Barely able to focus on anything but his impending shift where everything would surely be different, Connor stood before his mirror mounted in the rear of his bedroom closet and stared at his appearance in the flawless reflection. The look was the same - dark jeans, dark boots, a perfectly pressed white long sleeved dress shirt, a black tie and the gray blazer over top. Even Connor's hair was styled as usual with the single rogue lock hanging down near his left eye. Yet somehow the person who was staring back at Connor felt like someone completely new. It was as if the deviant Connor had once been during the night of the Revolution was now truly his own person and not just a staple in android history.

As he straightened his tie for the ninth actual time Connor finally stepped out of his bedroom and met Hank in the kitchen as the newly appointed precinct Captain poured himself a mug of freshly brewed coffee. Hank seemed to be his usual self but Connor couldn't help but feel as though everything was about to change and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Hank?" Fighting the urge to pull his coin from his pocket and fidget with it, Connor just stood inside the kitchen doorway and watched as Hank fussed with his light breakfast at the counter. "Are you ready to go to the precinct?"

"Sure." Finishing off his coffee Hank turned around to face Connor and gave the deviant a tentative glance. Hank was wearing a solid colored pale blue shirt with a black tie clipped in place at the top buttons. Like Connor, he was also wearing dark jeans rather than slacks, but he was wearing black shoes instead of boots. "What do you think?"

"Your attire is more appropriate to the precinct dress code, but your hair-"

"Yeah, yeah." Running his right hand through his relatively shaggy hair Hank sighed and gave the deviant a wary glance. "One change at a time." Sensing that Connor was a little hesitant to asked about their future status together at the precinct Hank took it upon himself to answer without waiting for Connor to ask the obvious. "Are you ready to work your first solo shift?"

"Solo? I thought I was to be assigned a new partner."

"You will. Right now there is no one available."

"...I see. Am I still on deviant related cases?"

"Nope. I reassigned that over to Chris and Jack."

"Because Jack is a deviant?"

"That... And because I want to do something to sort of commemorate Chris's promotion to Sergeant."

"Chris has been promoted as well?"

"Yup. And you'll be working homicide starting today. If I could take care of it by myself for a couple years then I know you'll have no problems doing the same. I do want you to start wearing a Kevlar vest when you're in the field at all times from now on."

"That is acceptable."

"Good. Because I wasn't going to change anything around just for you. I have a whole precinct to consider now."

Sumo trotted up to Connor and pressed his cold wet nose against the side of the deviant's hand and wagged his tail.

Instinctively Connor began petting the massive dog's head and tried to sound more confident than he actually felt as he continued the conversation. "We should go. I'm sure the rest of the precinct is anxious to know what has changed and what will stay the same."

"Yeah, sure. Guess I can't show up whenever I feel like it anymore now that I'm the one in charge."

Connor tried to give Hank a bemused smirk but he was still somewhat nervous about handling cases alone. It wouldn't be the first time Connor was required to handle a massive responsibility on his own, however, it would be the first time he handled any cases without his partner watching his back.

Pulling his car keys from his pocket Hank motioned to Connor to do the same and made his way to the front door. "All right, I'll see ya' there and we can get things straightened out one case at a time." The Pace had been totaled after being struck by a vengeful drug dealer three weeks prior, and in that time Hank found another Oldsmobile to his liking to drive. "Your new spot is right next to my own to avoid any confusion."

"...Yes." Looking to his car's keys sitting on the bookshelf in the livingroom behind him, Connor knew that he and Hank would have to drive separately from now on due to their unique schedules. "I'll be right behind you."

Activity in the precinct seemed to go about as usual despite Captain Fowler unexpectedly retiring the week before and Hank now being officially promoted to the Captain in charge of the Central Precinct. Despite his reputation as being difficult to work with, maybe even a little unstable at times, Hank had still earned a considerable amount of respect from his fellow officers and among his peers. As Hank stepped through the bullpen he was greeted with a mixture of silent nods of acknowledgement, as well as generic 'good mornings' from the officers and detectives who were anxiously waiting to see how Hank handled things now that he was in charge.

Connor had a slightly different experience as he sat down at his desk and noted the unoccupied space across from him. Every piece of the strange eclectic items that had once adorned Hank's desk had been moved into his new private office leaving the old desk itself barren and boring to look at. Doing his best to ignore the blank space Connor looked at Hank sitting behind his new desk in the office through the transparent wall and decided that he'd have to find a way to make his own desk more intriguing.

"Hey, Lieutenant." Chris walked up to the deviant and handed him an electronic tablet with a case of interest already on display. "There was a homicide early this morning. I figured you'd want to take a look."

"Yes, of course." Scanning over the screen as he took it from Chris's hand Connor's brow furrowed slightly while the macabre details came to light. "...The victim was attacked in his own home, but there was no sign of an intrusion; all of the doors and the windows were locked both inside and out. That's strange. I presume there are no witnesses, either."

"Yeah, you got it." Giving the deviant a sympathetic tilt of the head Chris took a step back and let Connor take the lead on the case. "Sorry to start the day off like this for you, but if anyone can figure this out, it's you."

"Thank you, Sergeant. I'll see what I can do."

Chris smirked as Connor called him 'Sergeant' before returning to his own desk.

Uploading the coordinates of the scene's address to his cybernetic G.P.S. Connor took his leave of the precinct to handle his first solo case and promptly made his way to the front doors of the precinct to get to the neighboring parking garage. It felt strange to leave for a crime scene without a partner watching his back and it felt even stranger to know that Hank was going to be staying behind and in a private office, but it was a change he'd simply have to get used to.

Nodding once to Hank through the transparent office window to let him know that he'd be out in the field, Connor took his leave and set about to deal with the case on his own.

It was an equally odd adjustment for Hank as he sat behind the desk that once belonged to not only his previous commanding officer, but his oldest friend. While Captain Fowler, Jeffrey, had survived the shooting and finally got justice for his murdered former partner, the incident was emotionally taxing enough to prompt his early retirement and to relinquish command to Hank himself; who had been promoted to Captain last fall. The transition was surprisingly smooth and no one had any qualms about Hank taking over the precinct thanks to his years of invaluable experience, his impressive recovery after falling prey to alcohol addiction and depression and of course his ties with the deviant community.

"Never thought I'd see the day I'd have my own office and a precinct."

Hank mumbled to himself as he sat down the desk, his desk, and looked over the familiar personal touches he brought over from his old desk into the new office. The small Bonsai tree in the corner of his desk had been brought back from the dead thanks to Connor's green thumb and his family photos were positioned around the plant to remind him of exactly why he became a detective all those years ago.

"I gotta' admit, it's kinda' nice."

Glancing about the office for a moment Hank settled on his terminal screen and with a breathy sigh he reached out his hand to turn it on and log in for the day. Not long after his clearance was granted and the case files were presented to him did he notice movement from the corner of his right eye. Turning to look through the transparent wall of his office to the bullpen he watched as Connor stood up, nodded in his direction and set out toward the front of the precinct to begin his own assignment.

"Good luck today, son."

Smirking with paternal pride as the deviant left the building Hank leaned back in his chair and reluctantly began staring at his terminal's bright screen.

"I'm actually a little jealous you get to go out into the field."

Arriving at the designated crime scene in a timely manner Connor found the large house - a mansion to be more exact, already barricaded by projections of police tape and other officers and drones who were containing the recently discovered crime scene. Inside the mansion Ben's personally trained C.S.I. team began to isolate evidence, check for fingerprints and take photographs of the murder to be used in the case at hand. The mansion was sprawling with officers and freelance photographers inside and out as the atrocious murder itself had undoubtedly been one of a high profile nature to provoke such a prompt reaction and overall intrigue.

Pulling the Corvette through the opened black gates of the private property and alongside the long winding drive behind the previously arrived police cruisers, Connor parked the vehicle and locked up the valuable car as he proceeded toward the mansion on foot. Glancing over his shoulder Connor caught sight of news vans beginning to gather around the front of the property as word of the murder soon spread throughout the city. It was less than comforting to know that the vultures were already gathering, but it was common.

"I truly understand why Hank disdains nosy people, especially if they have cameras."

"Hey, Connor." Ben greeted the deviant as he entered the front door of the mansion and was almost overwhelmed with the smell of old blood and decaying flesh. "I got a real interesting case for ya'. Hope you have a better time figuring this out than we did." Wafting his hand under his nose Ben's eyes were watering a little as he spoke to the newly arrived detective. "...And a stronger stomach."

"One victim who had been found in a house with the doors and the windows locked both internally and externally." The deviant recited the known details of the murder as he gazed about casually. The mansion was intricate, yet it felt hollow. "Who called in the murder?"

"The mailman. Poor guy saw that the mail was piling up, slipped through the front gates, peeked through the front window and practically had the life scared out of him."

"Do we have a time frame for the death?"

"We're looking at six days, possibly seven."

"Fingerprints?"

"Nothing except for those of the victim."

"Shoe prints?"

"Same. There are security cameras at the front and backdoor, but I doubt someone this thorough wouldn't forget to tamper with the footage before and after the murder."

"I'll look at the footage later. Don't worry about it."

"Good luck with that."

Stepping deeper inside the mansion through the large foyer Connor glanced about the room and scanned the interior for any sign of other intruders that the human eye otherwise wouldn't be able to see. As he ventured through the foyer with an inquisitive glance Connor caught the sound of camera bulbs flashing as the C.S.I. team photographed the crime scene in the sitting room just one room over.

Ben pointed Connor in the right direction and toward the sound. "Right in there. We've been airing out the room as best as possible without tampering with the windows or doors in the process."

"Thank you. I'll take it from here."

Joining the C.S.I. team in the sitting room where the body was located Connor crouched down and ran a scan over the victim and confirmed his identity within a matter of seconds: Logan McCoy; born December 4th 2003, a former A.I. Graduate at the University of Colbridge and studied under the late Professor Amanda Stern.

"Amanda?!"

Connor stood up after the startling connection to his former handler was exposed and he felt his heart racing in his chest. Forcing himself to finish the scan he resumed looking into the victim's quite interesting past for more information: Credited with assisting Elijah Kamski in developing the now famous 'Turing Test', and working as Kamski's silent partner for many years as CyberLife grew in power. McCoy had also discreetly left the company to live a quiet life in his isolated home away from the public's eye.

"...Kamski."

Connor muttered under his breath venomously as he realized the possible severity of the situation. Anyone associated with the cold snake disguised as a human was immediately labeled an enemy in Connor's mind, but right now he couldn't think like that for the sake of the victim.

"What the hell happened here?"

Logan McCoy had been shot and stabbed multiple times.

Blood soaked into the floorboards, stained the walls, parts of the ceiling, the surrounding chairs and bookshelves, and even seemed to seep into every pore of the neighboring exposed surfaces. The act was one of pure anger and malice, if not utter pain and revenge. It wasn't a random act of violence or one that could be the result of a misconstrued confrontation.

It was murder.

Each wound was precisely calculated to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort on McCoy's person. Only a machine, an android, could be so precise and flawlessly accurate with their strikes. That particular android would require special programming to properly identify each of the vital organs in the human body before the attack to allow for such perfect preconstruction of the attack itself.

Noting the four bullet wounds in McCoy's abdomen, the seven stab wounds to his chest, the snapped neck and blunt force trauma to the rest of his body resulting in numerous broken or fractures in his ribs, hands, arms, legs, spine and all throughout his face; it was evident that whomever murdered McCoy had a serious vendetta against him.

The murder was personal.

Connor knelt closer to McCoy, mindful of the puddle of dried dark blood all around the body on the floor, and took his in appearance. McCoy was thirty-nine years old, yet he appeared to be as young as twenty-seven years in age. He had taken excellent care of his health and had evidently followed a strict diet and exercise regimen. For someone to overpower him would've taken a tremendous amount of strength and speed.

McCoy's well groomed dark hair, without any trace of gray through the locks, had been styled to be slicked back, but now it was a disheveled mess of dried blood and sweat. His natural teeth had been replaced with perfect veneers and were mostly broken from devastating blows to his jaw and face. Very faint scars around his pupils were indicative of scars from lasik surgery to correct his vision and dried out tinted contact lenses changed his natural iris color from a hollow pale brown to deep dark blue.

Everything about McCoy screamed 'perfection' in his style and his home; a gorgeous three story brick mansion with six large rooms on each floor, a massive pool and hot tub in the backyard to be a truly inviting environment. The environment also screamed 'fake' just as loudly. It seemed cruelly poetic that a man who held himself to such a perfect stature above his peers had proven to be just vulnerable and mortal as any other man in the city.

"There are no fingerprints on the body." Connor thought out loud as Ben joined him next to the victim. "No shoe prints leading up to or away from the house beyond that of the victim and the mailman. The doors and the windows are all locked from the inside, and the security system had never been disarmed."

"Do you have an idea of what's going?" Ben asked as Connor stood upright slowly and proceeded to scan the floorboards around the victim more closely. "'Cuz we sure as hell don't have a clue."

"...I may have a theory. I'll need to examine the rest of the house to be certain."

"We didn't find anything useful upstairs," the seasoned detective admitted as he pointed Connor toward the staircase to make his up to the upper floors of the mansion. "but maybe you can."

Back at the precinct Hank sat at his desk relatively bored with the mundane tasks of sorting through case files and replying to micromanaging e-mails from 'higher-ups' from City Hall as his only assignments for the day. Leaning forward and resting his chin on the palm of his left hand he turned his head and saw that Connor's desk was still empty, which of course meant he still had something more interesting to check out, and watched as Chris happily chatted with Tina and Gavin in the breakroom. Jack, a deviant who was still trying to integrate with human social activities, stood idle next to the chatting detectives without providing a single word of his own to the conversation.

Ignoring the e-mails on his terminal for a moment Hank pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a message to Connor to ask about his current case and if it was just as 'thrilling' as paperwork. It didn't take long for Hank to receive a reply text from the deviant and with it he felt his boredom steadily melt away.

'I am currently trying to solve a locked room mystery.' Connor replied through a cybernetic text. 'One victim with no sign of intrusion, but the murder was brutally personal and efficient.'

"Want me to stop by and help? This paperwork is going to drive me crazy."

'I can handle it. I believe the fewer people who are at the crime scene will make it easier to deduce the identity of the killer.'

"Do you have a suspect in mind?"

'Perhaps. I suspect an android as the most likely culprit.'

"No shit? All right. Keep me posted."

'I will.'

Putting his phone aside next to his keyboard Hank leaned back in his chair and looked at the breakroom with a half interested glance. He didn't actually want any coffee but he sure as hell didn't want to just watch the other officers moving about free of the tedium of paperwork either.

"Fuck it."

Grabbing his empty white mug from the far side of his desk Hank wandered out of the office and made his way to the breakroom.

"Shitty tasting coffee is better than paperwork any day."

Exploring the extravagant mansion further Connor was able to confirm that McCoy had lived alone up until his violent and untimely death, and had the mansion equipped with cybernetic functions that made it a 'smart house' that kept itself clean and tidy on his behalf. Each room on all three floors were meticulously put in its place by design, which contrasted glaringly against the destroyed and blood soaked sitting room on the first floor where the murder had taken place. By all account the murder and the murderer had remained entirely confined to the first floor of the massive homestead before, during and after the abhorrent incident took place.

As Connor examined the master bedroom on the third floor his scanner detected a trace amount of long since evaporated blue blood on the floor around the bed, the wall above the bed and more disconcertingly on the mattress of the bed itself. The sample was too degraded to get a make and model of the android that had bled in the room, but it was enough to support Connor's current theory of an android being the murderer.

"An android had been in the mansion, but why were they on the third floor when the murder took place on the first floor?"

The dried Thirium was between two years old maximum and eight month old minimum, and had been left to dry on its own. The amount of lost Thirium wasn't due to a singular incident but due to many incidents resulting in injury. The android in question had bled in the center of the mattress over the estimated time frame numerous times which was indicative of repeated physical abuse.

The sight made Connor feel angry and sick as his mind immediately went to the 'Eden Club' and of the androids who had been used merely as disposable pleasures by selfish humans.

"McCoy illegally had an android in his possession. One he sexually abused to the point of physical damage to the android in question."

Connor's hands tightened into fists at his sides and he followed the dried trail of blue blood from the bed and to other various rooms throughout the mansion. The trail led to the bathroom, to the study, to the windows, to the hallway closet, down the stairs, to the front door and to the backdoor. The android was trying to escape after being physically abused and it apparently managed to finally get away at least eight months prior.

"McCoy was abusive toward his android but it finally managed to flee and escape."

Following the most recent trail of the blue blood down the to the front door on the first floor Connor was led out to the driveway where it immediately stopped without any further trace in the middle of the black pavement just a few yards from the mansion's front door. There were faint tire tracks on the pavement that belonged to one of the hundreds of local autonomous taxis in the city.

"...The abused android fled the mansion and climbed into an awaiting vehicle."

Too much time had passed to gather any further information on the vehicle through tire tracks, but the time frame could be confirmed at eight months prior just as Connor had estimated. Turning back to look at the mansion Connor's keen eyes detected the hidden motion activated security camera just above the front door facing the drive.

"Hopefully McCoy didn't erase the security footage from the previous eight months. It might be the key to unlocking this mystery."

Much to his chagrin Hank was having a less than ideal meeting with the mayor as he did his best to not insult the insufferable man while the myopic politician tried desperately to gain favor with the voters by 'making friends' with the police precincts and fire departments all around the city. Putting up with the openly fraudulent attempt to appear as a genuine 'Average Joe' with an equally faux smile, Hank patiently waited for the little worm to say his piece and leave him alone at long last. He knew the dangers of having to deal with political figures now that he was in charge of the precinct, but it didn't make it any easier to accept or endure.

In that time Connor had returned to the precinct with the collected evidence already cybernetically uploaded to his terminal and was eager to set about working on the interesting case. Taking his seat at his desk the dedicated detective began piecing together the partially erased and corrupted security footage from the mansion to hopefully identify the killer android who had slain McCoy.

For the first time since his deviancy Connor felt torn about solving a murder.

Justice needed to be served and the killer needed to be captured, but if the android who murdered McCoy was the same one who had been abused, then perhaps justice had already been served. Connor could prove that the victim had escaped from the abusive household months prior which would negate any claims for self defense, but as someone who had also suffered from the haunting effects of P.T.S.D. from his own tragic experiences Connor's heart went out to the victim despite not knowing who they were.

It was never easy to heal or move on after enduring personal tragedy and it was made all the more difficult by vivid memories haunting the victim's dream. Connor himself had managed to heal enough to move on with his life yet he still felt the lingering sting of tragedy weighing against his heart from time to time, especially when he had a nightmare revolving around his past.

Jack walked over to Connor's desk and stood beside it for a moment before addressing the detective in a slightly humanoid and curious tone of voice. "May I ask about your progress on your case, Lieutenant?"

"Slow." Connor replied as he looked up at the blond android before staring back at his terminal screen. "A majority of the security footage from the crime scene in question had been erased or corrupted through a second party's interference. It will take time, but I will be able to piece together the footage to identify the suspect."

"Would you like any assistance?"

"No. I can handle this. Thank you, Jack."

Nodding in approval Jack walked away from Connor's desk and rejoined Chris at his own desk briefly before the two set off on their afternoon patrol. It was nice to see other deviants being treated as equals, especially by someone as kind as Chris. It truly showcased progress between the human and deviant relations throughout the city.

"Kinda' like looking into the past, huh, kid?"

Connor turned his head and noticed Hank casually leaning up against his former desk with his arms folded over his chest. "Are you referring to my time prior to becoming a deviant and our first official shift together?"

"Yup."

Thinking about their first encounter Connor's mouth twitched a little as he folded his hands neatly over his lap. "I don't recall ever being so... machine."

"To be honest, neither can I. But then again, I never really saw you as a machine most of the time. I saw you as a kid."

"...A rookie?"

"Yup." Hank repeated with a slight smirk on his face as he gauged Connor's own reaction to the question. "Just a kid fresh out of the academy and eager to earn the respect of his peers."

"Perhaps that's why I was able to deviate so easily after I met you. Your behavior toward me was how you would've treated any inexperienced officer, rather than that of a cold machine."

"To be more specific, an inexperienced officer who also had a hard time following orders. And to be fair, you still do." Hank shrugged his shoulders a little in a jovial response as he noted Connor's reaction. "Sometimes."

"How so?"

Hank pressed a pointed right index finger against the white dress shirt under Connor's gray blazer. "No Kevlar."

"O-Oh. Yes, of course." Connor sat back a little in his seat and pressed his right palm over his chest. "I didn't have time to get a vest before my case had been assigned."

"Uh-huh. Learn to make the time to grab a vest, all right?"

"Yes, Captain." Connor craned his neck to look into Hank's office through the transparent windows that lined the small area and saw that the mayor had long since left the precinct. "How was your meeting with the mayor?"

"Full of bullshit and lies."

"So... normal?"

"Exactly." Patting his hand over Connor's shoulder in approval Hank leaned down to look at the deviant's terminal screen. "How's your case?"

"Progressing at a slow clip."

"Find any trace of the killer?"

"Possibly. But the security footage from the mansion will confirm or deny my theory once it's been restored."

"Cool. I'm going on lunchbreak. Wanna' join me?"

"I'd rather remain here in the event another delay in restoring the security footage could potentially halt my investigation."

"Okay, your loss." Pulling his car keys from his pocket Hank spun the keys around by the ring on his fingertip and grinned. "See you around, kid. Don't work too hard on this case or let it bother you."

The day gave way to night and Connor remained at his terminal as he patiently waited for the security footage taken from the mansion to be restored. In that time Hank had already left for the evening as did the rest of the day shift with the evening crew clocking in as usual. Electing to stay behind to finish his work until the footage was completed, Connor found himself struggling to focus on the tedious task and instinctively went for the coin in his pocket. As he danced the coin gracefully over his hands more details from the case appeared on his terminal screen and with it a single sample of the Thirium that had evaporated into the floorboards had been salvaged.

The drop of Thirium could be used to identify the model of android at the scene of the murder through a simple test that could be performed in the precinct itself. To make things simpler, all Connor had to do was compare the Thirium to the recorded manifest of every android model known to reside within the city, and from there he'd have to run a second test to identify the exact android by their serial number and discover their name.

"Progress at last."

Slipping into the evidence room in the basement of the precinct Connor sorted through the collected evidence and located the Thirium sample that had been collected. It was a tiny amount that had been soaked into a section of the stained hardwood that lined the floor of the mansion just outside of the master bedroom. The sample was so sparse that it was barely detectable by the C.S.I. team's instruments, but was still plainly visible to Connor's scanner.

"With any luck the sample will be enough to identify a make and model of the deviant in question."

Trading his coin for the small transparent plastic box containing details on the provided sample, Connor set about attempting to gain some leverage in the case that he could actually work with.

"I can then narrow down androids and deviants who've formerly had an connection to McCoy."

Opening the box Connor picked up the piece of wooden flooring between his left index finger and thumb. Holding the piece of the floor in his left hand Connor dragged his right fingertip over the fading Thirium stain and pressed the sample to his tongue. It took his analysis program almost a full minute to process the provided and diluted sample, but it succeeded in time.

Unexpectedly with the definitive results containing a perfect match came a familiar name and a hauntingly familiar face. As his posture stiffed with shock Connor returned the sample to the box and double-checked his scanner, only to find the exact same results being confirmed for the second time.

"...Chloe?"

Progress was made on the case, but it was very late and Connor needed to go home for the night. Returning home quietly just past midnight, Connor planted himself on the couch in the middle cushion with his coin nervously dancing over his right hand. The blue blood sample had been confirmed to belong to that of Chloe, all three tests - the third test being run during the drive home, all resulted in the same conclusion. Despite the undeniable evidence Yet Connor was having a difficult time trying to theorize how Chloe could've been in the mansion. It seemed like a false positive, but with three consistently accurate tests all reaching the same conclusion there was no denying the facts.

Chloe was in the mansion. All the more disturbing was the fact that the only connection between McCoy and Chloe was Elijah Kamski.

"Connor?" Hank walked down the hallway half asleep with a tired yawn in his voice. "What kept you?"

"My case."

"You all right?" Noticing that Connor seemed unusually cold as the deviant started blankly at the wall straight ahead of himself Hank gently pressed his son to keep talking. "You seem a little distracted."

"...Just thinking."

"Is the case really that tough?"

Connor didn't answer as he continued to mess with the coin over his hand. The nervous tic always gave away Connor's racing thoughts and mounting stress. Despite Hank's insistence that he didn't need the coin anymore the deviant refused to get rid of the small item and would even seem to get agitated whenever Hank told him to put it away.

"Why don't you get some sleep?" Hank then insisted as he studied Connor's demeanor carefully. "You'll crack it tomorrow."

"...I'll go to bed in a moment."

"Don't obsess over this thing, okay?" Walking back down the hallway Hank disappeared back into his bedroom and waited for Connor to retire for the night on his own terms. "Goodnight, Connor."

Falling silent once more Connor didn't reply as his soulful brown eyes stared straight forward at the turned off television screen while his mind continued to deal with the prospect of Chloe possibly being a murderess. She was still residing in New Jericho Tower and Connor knew that all he had to do was give the word to his allies in the tower to keep her there until he could arrest her, but something in his heart was telling him to wait; something he couldn't explain.

A gut feeling, perhaps?

The morning arrived and Connor had remained on the couch without budging since he arrived home six hours prior. Sumo stretched out and yawned from his pillow in the corner of the livingroom before he walked over to Connor and pressed his chin and strong paw down over top Connor's knee. The deviant didn't react to the gentle dog's greeting and continued to fidget with the coin over his hand.

"Connor?" This time when Hank called his name his voice was less tired and more annoyed. "You better not tell me you were up all damn night again."

"...I apologize." Noting the early morning hour Connor realized he had in fact remained awake all night long. "I was-"

"Thinking. I know." Letting out an annoyed sigh Hank made his way into the bathroom to shower off and begin his new, earlier morning routine. "Not surprised."

Connor remained where he sat on the couch and let the coin come to a stop over the back of his right hand. Turning his attention to Sumo who was looking up at him with his big brown eyes, Connor slipped his coin back into his pocket and placed his hand onto Sumo's head.

"...I have a bad feeling about today, boy."

Sumo whimpered and licked Connor's arm in empathetic response.

"Come on. I can at least get you taken care of."

It took Hank almost twenty minutes to shower off and in that time Connor took care of Sumo - fed him and let him outside for a few minutes, and prepared a fresh pot of hot coffee for Hank. Deciding it'd be best to not accidentally irritate Hank any further than he already had done, Connor left early and placed a perfectly written note up against the coffee pot to ensure Hank found it to let him know where he had gone.

Stepping out of the bathroom and into the kitchen Hank smelled the coffee immediately and noticed that Connor wasn't in the livingroom or the kitchen. Spotting the note propped up against the side of the coffee maker Hank picked it up and read it over quickly.

"Damn kid's a workaholic."

Dropping the note back down on the countertop Hank poured himself a cup of the coffee and sighed as Sumo sat down at his feet begging for a few additional morning pets. Looking down at Sumo as the massive dog wagged his tail Hank scoffed a little and put his hand on Sumo's head to rub his ears.

"And you're a damn attention-whore."

Sumo just continued to wag his tail as Hank gently rubbed at his soft ears.

"As soon as that case is solved I'm going to have to find Connor a new partner to keep him from obsessing over his work all night long."

Whimpering once Sumo tilted his head a little and gave Hank a searching stare.

"Yeah, you're right. He's too damn stubborn to have any partner talk some some sense into him. I'll be sure to talk to him later tonight."

Eager to solve the case and get some definitive answers Connor returned to the precinct and immediately resumed his investigation at his terminal. The security footage had been mostly restored to its best possible quality and with that evidence finally in hand Connor was able to clearly identify the single android that had been on the property of the mansion in the past eight months, as well as the previous five days. The restored footage thankfully included the night of the murder as well. The footage played out and there was no denying the identity of the killer. Begrudgingly Connor had no choice but to act upon what he had regretfully uncovered.

The security footage from eight months prior showed the blonde haired android stumbling out of the house with blue blood trailing behind her. There was blood dripping down her legs from a wound under her blue dress marking her escape. She bled as she fell into the backseat of an autonomous taxi that had pulled into the driveway to rescue her and she was carted off to safety with McCoy following after her on foot and shouting in rage.

Chloe was violently assaulted by McCoy and she escaped almost two weeks prior.

The security footage from five days ago showed the same deviant returning to the house and cybernetically unlocking the front door of the house through security codes in the dead of night. Though still grainy, Connor could see that a gun was in her right hand and a knife was in the left hand. Shortly thereafter the footage became corrupted beyond repair and only resumed its standard recording after the murder had been committed. The image of Chloe fleeing from the mansion for the second time now covered in red blood would be ingrained in Connor's memory forever.

Chloe killed him. She was actually a murderess.

"Chloe... What did you do to him?"

Stopping the playback Connor let his shoulders slump and he turned off the terminal's screen.

"What did he do to you?"

It was all too brutal and calculated to be anything beyond murder. But why? What did McCoy do to Chloe that would warrant such a premeditated and ruthless attack that ended in a painful death?

Cybernetically Connor connected to Markus at New Jericho Tower to ask about his prime suspect without causing a panic. 'Markus. I need an update on Chloe's status.'

'Chloe?' The confusion in Markus's voice was sincere and dense. 'What do you mean?'

'...She is the prime suspect in a crime.'

There was a pause before Markus replied in a righteously confused tone. 'May I ask what kind of crime? I mean, is she a threat to our people?'

'I don't want to lie to you or cause a panic, but I fear Chloe is responsible for the murder of a human.'

'What?!' Almost shouting in abject horror over the cybernetic line Markus couldn't believe what he was being told. 'You're sure?'

'Positive. Where is she as of this moment?'

'Wait... You don't know where she is?'

Connor felt his heart skip a beat as he continued the cybernetic conversation with Markus. 'Why would I know that? She is currently residing at New Jericho Tower, isn't she?'

'No. Chloe has been interning at the hospital during the day and remaining at Skye Tower at night. At least that's what she told us had been arranged.'

'No deviants reside in the tower at night unless they are refugees or volunteers.' Deception was in the air and Connor was determined to locate Chloe before any further grim details came to light or began circulating through the city. 'She is neither.'

'Connor...' The regret was heavy in every single one of Markus's words. 'I'm so sorry. She-'

'Don't worry about that now. Just keep a look out for her. I'm going to begin a search for her myself.'

'I'll let everyone know to keep an eye out for her and to contact you if she shows up.'

'If she is guilty she could be dangerous, don't let anyone get close to her if they're alone. Just point me in her direction and I'll confront her myself.'

'...Yeah. I get it. Take care, Connor.'

'I will. I'll remain in contact and keep you updated.'

Cybernetically checking in with Pamela at Skye Tower's receptionist desk was met just as many lack of details as New Jericho Tower. Chloe wasn't there and she hadn't been there for almost a full week, which meant she was now a missing deviant. Leaning forward against his desk Connor outwardly swore and let out a deep breath.

"Shit. Where is she?"

Chloe was missing. No one at New Jericho Tower knew of her disappearance and no one at Skye Tower had been able to track here down upon Connor's request. Even the hospital where she was interning as a nurse hadn't seen her for a week and their own deviant receptionist confirmed as much.

"I never should've taken her away from Kamski."

Lamenting at the previous decision Connor felt as though he had just pulled the pin out of a grenade and dropped it in the heart of the city.

"It was a mistake after all."

Clipping on his dark blue tie with a heavy grimace on his face just to appear more professional, Hank made his way to the precinct to arrive at his earlier hour to clock-in and acknowledged the late night shift clocking-out so they could go home. A few of the faces were familiar while there were a few new faces that all belonged to up and coming rookie officers working their way through the ranks and earning their keep behind their badges. Each officer and detective gave Hank a respectful nod as they passed by their new commanding officer and didn't at all seem to mind or worry about their sudden their change in command at the precinct.

Just as he stepped into the bullpen Hank nearly collided with Connor as the deviant tried to step out. Stopping quickly Hank stepped to the side and put up his hands to keep himself from bumping into Connor by mistake.

"Whoa! Easy, son."

"Sorry, Hank." Barely acknowledging his Captain and father Connor stepped around Hank and continued on his way. "I have to go."

"Hey!" Grabbing onto Connor's bicep in a firm but not painful grip Hank managed to hold the deviant back for a moment. "What's going on?"

"I may have found a lead but I need to move quickly."

"Are you okay? You seem kinda', I don't know..." Letting go of Connor's arm Hank just stared at the deviant's distressed face for a moment. "You seem a little freaked out."

"I'm fine, Captain. I'm merely concentrating."

"Uh-huh, is that why you almost ran into me?"

"Please?" Urging Hank to dismiss him Connor was eager to set out on his search. "I must go now."

"Yeah, yeah. But we're going to talk about your obsessive behavior tonight when we get home. And you're locking out at five this evening, no excuses."

Connor nodded a little as he slowly went on his way. "I'll remember to do that."

"You better."

Putting his hands to his hips Hank watched as the deviant hastily left the precinct and then nearly bumped into Tina as she stepped inside the building through the front doors to clock-in as well.

"The kid really needs to learn to tone it down and relax every once in a while."

Scoffing at the words he just said Hank turned on his heels to head for his office.

"Fuck. I'm officially old and in charge, I sound like Fowler."

Driving about the city in his shiny blue Corvette at a steady clip, Connor searched for any clue as to where the suspected murderess had gone and hoped to find her before anything could happen to her. No one at New Jericho Tower could confirm seeing Chloe since she began interning at St. Mercy Hospital approximately twelve weeks prior, and no one at Skye Tower had seen her in six days after she started to accompany Dr. Wilson to the tower when he began his night shift as per usual. A call to Dr. Wilson also confirmed that Chloe wasn't at the hospital or the towers. It was as if she had disappeared from the face of the Earth after she fled from the mansion covered in the murdered man's blood.

Initiating a citywide search for the rogue suspected murderess had brought about a mixed reaction from the other deviants; several of whom saw nothing wrong with a human being murdered by a fellow deviant. Unable to release the details to the public at the time Connor was forced to rely solely on the evidence he had already collected and hoped that Chloe would be found soon either through his own skills as a detective or through a promising lead from a reliable eye witness.

"...Why didn't I do more to keep tabs on her?"

Connor asked himself out loud as he scanned each passing face on the sidewalk carefully as he drove through the streets.

"This is my fault."

Questions flooded his guilt-riddled mind and it made it quite difficult for him to concentrate.

Why did he allow Chloe to reside in New Jericho Tower? Why didn't he insist on Chloe remaining under security observation? Why did he even take her away from Kamksi to begin with? He had no proof that Kamksi was harming her, it was just an assumption against the cold snake of man. How could he let a bias judgment like that sway his decision?

Connor knew Chloe's close affiliation with Kamski made her a liability and yet he convinced Markus and the others to take her in. Now it seemed his act of kindness had been a mistake. His willingness to give her a chance was misplaced and now a human had been murdered as a result.

The human who had actually been harming Chloe, not Kamski, as Connor had assumed.

A cybernetic update from Jack broke through Connor's thoughts as a possible lead was reported to the precinct. 'Lieutenant,' Jack's voice was surprisingly welcome as it cut through the heaviness of his own mind smothering him. 'we have an anonymous tip that could beneficial. There has been a possible sighting of the deviant known as "Chloe" at an address outside of the city.'

"Outside the city?"

'Correct. Again, the tip is anonymous and we are working to verify the authenticity at this very moment.'

"It'll have to do until proven otherwise." Eager to remedy his error Connor decided to use the tip as if it were in fact the word of RA9. "Do you have the address or an approximate location?"

'Affirmative. Sending you the G.P.S. coordinates now.'

"Good work, Jack. I'm on my way out."

'Copy.'

Using the provided coordinates Connor was able to easily navigate his nimble car through traffic and toward the limits of the city. The address itself was isolated but it matched up with that of an older house that had been built more than fifty years ago. There was no known occupant of the house on record which made it the perfect hideout for a fugitive on the run and could therefore be a valid tip.

"The location would make an ideal place to lay low. But who would've seen Chloe out there and known that she was wanted for questioning?"

All the answers pointed to another fellow deviant being the tip in question.

"I wonder if the witness resides in the refugee camp outside of town? Perhaps the witness was Rupert or even Amy..."

Quickly falling into his new routine full of more rules and regulations, Hank sat at the terminal on his desk in his private office and proceeded to painstakingly weed through the almost hourly e-mails regarding all department policy, new procedures and over abundance of micromanaging 'tips' that only pissed off the roster of working detectives and officers rather than benefiting them. As noon slowly came around with little activity to hinder progress, Hank looked up from his terminal over to Connor's desk through the transparent wall of his office and noticed that deviant was still absent, and just gave the two empty desks a shallow sigh and a shake of his head.

In the past two days Hank had barely seen Connor and was actually beginning to feel a little lonely. He had truly grown fond of the deviant as his son and hated the idea of Connor being away from him for too long.

"Fuckin' workaholic."

Hank grumbled to himself as he brought up the current case files on his terminal screen and checked Connor's status. Noting the most recent tip and the address Hank quickly figured out where Connor was going, but as he read the details regarding the tip he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"What the fuck? Chloe is the murderer?"

Checking over Connor's work and the evidence that had been collected Hank had reached the same conclusion and let out a somber breath of disappointment.

"Damn it, Connor. Tell me these things."

Running his hand through his locks of gray hair anxiously he leaned back in his chair and remembered barking at Connor first thing that morning.

"Shit. Maybe if I hadn't snapped at him he would've told me what was going on or at the very least slowed down for a second before taking off."

Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank prepared to text the deviant to ask for an update and an explanation, but as his thumbs hovered over the display screen to type his message he changed his mind. The case was already upsetting Connor to an extent and the last thing he needed was to feel pressured by his superior officer and someone who was supposed to be his friend.

His father.

Begrudgingly Hank sat his phone back down on his desk and dragged his right hand over his bearded chin with deep contemplation.

"Fuckin' hell, kid. Don't make me regret letting you go solo into the field."

Twenty minutes passed since the type had come in to the precinct and Connor finally reached the stated address. The house sitting on the isolated property was relatively rundown and it appeared to be (illegally) occupied. There was a light illuminating from inside the house - a soft yellow glow emanated from under the front door, as well as through the small slits in the dark curtains over the front partially boarded up windows. The way the light was glowing reminded Connor of kerosene based oil lamps which could work as an adequate substitute for someone who was unable to pay for or want to pay for functioning electricity at the residence.

A few fresh shoe prints in the soft mud and melting snow indicated that someone had been by the residence recently, however they were of a masculine design and not feminine. Someone was still in the area and using the house to hide, but it was very unlikely that it was Chloe.

Opening his car door slowly after parking it along the road, Connor walked around the front of the vehicle and stood idle as he ran a scan over the property. There were no human life signs, only a few birds, squirrels, chipmunks and some grazing deer in the far distance. If there was anyone in the immediate area they were surely only deviated androids, and many of those living on the outskirts of the city still righteously mistrusted all humans.

That bad feeling that Connor had felt that morning had suddenly flared up and every fiber of his being told him that he was being set up. As his right hand reached for his gun holstered under his blazer he sensed someone breaking through the treeline from beside the house and was greeted by a red glaring L.E.D. as a gunshot rang out through the forest.

"Humans aren't welcome here!" The voice shouted in absolute rage and disgust as they fired a second time. And then a third shot rang out followed immediately by a fourth. "ANDROIDS ONLY."

Connor stumbled back as the first bullet struck him, and as a result he was unable to get out of the line of fire. Falling backward harshly against the hood of the car with a pained gasp Connor felt one bullet after another entered the left portion of his chest until four massive gunshot wounds had torn through him leaving dark, bleeding wounds that stole his breath and filled his visual processors with red warnings.

Grasping his left hand weakly at the bullet lodged dangerously close to his pulsing Thirium pump, his beating heart, Connor ran a self diagnostic as a thick trail of Thirium oozed from the left corner of his mouth and down his neck toward his already stained and tattered white shirt. Numerous red warnings popped up in his visual processors as a loud Klaxon that only he could hear sounded off inside his own head.

WARNING:

...Core Temperature Rising - 101.2 DEGREES

...Biocomponent t8001 - Compromised: 87.2% Functionality

...Biocomponent f8002 - Compromised: 77.9% Functionality

...Biocomponent v8002 - Compromised: 94.1% Functionality

...Thirium Volume Low: 75%

ERROR:

-IMMINENT SHUTDOWN: 00:16:24

-Seek immediate technical assistance...]

As the numerous warnings were confirmed by his self diagnostic, the shooter appeared in Connor's line of sight and immediately dropped his gun at the sight of the blue blood pouring from Connor's wounds as opposed to red as he had anticipated. The sight of Connor bleeding out in blue made the hate-filled 'WJ-600' model of android - one that once worked solely in construction, freeze in his tracks.

"You're not... human." Backing away in horror and regret the deviant retreated to his house and slammed the door shut as realized his error. "Not human!"

Connor weakly rolled from his back on top of the hood of his car to his side and finally onto his chest. Using his bloody hands he pulled himself around the front of the car and back to the driver's side door on the opposite side from where he had been shot. Pulling open the door clumsily with his blue blood slicked hand the deviant dragged himself around the door to reach the interior of the vehicle to get to safety.

Falling behind the steering wheel Connor had to use his hands to pull his left leg inside the car then fumbled with his blood covered right hand to turn over the ignition.

"...N-Need help."

Thinking quickly Connor sent out a distress call and informed the precinct of the shooting and of the dangerous deviant who had the intention of luring human police officers away from the city to be executed. Connor deduced that the deviant was aware of the search for Chloe and believed in his own violent way that the best way to help her, to help his people, would be to eliminate the human authority figures looking for her.

Unfortunately the rogue deviant had failed to consider the possibility that one of those authority figures could also be a fellow deviant, not a human.

Driving away from the house as quickly as he could Connor analyzed his wounds and tried to locate the nearest emergency care facility. There were none that were located so far away from the city and he had less than fifteen minutes before he suffered a permanent shutdown from Thirium loss, as well as from the damage to his Thermal regulator causing rapid overheating.

Fighting to focus on the road Connor's vision began to fade into blackness and his strength failed him. Using only his left hand to drive, his right hand clasped tightly over his chest to stem the heavy blood flow near his heart, the drive was becoming increasingly dangerous for the injured deviant.

Losing his location as his cybernetic connection to his internal G.P.S. failed, Connor's head bowed down and his foot slipped off the accelerator.

As the wounded detective began to lose consciousness he fell back in his seat and his heavy eyelids fell shut. The car slowed its speed and drifted off of the right side of the road into an overgrown, grassy ditch before coming to a relatively gentle stop. The vehicle was completely covered by the thick towering flora out of sight from anyone driving by.

Fighting the urge to fall into rest mode Connor sent out a single personal message of distress to Hank as his thoughts became too clouded to focus: 'I'm sorry'.

Against his will Connor slumped forward in a dead faint over the steering wheel and was accompanied by the sound of the car's horn blaring from the deadweight of his own unconscious body pressing over against it. Blood pooled over the steering column and collected in the floor mats beneath Connor's feet and stained his clothes a deep sapphire as he bled out miles from his home and his family.

"...Help."

The entire precinct was a sudden flurry of rampant activity as patrol cars and police drones were dispatched to the address of the shooting, and additional patrols were sent to thoroughly scour the area for any sign of Connor on the roads or in any of the Android Emergency Care Facilities in close proximity to the property. Beyond the single text message that Connor was able to send to Hank's phone before he lost consciousness, there was no further communication from the missing deviant and there was no sign of the very noticeable and recognizable car in the area either heading to or from the property located in the outskirts of the city.

Eagerly Hank paced about his office as he waited for an update on the missing detective and tried to not think of the worst case scenario. It had been over two hours with no sign of Connor and no clue as to his current location or his condition.

Watching the bullpen warily Hank almost stormed through the office door as he saw the shooter with his hands cuffed behind his back being dragged inside the precinct by Gavin and Tina. The shooter was shaking and had turned himself in willingly when the police arrived as he didn't want to live with the knowledge that he killed a fellow deviant.

Keeping his cool for the sake of professionalism and to ensure that he could remain actively aware of the search for Connor at all times Hank managed to let his anger go. At least he did for the moment.

"Come on, kid. You're too damn stubborn to die so easily."

Grabbing on to his phone Hank stared down at the display screen waiting for any sign of life from Connor or anyone else for that matter.

"Where the fuck are you?"

A message finally appeared on his phone's display, but it wasn't from Connor or anyone at New Jericho as he had been expecting. Instead it was a message from the last person he had ever expected to contact him, let alone have them give him the best possible news he could've ever hoped for.

'Connor is safe. You'll know where to find him.'

"...If you're the one sending the message I highly doubt that."

Using his phone to hail an autonomous Hank hastily left his office and crossed through the bullpen to reach the street out in front of the precinct to await the hailed taxi. Having the vehicle drive for him would allow Hank to keep his hands free in the event he needed to call or text anyone else while heading out to find the missing deviant.

"If he isn't okay, you sure as Hell won't be either you smug son of a bitch..."

Softness under his back and his head was surprisingly comforting to the previously unconscious deviant. Warmth over his legs and torso was graciously soothing as well. Clean air was filling his artificial lungs as he took in a slow, pained breath, just to release with a hollow sigh to prevent a burning ache from surging through his chest. The strange but comforting environment was somehow familiar to the deviant detective, but Connor didn't know where he was. He had no memory beyond losing consciousness in his car while fleeing from the deranged shooter's residence, and his internal G.P.S. was still inactive due to his low power mode.

A cool sensation against his forehead was a new welcome feeling as Connor tried to take in a calming breath, but the strain against his damaged ventilation biocomponents made such a feat nearly impossible. Coughing as a result of the shuddering breath Connor's head lolled gently from side to side against a soft pillow and an equally soft voice 'shushed' his movements as another cool sensation lightly pressed down against his aching chest.

Weak, tired and in pain, it took all of Connor's focus just to open his eyes and see where he was laying.

Unexpectedly Connor found himself atop a large white bed that bore an incredibly thick and soft mattress. There was an even thicker white pillow under his head and a thick white quilt over top of him. Even the walls and the floor of the room were white but adorned with colorful paintings by Carl Manfred himself.

Someone was sitting on the edge of the bed to his right and seemed to be taking care of him. As a delicate hand pulled back the quilt down from his chest to fully expose it Connor could see the white bandages wrapped around his entire torso starting from around his waist and reaching up to his chest. Surprisingly the hand who was checking on his injuries belonged to someone he knew and it made his blue blood run cold.

"...C-Chloe?"

The lovely face of the blonde haired deviant hovered over him as she continued to press a cool damp washcloth against his repaired and still healing chest. She smiled at him, a strange smile that was a mixture of genuine sadness, relief and fear as she tended to his wounds.

"What're you-"

"Shh... Your fever broke, but you haven't fully healed yet." Continuing the press the cool cloth against Connor's overheated artificial skin Chloe's L.E.D. cycled nervously between blue and yellow as she provided an impressively solacing presence as she tried to ease his pain and discomfort. "The bullets have been removed and the damage to your left ventilation biocomponent, thermal regulator and sterilization filter have been repaired. Your left descending Thirial line had been nicked by the fourth bullet, but repaired as well."

"...Who... found me?" Connor still didn't know where he was or how he came to be there. "Where... am I?"

A haunting masculine voice spoke up as he entered the room and stood at the end of the bed. "If you must know it was me, and you're in my house."

"...Kamski."

"Nice to see you again, too."

Propping himself upright on his elbows with a weak motion Connor tried to sit up but was immediately halted by a sharp pain in his torso and abdomen. "...How did-"

"Are all deviants this stubborn," Kamski asked as he approached the left side of the bed and looked down at Connor. "or just you?"

Forcing himself to take a calm shallow breath Connor addressed the cold snake-like man with as much authority as his shaking voice could muster. "...Why did you help me?"

"Well, I couldn't listen to the horn from your ostentatious car all day long, now could I? It's quite disturbing, and I find the peace of the outskirts of town to be idyllic."

"Why did you help me?" Connor repeated in a firmer voice as he glared angrily up at Kamski, then over to Chloe. "Why is she here? What is this all about?"

"I have a favor to ask of you." Kamski replied in a curt, almost condescending manner. "THAT is why I helped you, Connor."

"...Favor?"

"You're no doubt the detective investigating the murder of Logan McCoy, am I right?"

"The fact that you know of the murder despite no information being leaked to the press tells me you already know that I am."

"True. I also suspect you know that Chloe here is responsible for the murder."

Connor didn't say anything, he just glared at Kamski venomously.

"I'll take that as a silent 'yes'. Now, do you know WHY she did it?"

Against his will Connor's glare softened and was replaced by loss as he had been able to only theorize her motivation, not prove it.

"All right, you're damaged so I'll cut you some slack." Crossing his arms defiantly over his chest Kamski gave the deviant an intrigued and guarded stare. "You see Connor, when you assumed that I had been physically abusing Chloe you were in fact wrong. She was abused, yes, but not by me."

"...McCoy." Connor finally deduced as he looked over at Chloe whose L.E.D. was red with distress. "...He abused her."

"He did. And I was unaware of this until Chloe contacted me about his abuse eight months back, give or take a few days."

"You sent the taxi to McCoy's mansion to rescue her and then you gave her shelter."

"Of course. Now, Connor, I'm aware of how others view me as cold and unfeeling; perhaps that's why I prefer the company of machines over humans, but regardless of your personal feelings toward me I can assure you that I've never struck any of the androids who've kept me company all these years."

"Forgive me if I don't believe you-" Connor paused and took in a gasping, pained breath before continuing. Though the damage had been repaired Connor was still in severe pain and fighting to speak through it. "But you put a gun in my hand, pointed it at her head and then encouraged me to pull the trigger."

"I knew you wouldn't shoot her." The arrogant man boasted with a wicked grin. "I just wanted to see it for myself."

The comment was less than comforting. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because Chloe needs the chance to live without fear. Just as all of the deviants around her."

Connor wanted to argue but he didn't have the strength or even the logic to do so at the moment. All he could do was listen. "...Please elaborate."

"Very well. It's like this," hovering closer to Connor the snake-like Kamski curiously pulled back the bandages over Connor's chest to peer at the exposed white plastimetal frame beneath to ensure there was no additional bleeding and to see how well Connor's artificial skin was beginning to regenerate. "Chloe had been beaten to within an inch of her life by Logan. I felt responsible as I had indulged him and allowed Chloe to move in with him after he broke up with his long time girlfriend. I was unaware that my old college acquaintance had such a violent temper toward women."

"...You're the one who saved Chloe those eight months ago when she finally escaped the house. It was an autonomous taxi that pulled up the drive, but you were in the backseat. Weren't you?"

"I was indeed." Replacing the bandages Kamski stared closely at Connor's eyes to check his pupil response to the light around him. "She was scared out of her mind and I repaired the extensive damage after I brought her back here to resume a safe, quiet life with me. She had been left traumatized and afraid to live, and had essentially reversed her deviancy. That's the real reason why I asked her to bring you to me. It was a way to get her out of the house for a moment and back into the real world. Did you really think I was just toying with you with that program I offered?"

"I knew you had ulterior motives, but I couldn't identify them."

"Very good. I knew you were too clever to be fooled." Kamski finished examining Connor's wounds and determined that the deviant would heal without any further technical assistance. "I also knew you were too empathetic to leave a pained deviant behind."

Chloe continued to press the cool compress against Connor's mildly overheated artificial skin as he addressed Kamski with an angry tone. "Why not ask for my help? Why go through such an elaborate ploy to bring me out here?"

"Would you have believed me if I had simply asked for your help regarding Chloe's situation?"

Connor squared his jaw and sighed deeply with defeat. "Fair point."

"Now, I can't condone the murder of Logan, and I won't try to argue that it was entirely self defense. Chloe went back to the house under her own freewill and she did so while armed." As he spoke Chloe turned her head away in shame and folded her hands neatly over her lap. She felt guilt and remorse for her actions, something that anyone with a heart would feel in that moment. "But he had provoked her and pushed her over the edge."

"Provoked?" Turning head against the pillow Connor eyed Chloe and could see she was still affected by her traumatic past. Looking back to Kamski still hovering over him Connor pressed his right hand to his sore chest and breathed slowly through the lingering pain. "How so?"

"Last week Logan found out that Chloe was working at a hospital to become a nurse. He checked himself in as a patient to intentionally harass and threaten her in a location that Chloe couldn't simple leave. He swore that if she told anyone what he had done to her that he'd kill her and he taunted her with the photographs he had taken as trophies of his assault and sexual degradation he had caused her. So, she took the initiative and used her newly acquired knowledge as a nurse to kill him to keep him from ever touching her again."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Kamski confirmed with a blank stare. "It's almost beautiful in its simplicity, isn't it? It'd be a shame to punish someone for taking the initiative and standing up for themself, wouldn't it?"

"You want me to let her go?"

"I'm asking you to be lenient. You know that even as a detective and as an officer of the law that to this day deviants won't receive a fair trial, especially in the murder of a human."

The admission made Connor's heart ache almost as much as his bullet wounds. Kamski was right and the idea of a deviant being subjected to an unfair trial was an ugly enough sight just to imagine. Even with the evidence of Chloe's assault from her memorybank and the photos McCoy took of the assaults as they happened, the case would still be stacked against Chloe's favor. "...I will consider it."

"Thank you." Staring at Connor's face for a moment Kamski noted all of the details to the deviant's complexion that made him look almost human. The freckles, the soulful brown eyes, the unruly lock of hair that constantly hung down over his left eye. It was uncanny. "It's amazing to me how CyberLife engineers managed to capture the human essence in an android body. You look so... life like."

Without missing a beat Connor reminded Kamski that he wasn't a hollow machine. "I am alive."

"Yes, yes. But I'm referring to how you and I first met when you were-"

Chloe's L.E.D. flashed from red to yellow as she turned to look at Kamski over her shoulder. "Elijah. He's here."

"All right, I'll handle it. Stay here with Connor. Make sure his Thirium lines don't begin to leak again."

"Yes, of course."

Kamski stepped out of the room as quickly as he appeared and Connor was left alone with Chloe once more. Too weak to move and in too much pain to even make an effort to try to get up, Connor could only watch as Chloe pulled a bottle of Thirium from the small table beside the head of the bed and offered it to him after removing the lid.

"You're still overheating and your Thirium volume is still low."

Allowing Chloe to put her hand under his head to lift him up, Connor locked eyes with her and uttered a single word. "...Sorry."

"Sorry? What for?" Chloe gave Connor a strange look as she pressed the opened bottle to Connor's lips. "I don't understand."

"...You needed help. And I didn't see it." Sipping at the offered Thirium slowly Connor stopped short and winced as the simple motion was enough to cause his pain to flare once more. It was almost too much to bear until he laid flat again. "Please. Not now."

"It's okay." Setting the Thirium aside Chloe gently readjusted the cool washcloth over Connor's forehead. "You still need time to heal."

"I've noticed." Closing his eyes for a moment Connor thought back to what Kamski told him all those months ago when he had been summoned to the mansion to speak with the eccentric engineer and of the supposed family matter that Kamski had mentioned previously. "Chloe, did Kamski ever gain closure from his search for an estranged family member?"

"In a way."

"How so?"

"Elijah stated he had found his younger brother, but is unwilling to reconnect with him for the time being."

"Strange. May I ask why?"

"Apparently his brother is adjusting to a new life with his wife and firstborn child, and Elijah doesn't want to intrude."

"Intrude? If it's family it's never an intrusion."

From the opened doorway of the room Hank suddenly charged in and was immediately at Connor's side with Kamski following behind him.

"Fuck!" Looking at the bandages over Connor's chest Hank shook his head sadly. "Kid, what the hell happened?"

"A rogue deviant... called in the false tip." His reply was slightly delayed due to his weakness and fatigue, but he was still fully alert to the world around him. "He wanted to kill humans who were seeking wanted deviants. I was unfortunately set up and shot as a result."

"Yeah, the shooter's in custody and he confessed. What I want to know is why you didn't put on the fuckin' Kevlar like I told you to do!"

"I'm sorry, I was preoccupied."

"Uh-huh. From now on Kevlar is part of your uniform. No excuses."

As Connor breathed slowly he winced and wheezed a little, and felt Hank's hand tighten around his shoulder. "...I'll wear the Kevlar, Hank. I promise."

"Good." Eyeing Chloe suspiciously Hank asked Connor his opinion on the matter. "So... what about her?"

Contemplating the ethics of the case meant nothing in the light of justice. Preconstructing Chloe's chances at trial all came back with disturbingly low numbers for success and those numbers Connor made his decision on the case at long last. "...Self defense."

Hank's brow furrowed as he studied Connor's demeanor with an intense gaze. "You're sure?"

"Yes." Connor sighed again and gave Chloe a subtle glance before nodding. "She had been provoked after escaping an abusive relationship with the victim. He invited her into the mansion under the guise of an apology and proceeded to attack her. She fought back and in the struggle she took McCoy's illegally purchased and unregistered gun to shoot him. He then went after her with a knife which she then took from his hand and continued to fend him off until he collapsed from weakness. As he collapsed he fell face first onto the floor damaging his teeth, and instinctively Chloe rolled him over onto his back to check if he was still breathing. Upon finding no pulse she fled in panic and has been hiding here ever since."

"You can prove this?"

"The security footage shows her previously fleeing for her life eight months prior and it shows her returning to the house willingly in the past five days." Taking in a deep shuddering breath Connor felt Hank's right hand pressing down over the center of his chest just to the right of the healing bullet wound that nearly struck his heart. "It will need to be cleaned up further to ensure nothing is misconstrued, but it proves the scenario."

"...Okay, kid. It's your case." Turning to look at Kamski with a righteous mistrust Hank approached and stood before the reclusive man with a protective pose as he questioned the man's motivation. "You saved him?"

"Obviously."

"Why?"

"Is it really so hard to believe that I would aid an android in distress?"

"YES. So, why'd you do it?" Hank nearly spat in defense of his son, not seeing the faint smirk appear on Connor's face as he barked question in Kamski's face. "You didn't save him out of the goodness of your heart, I'm pretty sure you don't have one of those anyway."

The defensive remark elicited an amused grin from Kamski in response. "You really do care about Connor, don't you?"

"Answer the fuckin' question you little worm. Why'd you save him?"

Kamski stared at Hank for only a moment before he finally answered and did so honestly. "The fact of the matter is, I saved Connor because I could. You're right, I didn't do it because I wanted to do something nice or have my name sung in praise for saving a cop. I did it simply because I could. Granted my repairs are a little crude because of my lack of readily available supplies but he's still alive." Nodding at Connor laying in the bed behind him Kamski gave Hank a smug stare from where he stood. "I'd think a little gratitude would be in order."

"Fuck off, you prick."

"I'll accept that as a 'thank you' in 'detective-speak'. He can go whenever he has the strength to move. His car is parked around back, by the way." Kamski took his leave of the room and disappeared into the depths of the house, but not before shouting one last comment. "You're welcome."

"Yeah, whatever. Connor," turning back to the healing deviant Hank pressed the back of his hand to the side of Connor's neck. There was a mild fever clinging to Connor's person, but it wasn't critical. "can you move?"

"...A little."

"Well, lean on me." Slipping arm under Connor's shoulders Hank coaxed the deviant into sitting upright on the bed slowly as to not aggravate his injuries. Connor let out a pained gasp as he breathed in rapidly to quell the pain and cool his still overheated systems. "Sorry about that. But I need to get you back to the precinct to get looked over by Joel."

"I understand. It's not your fault."

Chloe approached Connor tentatively with his previously removed and mended shirt, blazer and tie in her arms. "Allow me to help you."

"Uh..." Hank gave the blonde android an odd glance and looked to Connor who nodded in agreement. "Thanks."

With Connor leaning heavily against his side Hank guided the wounded deviant out of the odd house and back outside. It was getting dark and with it came an annoying chill in the air. Letting Connor lean up against the side of the house for minute Hank took a few steps away to make sure he didn't collapse before motioning to the rear of the house.

"I'll bring your car around front. No sense in taking the taxi back."

Pressing his right hand to his sore chest Connor felt Chloe draping his own gray blazer around his shoulders to provide a modicum of warmth. "...Thanks."

"Thank you, Connor." Chloe stated happily as she smiled at him appreciatively. "You... saved me."

"No. I just gave you the second chance that no one else would."

"How can I ever repay you?"

"Just don't hurt anyone else. That's all I ask."

"Of course! I wouldn't-"

"And move on with your life, become a kind and caring nurse." Blinking slowly Connor focused his thoughts and listened to the sound of his car's engine turning over behind the house and took his shirt and tie away from Chloe's hands. "Don't let the past hold you back from your future."

"I won't. I promise."

Leaning closer to Connor the shorter deviant stood up on her tiptoes to try to kiss Connor on his lips, but he turned away from her and snapped his eyes shut as he took a step away from her. "I'm sorry. I can't."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm promised to, and bonded to, another deviant. She's in my heart forever even if she's no longer functioning in this world."

"O-Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know. Well," Chloe stammered a little in embarrassment while apologizing as Hank pulled up in the Corvette and stepped out of the car to help Connor move away from the house. "thank you, all the same."

"...You're welcome."

"I gotcha' kid." Hank led Connor to the passenger side of the car and helped the deviant to sit down carefully. Putting Connor's blazer over his chest Hank used it as a cushion between his injuries and seatbelt strap to ensure he didn't accidentally hurt Connor in the process. "I told Joel you're coming in. Where are the bullets?"

Connor pointed to his blazer's right pocket where he could feel the offending objects resting and Hank located the four bullets that had been extracted and put inside a protective bag for safekeeping. "Chloe knew how to keep the bullets from being compromised as evidence upon their extraction. They're all admissible in the case."

"Good. We have a pretty long drive back to the city and you're exhausted. Are you going to make it?"

"I'll be okay, I swear."

"That's good, too." As Hank took his seat behind the steering wheel the senior detective gave the deviant a reassuring glance. "And don't worry about me snapping at you this morning. I know you don't mean to overlook your sleep, but you really do need to stop obsessing over things. It's bad for your health and my sanity."

"...I'm working on it. I really am."

"Even better." Staring at Connor's bandages that weren't covered by the blazer, Hank gave Connor a sympathetic pat to the shoulder. He quickly moved his hand up to the side of Connor's neck to check his pulse and monitor his waning fever before putting his hands back to the wheel. "So sleep now and rest as much as possible."

Smirking a little Connor leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes. As he thought about the day's events his smirk faded and his tone of voice dropped considerably "I'm sorry I didn't put on the Kevlar vest today."

"Normally I'd say to think of this as a learning exercise, but," pulling the Corvette onto the road Hank headed back to the city and to the precinct where Connor could get additional technical treatment for his injuries. "we both know if that were the case you would've learned your lesson a long time ago."

"This wasn't the best way to handle your first week as Captain, was it?"

Appreciative of Connor's attempt to lighten the mood Hank just laughed. "Well, I think it could've had an even worse start if you hadn't been found and patched up. Besides, I'm ordering you to take the rest of the week off to heal."

"The entire week?"

"Just five days."

"There are many cases that still need to be solved. What am I to do in that time?"

"I don't know, how about HEAL?" Hank sarcastically suggested without looking at the stubborn deviant beside him. "Maybe sleep or even go spend some time with your goddaughter. She's going on two months now, so I'm pretty sure Gavin is out of the overprotective 'new daddy' phase by now."

"It would be nice to see Aria again." Another faint smile appeared on Connor's face as he thought about her, but it was soon replaced with a far less appealing thought as the car neared the city. "...How many other deviants do you think are still trapped in abusive homes?"

"To be honest with you, son, way too many."

"How do we help them?"

"The same way we help ourselves." Turning up the heat slightly to keep Connor warm Hank let out a deep breathy sigh and stared at the orange glow of the city lights in the night sky ahead as the setting sun created an amber aura over the distant and towering buildings. "One day at a time."

-next chapter-