined bid to stop them from doing any further damage to either the tower, the occupants within the tower or to anyone else in the city. As Connor reached the front doors of the tower he caught sight of the two escaping deviants running around the side of the tower as they tried to elude the pursuing detective by heading out to the harbor.

"STOP." Connor demanded again as he quickly caught up to the fleeing duo. "You can't escape through the harbor! You'll drown!"

The two deviants showed no signs of stopping as they continued toward the wide open harbor that encircled the tower. Leaping over the short wooden barricade that divided the tower's property from the sandy shore, the duo disappeared from sight and into the darkness of the night.

"Shit!"

Connor swore as he reached the barricade and peered over to the other side. As he glanced down he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground in unexpected pain. Turning his head to face his attacker he looked up and found three other deviants looming over him with blunt weapons in their hands, ready to strike.

"...Damn it. It was a trap."

"Piece of shit, 'Deviant Hunter'." One of the three deviants; another male of an unknown model design, taunted Connor as he struck the already downed deviant detective in his upper right side with a crowbar. The deviant was tall, strongly built and looking a fight. Connor coughed loudly and wrapped his arms around his chest protectively where he had been struck as he endured a second blow to the right shoulder. "You seriously think you can walk around here like you didn't betray your own kind?"

The other two deviants; another male and a female - they too had unique designs, gathered around Connor and began to kick him all over his body. During the beat down the two deviants Connor had pursued leapt back over the barricade to assist their allies in beating down the outnumbered deviant detective.

"Markus trusts you, but he's a fool!" The deviant who struck Connor from behind spat venomous hate with every word he shouted. "He married a useless plastic whore! Her bitch of a friend isn't about to tell us what to do!"

Connor tried to get up from the ground to fight back but the five other deviants were striking too quickly with their weapons; the crowbar, a baseball bat and a lead pipe, and their kicks were too strong to be overcome. Utilizing dirty tactics Connor grabbed the nearest deviant by the back of his knee and caused him to fall backward, then 'mule kicked' the deviant directly behind him in the stomach.

Standing up quickly Connor grabbed the lead pipe with both hands and swung it with all of his strength against the third deviant's lower back to stun him, before swinging it at the fourth deviant striking him upside the head. Moving swiftly Connor managed to hit the fifth deviant in the chest and watched as she stumbled backward to cough violently.

"Big mistake!" The first deviant, Tyson, shouted as he shot to his feet and wrapped his arm around Connor's throat from behind and began to try to choke him out. Connor lost his grip on the lead pipe and was promptly unarmed once more as his Thirium supply was choked off from his intracranial processors. "Once we take care of you, we're going to finish off your bitch and then finally take out that whore!"

The other four deviants reclaimed their weapons and used their fists as they resumed the assault against the bold deviant detective.

"HEY!" Skye's voice shouted over the commotion of the five deviants attempting to beat down Connor. "Back off!"

"Speaking of that bitch..." Stopping the assault just long enough to turn and laugh at Skye, the five deviants were suddenly painfully aware that Skye wasn't alone. Josh and Simon were standing at her sides with an additional dozen deviants behind them as back-up. "What the... hell?"

Simon took a step forward and took his role as temporary leader with absolute confidence to another level. "You five are under arrest for the assault and attempted murder of two fellow deviants. Surrender to New Jericho authority or to the Detroit Police. Your choice."

Tyson let go of Connor causing Connor to collapse to the ground in a semi-conscious heap on his left side. Blue blood oozed out of the corner of Connor's mouth and his chest shuddered with pained breaths that caused his fractured plastimetal framing to shift uncomfortably against his will.

"...Fuck."

One by one the five deviants dropped their weapons and held up their hands to surrender to New Jericho's authority.

The dozen accompanying deviants quickly converged on the five rogues and restrained them with a firm grip that kept the violent quintet from lashing out for a second time. Forcing the dangerous group back away from Connor and toward the tower to be properly sentenced for their needless, violent crime against Connor and Skye. Josh and Simon escorted the group inside while Skye tended to Connor before they too returned to the tower.

Without hesitation Skye knelt down beside Connor and rubbed her left hand along the deviant's back as Connor pushed himself up from the ground onto his hands and knees. Coughing up a little blue blood Connor rocked backward on his knees and took in a sharp, pained breath between his clenched teeth.

"Connor..." Skye's right hand went under Connor's chin and gently turned his head so she could look him in the eyes. His left eye was bloodshot blue from being struck and the left side of his jaw was beginning to swell. "Are you okay?"

"F-Fine." Connor stammered in a hoarse voice as he fought to catch his breath. He saw the blue blood smeared over Skye's brow. "You're... still bleeding."

With the group in custody Simon and Josh walked over to Connor and grabbed onto the deviant's arms to gently pull him up to his feet. Then pulling Connor's arms around their shoulders for support, the two bold leaders carried their wounded ally back to the tower for technical repairs while Skye lightly pressed her right hand to the left side of Connor's swollen face sympathetically.

"I'll be fine." The deviant detective affirmed with a weak grin. "It's you who needs to be taken care of."

"You first." Skye stated somberly as she walked at his side and rubbed his back again. "Then I'll get patched up. I get the feeling my quiet night in the tower is going to be way too long and too invasive after what we just went through."

In too much pain to resist technical assistance Connor laid back on the exam table in the tower's emergency repair ward with his gray blazer draped on the chair beside him, the buttons of his dirtied white dress shirt opened and a bag of chilled Thirium pressed to the left side of his jaw to act as an ice pack. Simon had finished performing a series of internal scans similar to an x-ray for a human and found none of Connor's internal biocomponents damaged or plastimetal frame irreparably compromised by the assault. It was a close call due to the various weapons used against Connor's person, but fortunately he managed to elude any serious or permanent damage.

Skye was sitting on a smaller table across from Connor being examined by Josh due to her own injuries. Her L.E.D. had been torn from her right temple and destroyed by the violent deviants during the assault. Though it didn't leave behind any permanent damage on her person either, it was still a shock for Skye to suddenly find herself without the light and she felt a tad awkward.

"How's your ventilation?" Simon asked as he used an audioscope to listen to Connor's chest carefully. "Deep breaths."

"It isn't restricted." Taking in a deep breath Connor confirmed that he didn't have any problems with his ventilation system. "I can breathe normally."

"Lean forward for me." Moving the stethoscope from Connor's chest to his back the technician wasn't going to take any chances with Connor's health considering that Connor was a prototype. "Everything sounds normal; no faltering or whirring. Does your head hurt?"

"No. Just a dull ache." Connor lowered the chilled Thirium from his jaw and eye warily. "My Thirium volume is only down to ninety-eight percent as well."

"Your vitals are all stable." Simon confirmed as he set aside the audioscope and let out a sigh of relief. "...I'm so sorry this happened."

"Pardon?"

"You were assaulted at the tower despite our security protocols. This is unforgivable."

"Those deviants had planned their actions for some time now and had most likely had planned everything away from the tower and away from the security camera. They even knew to secure their device to the generator before it arrived at the tower." Connor gave the technician a reassuring grin. "It's not your fault, it's no one's fault."

"I can't ask you to stay, but if you'd at least wait an hour to ensure you'll remain stable, could you please wait here before returning home from the tower?"

"Of course."

"Thank you." Relieved to have Connor being cooperative Simon's guilt seemed to lessen considerably. "Uh, I'll go check in with the five deviants who assaulted you. Josh and I will get some answers for the precinct by morning."

"Thanks, that'd be very helpful."

As Simon stepped away from the exam table he approached Josh and whispered something into his left ear. Nodding in agreement Josh stepped aside from the exam table where Skye was sitting and the two left the repair ward shoulder-to-shoulder as they set about questioning the five dangerous deviants awaiting custody under the watchful eyes of the volunteering 'security' deviants who had assisted outside.

"Skye?" Connor swung his legs over the side of the exam table to approach the shaken deviant sitting across from him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Her right fingertips were pressed to her right temple under her hair. "Just getting used to not having my L.E.D., that's all." Her hazel eyes fell to the blank L.E.D. in Connor's right temple curiously. "How'd you get used to it?"

"Very easily. It's just an aesthetic, it isn't anything crucial to what I am or, more importantly, who I am."

Smiling at Connor warmly and sympathetically Skye gently returned her left hand to Connor's jaw. "I'm so sorry you were attacked. But... thank you for saving my life tonight."

"Of course. You saved me the night of the fire and after I escaped from Chicago, I was happy to return the favor."

"We're not going to keep score, are we?" Skye joked playfully at the very concept. "I get the feeling you'd win hands down!"

Such a comment made Connor tilt his head a little. "Why's that?"

"You're a hero. Aside from saving me and those other deviants from that psycho kidnapper in Canada, you were a part of the Revolution and saved thousands of deviant lives! There's no way I could keep up with that. I'd like to try, but I don't think there's going to be another world changing event that I could take part of."

"Skye," Connor was still unconvinced of his own merits and remained timid. "I did the right thing, that doesn't make me a hero."

"I think it does, and I'm not the only one." She lowered her left hand from his face and stood up so she could stand directly in front of him. Skye had to look up slightly to look him in the eyes as she addressed the courageous deviant detective. "And even if you don't think you're a hero, you are a great person. You've done so much and ask for so little. That's amazing."

"I just want to help. I don't seek any recognition for my deeds."

"And you're humble. Don't sell yourself short, you deserve to be seen as the hero you are."

"...I'd rather not."

"Well, could I least give my hero a goodnight kiss?" As Skye asked the question a faint blue blush appeared on her face that was matched by Connor within seconds. "You know, to say thank you?"

"I... I suppose that would be acceptable."

Standing up on her tiptoes Skye leaned in close and kissed Connor on his left cheek just above the bruise on his jaw and looked up at him. As their eyes reconnected Skye felt compelled to lean in again and this time she kissed him on the lips.

"I-I'm sorry!" Skye blushed a deeper shade of blue as she stepped back in shocked embarrassment. "I shouldn't have done that! It was inappropriate."

Connor wasn't offended or even startled by Skye's unexpected second kiss. In fact he enjoyed it. It was a comforting feeling that made Connor's chest warm and his heart race with excitement as just the idea of kissing her made him feel happy. Truly happy.

As Skye tried to back away from Connor out of needless shame Connor reached out and lightly grabbed onto her right hand to keep her from leaving. Gently Connor pulled her back closer to himself and he took her left hand in his own to hold in an affectionate grip. The two deviants locked eyes for a moment once more and in silent mutual admiration for one another, they stared at each other as if seeking answers to questions neither knew they wanted to ask.

Tentatively Connor leaned in closer to Skye and initiated a third kiss that she happily accepted. Pulling her hands away from his hands Skye wrapped her arms around Connor's shoulders and he did the same around her back as they kissed one another passionately as if waiting their whole lives for that single moment.

As the kiss ended Skye locked eyes with Connor and gave him an enticing smile that he sincerely reciprocated. "Connor, will you... I want you to stay with me." Skye whispered as she began running her right hand lightly through his dark locks of hair and stepped even closer so he'd hold her tighter. "Please stay."

"...I'd love to stay with you." Closing his eyes Connor found himself oddly at peace as he decided he'd rather stay in the tower for the night and away from home. As his soulful brown irises returned he flashed Skye a confident, affectionate grin as he accepted the offer. "Tonight, I'll stay for as long as you want me to be with you."

"Then stay with me and try to stay forever."

That particular invitation was oddly enticing to Connor's heart. "Forever it is..."

-next chapter-