Eager to start the day after his meticulous research into android rights and laws Connor anxiously sat on the edge of his bed with his eyes closed as he cybernetically filed some very important documents to an agency and legal department downtown. With each detail he cybernetically uploaded his eyelids would flutter slightly and his hands would toss his coin back and forth between his palms with a perfect graceful rhythm. Each toss of the coin was as perfect as his posture and overall sense of timing. The deviant was focused on his task and it seemed like absolutely nothing would stop him from accomplishing his self imposed mission, not even a work schedule.

Hank had noticed the odd behavior since the two detectives awoke to begin the day but chalked it up to Connor recalibrating after his big update. It wasn't until the senior detective saw that Connor was beginning to obsess over something again, a nasty habit that the deviant needed to break, did he decide to bring up the quirky activity with Connor directly.

"Hey, what's the hold up?" Hank asked as he called fairly loudly to the deviant through Connor's opened bedroom door. "I hate to think that update screwed up your punctuality."

"...It has not." Opening his soulful brown eyes Connor stood up from his bed and straightened his black tie. He was already dressed in his uniform and could head out the door at any time. "I'm ready to go to the precinct."

"You okay? You seem distracted."

"I assure you that I'm quite well." There was a brightly optimistic gleam in Connor's soulful brown eyes as he spoke. "I was merely filing some official documents and they were rather extensive."

"Something I should know about?"

"No, it's personal." Never losing the brightness in his eyes Connor gave Hank a reassuring grin. "I'll explain things to you later if it becomes necessary."

Hank's brow arched at the cryptic response but he knew better than to question the deviant's motives. "...All right. I've had my coffee so let's get the hell outta' here before the caffeine wears off and I end up hating people all over again."

"Of course. I'll drive Joel's truck into the precinct and follow after you in the Oldsmobile."

"Not the Corvette, huh?" The senior detective teased a little as he and Connor walked down the hallway. "I see how it is."

With a slightly exaggerated sigh Connor grabbed the keys to the Corvette from the bookshelf and tossed them to Hank. "You could just ask."

"Why?" Catching the keys in his right hand with a sly grin on his face Hank gave the deviant a knowing glance. "Guilt trippin' is more fun."

Ever attentive to the collected details and evidence that had been provided during his initial investigation, Connor sifted through the most recent deviant related cases that had been filed at the precinct in the past twenty-four hours. The deviant found one case in the stack to be of particular interest. A deviant had been in charge of a convenience store during the graveyard shift and during the early hours of that same morning, had been held at gunpoint by a young teenager who robbed the store of almost four-hundred dollars. Unfortunately robbery wasn't uncommon, but the circumstances surrounding the robbery were a little strange.

What made the case stand out to Connor was the fact that the deviant had waited almost an hour after the robbery to call the police rather than immediately contact emergency services cybernetically. And even so, the deviant was reluctant to give any information to the police after they had arrived to take his statement.

"Curious..." Connor noted as he uploaded the information from his terminal and made his way to the precinct's front doors. "Why delay requesting a police officer to the scene of an active robbery?"

"Find something good there, 'Tinman'?" Gavin asked from his desk as he overheard Connor's comment on the case and watched him rise from his desk. "You better not just be talkin' to yourself."

"Perhaps." Connor confirmed as he sat back in his chair with an intrigued stare in his eyes. "An unusual robbery has taken place and I find the resulting response interesting."

"Well, whatever it is I bet it'll be a lot easier to deal with than some drunk asshole using his girlfriend as a punching bag last night."

Pausing for a moment Connor turned to look Gavin in the eyes. "...Do you want my assistance?"

"Nah, I got this." Flexing his hands a little Gavin seemed to be warming up for a workout or even a fight. "Just do me a favor and don't tell Hank if the suspect arrives with a few fresh bruises. You get what I'm saying?"

"I won't say a word."

Gavin watched as Tina returned to the bullpen with the arrest warrant in her clutched in her hand and a devilish smirk on her face. "Ready to bust this asshole?"

"Always. I'll drive!"

As the two human detectives took their leave of the precinct Connor took the Corvette car keys from his gray blazer pocket and motioned with them in his hand to let Hank know he was going out into the field. Hank noticed the deviant through the glass wall of his private office and responded with a silent nod.

"There is an unspoken story here."

The deviant commented to himself as he logged away the details into his memorybank for use later on as he made his way through the precinct's front doors and over to the neighboring parking garage. The behavior in the case was too unusual to not address for any reason.

"And I intend to figure out what it is."

The deviant at the robbed convenience store had remained in the back office of the store as requested by the manager and was being very cooperative with the police investigating the crime. Connor's arrival didn't deter or enhance the deviant's cooperation in any way, but it did gave Connor some pause as he realized that the deviant was holding back a key detail of the crime. The way the deviant witness and victim refused to confirm or deny anything damning toward the robber or the robber's motives was undeniable. It was as if the witness was trying to somehow protect the robber, maybe even trying to give the police a reason to let the case go cold.

Calmly and patiently Connor spoke to the deviant in private as he would any other witness and gently pressed for more answers. Connor was hoping that if he spoke to the witness deviant to deviant then he'd make more progress with his investigation.

"The youth in question pulled a gun on you at two thirty-three this morning," Connor relayed the provided details with a keen interest as he watched the witness's body language carefully. "and he threatened to shoot if you did not give him the money, correct?"

"Yes." The male deviant, his model was reminiscent of Josh's model save for two additional inches in height and dark blue eyes, answered honestly. He wore the convenience store's uniform shirt with a name tag; 'Mitch', over his left breast pocket. "He was wearing a mask so I could not see his face directly."

"You informed another officer that you calculated his height to be five foot nine inches, weight to be approximately one-hundred and thirty-two pounds and of a particularly lean build."

"Yes."

"Could you provide a sample of the suspect's voice for possible identification?"

"There was music playing." The deviant stated almost defensively, like he was looking for an excuse to not cooperate. "It has affected the clarity of my audio recording."

"The secondary audio interference can be cleared up."

"I doubt a voice analysis would be of any help to you. I don't think the youth will return and be identified by voice alone."

Connor sensed the deviant was still holding something back and decided to press it. "Is it possible you've seen the youth in your store before?"

"It's entirely possible. There are many people who frequent this store multiple times per week."

"Is it possible that you personally know the youth?"

Mitch visibly flinched and briefly fell silent before he answered. "...I cannot be certain."

"Mitch, I am convinced you know who this youth is and that you can give me the robber's name."

"I don't understand."

"You deliberately waited to call the police after the robbery rather than during. You're hesitant to give us any details that could identify the youth and you are remarkably unphased by the gun being pointed in your face."

"Detective, I am not conspiring with the robber, if that's what you're implying."

"No, of course not." Connor wasn't accusing Mitch of anything illegal, just potentially immoral. "You have no history of criminal activity and I know you're living comfortably. You have no reason to rob the store."

"Then what are you implying?"

Connor crossed his arms over his chest as he studied the deviant's behavior carefully. "I believe you're trying to help the youth; not out of selfish interest but out of empathetic compassion."

Tensing up where he sat Mitch gave Connor a frightened glance. "...How so?"

"The description of the youth is indicative of someone who has been malnourished for quite some time, perhaps from living on the streets or living in poverty. You could've easily overpowered the youth and cybernetically secured the cash register, but instead you allowed him to take the money as if you knew he desperately needed the money in order to survive."

Mitch remained silent.

"I'm not going to have charges pressed against you for 'allowing' the youth to get away with the robbery as one could not fault you for allowing the suspect to succeed in the theft as a means of keeping yourself alive. I would merely like more information on him so I can possibly help him."

"...Help him?" Skeptical of the claim Mitch gave Connor a doubtful sigh. "How?"

"Skye Tower is a sanctuary for deviants and runaway teenagers alike. He'd be safer at the tower than he would be on the streets."

Mitch was genuinely surprised by Connor's offer, his body language betraying the emotions he had been restraining so well. "...Hypothetically, if I found him, what would happen to him then?"

"Direct him over to the tower. We don't ask questions about a person's reasons for seeking shelter."

"And the money?"

"Money can be replaced, a life cannot."

"Thank you, detective." Mitch eyed the second officer now entering the back office with the convenience store manager and quickly changed the subject. "If I think of any further details I will contact you immediately."

Connor sensed the two additional people in the room and quickly caught on to Mitch's behavior. "Thank you for your cooperation. You know where to contact me if any additional information becomes prevalent." Reaching into his blazer pocket Connor handed Mitch a personal business card with his contact information at both the precinct and for Skye Tower. "Take care of yourself and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions."

At the precinct Gavin was dragging in his arrested suspect by the man's hands that were cuffed behind his back and was working up a sweat as a result. Tina was coolly leading the way to the holding cells as the angry man shouted obscenities for being arrested, not that the officers in the bullpen were exactly shocked to hear claims about 'false arrest' or 'discrimination'. It was just part of the daily routine for the officers and detectives as they took down one criminal at a time with each passing day.

As the man's belligerence echoed loudly through the building Hank casually glanced over his shoulder to look through the transparent window at the obnoxious commotion.

"Dumb fuck." The fresh blood smeared on the man's face below his nose actually made Hank smirk a little. "I hope he let Tina hit him at least once before they brought him in."

Ignoring the suspect, already knowing full well he was being handled properly, Hank returned his attention to his terminal screen and his phone 'buzzed' on his desk and an unknown phone number appeared on the screen. Picking it up he hovered his thumb over the 'accept' button for only a moment before he finally answered the call.

"I bet it's Luke."

Pressing down on the green button Hank answered in a professional manner as a precautionary measure, and waited for the voice on the other side of the line to introduce themself.

"This is Captain Hank Anderson speaking..."

Feeling rather proud of the way he handled the robbery at the convenience store Connor drove back the precinct while cybernetically checking in on his filed paperwork downtown and decided to place a few orders for delivery since he was in such a confident and upbeat mood. Despite having to deal with Luke moving so far away from home after just being reunited with his lost and formerly deceased brother, and that newest update had made him feel previously ill, the developing deviant had found a much needed twinge of optimism to guide him on his way that morning. There was something hanging in the air that made Connor feel confident and sure of the future waiting for him.

As Connor returned to the precinct and walked through the bullpen he caught sight of Gavin walking away from the holding cells with a smug grin on his face as he and Tina finished with their successful arrest. Ignoring the fresh bruises forming on Gavin's knuckles and the drying blood he was trying to wipe off of his fingers, Connor promptly returned to his desk and his terminal to begin filing his report on the deviant case he had (intentionally) left open with a sense of compassion brimming behind his soulful brown eyes.

Just as the deviant detective sat down behind his desk to begin his report the private office door opened, and Hank called out to him in a firm tone. "Connor, come in here for a minute."

"Coming."

Hank returned to his desk as the requested deviant entered the office with his head held high just a few feet behind him. Holding up his phone Hank sat down on the edge of his desk and gave Connor a suspicious glance and waited a moment to collect his thoughts. Connor in turn stood before the senior detective and studied his face inquisitively.

"Connor," Hank started calmly as he kept his phone presented to the deviant. "why did I get a call from the American Adoption Agency?"

"...O-Oh." The still installed update made Connor's face pale slightly and a fine sheen of nervous sweat beaded on his forehead. "I was hoping I could-"

"Just answer the question, please."

Anxiously wringing his hands together before himself Connor answered the question in a low voice. "...Last night after Luke left I began checking through the all of rights for androids that had been implemented in the past three years. Luke mentioned that android rights included guardianship and then you reminded me that you had adopted Lucas and myself, and I began to think about possibly doing the same thing for a child in need."

"Holy shit..." Putting his phone down on his desk Hank dragged his hand over his bearded chin and let out a breathy sigh. "That's a MAJOR change in your life and a HUGE responsibility."

"I'm aware of this, and I know it won't be an easy change, but I know this is something I want. I really want this."

"Fuck, kid... Why didn't you tell me this before you started filing for adoption?"

"Because I wanted to be able to do this by myself."

"What? Why?"

"Despite the android rights that have come to pass it's still very difficult to be seen as a person." Connor awkwardly shifted his weight on his feet before putting his arms behind his back, his right hand clasping the left arm just under his wrist. "I want to be able to go through my life and do so without having to rely solely on you as my Captain, my friend or my father, in order to make these things possible."

"Oh, I see." Hank relaxed a little and finally understood that Connor's decision had been meticulously thought out and wasn't an impulsive choice. "You do realize that by filling out those applications and putting my name down as your legal guardian I was going to get a phone call regarding the details, right?"

"Yes. But I wasn't expecting such a rapid response. I would've told you earlier if I had known so you wouldn't have been caught off guard."

"It's fine, kid. Anyway, I was honest with their questions. I told them what they needed to know and they're running a background check on you. Since you're employed at the precinct that shouldn't take too long and you should receive a reply sometime this evening."

"Are you mad that I did this without speaking with you first?"

"I'm not mad so much as I'm stunned." Hank had never received a phone call regarding adoption before and really put him on his guard. "That was the last kind of call I was expecting to get when I answered."

Connor gave Hank a guilty stare as he paled a little more. His eyes dropped down and focused on the floor before him as if feeling guilty. "I won't keep something like this a secret from you again."

"Take it easy, son. You're not in trouble and you're allowed to make decisions by yourself."

"I still shouldn't have been so hasty. I see that now."

Hank sighed again as he decided to ease Connor's needless guilt by asking about the adoption itself. "So... How're you going to take care of your own kid?"

"What?" Connor's brow furrowed and a little color returned to his complexion as he looked up at Hank. "I don't understand."

"Well, you put in your application and they're looking it over, so that means you have some kind of plan for a kid, right?"

A faint smirk appeared on Connor's face as he saw the compassionate expression on Hank's face. "I was thinking I could renovate my bedroom to temporarily accommodate a child and supply additional furnishings for a child for the time being."

"And then move into a bigger place when the kid gets bigger, right?"

"That would be the logical next step, yes. Once I've made the proper adjustments I would look into a personal residence that can comfortably accommodate myself and at least one child."

"Do you have that kind of money saved up?"

"Yes. I've been very careful with my finances and-"

Gavin knocked on the glass door of the office twice before he pulled open the door and stepped inside. "Hey, we just got a call about some psycho who shot a deviant at the sight of an android apartment complex still under construction. Not sure if you wanted me to handle it, or..."

"Connor, we'll talk about this later." Hank pointed toward the door and nodded firmly in Gavin's direction. "Go with Reed and get that fucker off the streets before they hurt someone else."

Giving Hank a gracious stare Connor turned on his heels and joined the Sergeant at the office door. "We're on it."

Using Gavin's squad car to travel and investigate the recently reported crime, the two detectives went to the scene of the confirmed assault as quickly as possible. Violence against deviant androids by bigoted humans had actually dropped considerably in the past few months, but that didn't mean that deviants could rest easy just yet. As the swift police vehicle reached the address of the assault the two detectives saw that the first responding officers who had taken control of the scene were now searching for the dangerous human who had assaulted the deviant at the formerly active, but now quiet and barred off, construction site.

Witnesses had confirmed that the assailant was indeed a human and that the deviant victim hadn't done anything to provoke or warrant an attack against their person. While the responding officers kept the crime scene under close surveillance police drones circled the area in an attempt to locate the human before they eluded justice.

"Ah, fuck. The asshole ran!" Gavin swore as he pulled alongside the street beside partially built complex. Glancing up at the framework of the incomplete building Gavin knew that they were going to be dealing with a real challenge in locating the violent human in time. "This place isn't even finished yet and it's huge!"

"Fortunately android apartment complexes do not hold as many rooms as traditional apartment complexes." Connor stated as he and Gavin exited the parked car to begin their investigation. "There won't be as many areas for the suspect to hide, even if the construction had been finished."

"Think this ass-wipe is still at the scene?" Gavin asked as he stood beside the parked car. "They might've bolted and disappeared by now."

"Witness statements of the immediate area would make it very likely that the suspect is still here." The deviant confirmed as he walked around the side of the car and stood before Gavin. "Until we can deduce whether or not the shooting was random or premeditated it'd be a wise precaution to assume that the suspect is still in the area and is still armed."

"Great, fine. You check out the victim and I'll see if I can find the lunatic."

"If you'd prefer I could go in search of the suspect while you examine the body."

"No fuckin' way." Gavin gave Connor a rather disgusted look. "That blue blood shit still freaks me out."

Connor tilted his head a little as he understood Gavin's reluctance to examine the body. "Very well. I'll identify the victim."

The two detectives split off from one another as Connor went to examine the body that was concealed under a white sheet and Gavin went to ask the first responding officers what they had uncovered before their own arrival. Tentatively Connor nodded at the officers who were standing charge over the body before he knelt down beside it.

Respectfully Connor pulled back the white sheet to scan the android's face and gain her identity, only to feel a strange knot of empathy suddenly form in his much more sensitive stomach. Her model was that of a caregiver who bore a striking resemblance to Lucy before she had been attacked and left scarred by violent humans.

"The victim's name was 'Natasha' and worked at a daycare two blocks away." As he began examining the victim's wounds the knot in Connor's stomach tightened in time with his emotional distress. "Single bullet wound to the left temple from close range." The gunshot residue and stippling over the artificial flesh was indicative of the gun's barrel being pressed almost directly against her right temple. "Whoever did this targeted her specifically with the intent to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort."

Replacing the sheet over her face Connor stood upright and scanned the area for any sign of the shooter.

Natasha had been shot on the sidewalk just in front of the construction site two hours prior. The construction crew had been on break and had found her body after returning and catching a brief glimpse of a single person running away from the body. After reporting the assault the crew had dispersed from the immediate area after giving their statements to the police.

Shoe prints that didn't belong to any of the officers at the scene and were not of the mandatory steel-toed work boots that the construction crew wore gave Connor a promising lead. Using his scanner to trail the shoes to a storage shed behind the construction site Connor discovered traces of gunpowder residue on the small brass handle leading into the storage shed out of the immediate view of anyone passing by.

"Gavin," Connor cybernetically and verbally addressed the detective with a message to his phone. "I believe I found something. The storage shed behind the construction site."

'Stay there,' Gavin responded quickly as he had been waiting for an update. 'I'm heading over now.'

Pressing his hand down against the handle Connor opened the shed door just a few centimeters before the door burst open from the other side knocking Connor back as the deviant was left stunned by the aggressive motion.

"Get away!" A male voice shouted as he exploded through the door and pointed his gun at Connor. Squeezing the trigger once the gun jammed and the man panicked as he grabbed onto the nearest object to use as a weapon; one of the many tools left strewn about the bench in the storage shed. "Don't touch me!"

Before Connor had the chance to recover a horrific pain burned through his face just below his right eye as a screwdriver was stabbed into his face. The tool twisted once to the right and the plastic handle was snapped clean from the sharpened metal rod that had become embedded in his face.

Connor let out a loud gasp and yell of pain as he fell to his side and rolled onto his back slowly. Pressing his hands to his face Connor felt the warmth of his own blue blood seeping between his fingers and under his palms. His vision went red with warnings regarding the damage he had just sustained and an internal alarm began to sound off in his head.

Dropping his hands away from his face Connor caught blurry sight of his attacker rushing away from him and out of sight down the sidewalk.

"H... Help."

Connor wheezed pathetically as he remained stunned on the ground. Blue blood and now pale blue sweat was staining his face as his artificial skin began to swell up and turn a dark blue all around the penetrating screwdriver still stabbed into his face.

"...H-Help. Please!"

"Connor?" Gavin spotted the deviant laying on the dirt in front of the storage shed with his hands covered in Thirium hovering just over his face. "What the fuck happened?"

"...I..." Connor couldn't find his voice and could only wheeze in pain as shock set in. "H-He..."

"What the-" Gavin saw all the blue blood on the deviant's suddenly pale face and froze. As the blood glistened against the side of the screwdriver Gavin realized that the deviant had been seriously injured. "Oh, shit! Who did this?"

Taking in rapid breaths Connor suddenly let out a loud yell of pain as the true extent of the damage began to register in his stunned mind.

"Fuck! All right, come on!"

Grabbing on to Connor's bicep Gavin hauled the deviant up to his feet and began dragging him from the construction site and back toward his car to be transported to a facility for care.

"Hey! We got an officer down over here!"

As the police officers converged toward Gavin the detective waved them off and motioned to the storage shed behind the site.

"I got him..." Gavin was referring to Connor as he pulled open the passenger side door of the car and sat the bleeding deviant down inside. He shouted at the other officers as he made his way to the other side of his car. "You find the asshole who did this!"

Throwing open his own door Gavin sat down, turned the key in the ignition and pulled away from the construction site as quickly as possible.

"Connor?" Gavin glanced over at the deviant as Connor slumped down in the seat, his hand hovering protectively over his bleeding face with genuine fear as he panted in rapid frightened breaths. "Connor, stay with me, all right?"

"G-Gavin, I need to-" His hand barely brushed the end of the metal and the slight pressure was enough to make him shout out in pain again. "Shit!"

"Hey! Don't touch that! Let it alone! Fuck..."

"I need to pull it out!"

"No! I don't know much about androids," the detective admitted as he turned on the next block. "but I do know to not pull out the knife when someone gets stabbed! Leave it alone you fuckin' plastic-prick!"

"It h-hurts!" Connor shouted and immediately he began to lose consciousness. "...It needs... to..."

"Stay awake damn it! We're almost there!"

Connor's hand fell heavily away from his face as his glassy soulful eyes eyes slipped shut.

"Connor! Wake up, 'Tinman'!"

Thinking quickly Gavin changed his destination and made his way to Skye Tower where he knew Abby was working. He grabbed on to the front of Connor's dress shirt and shook him once but the wounded deviant respond.

"Fuck me..."

Thirium continued to drip from Connor's paling face as his right eye swelled shut entirely. The update he had willingly downloaded had resulted in many more humanoid responses to physical stimuli and damage; one of those responses was evidently an increased sensitivity to pain and blood loss.

"Okay, we're here!"

Throwing the car into park in the small lot behind the tower Gavin opened his door and ran to the other side of the car to pull open the passenger side door. Grabbing Connor's arm Gavin managed to heft the unconscious deviant's limp body over his right shoulder as he carried him into the tower. Ignoring the receptionist, who didn't even try to talk to Gavin as he rushed by, the detective reached the elevator and let out a deep sigh.

"Fuckin' piece of plastic. Plastic isn't supposed to feel pain or bleed..."

Steadily Connor's system rebooted from the darkness that had mercifully overtaken his mind as the searing pain below his right eye quickly overwhelmed his suddenly enhanced senses. With his returning consciousness came another wave of searing pain in his eye and his head that instantly reminded him of what had happened at the crime and scene and subsequently what had resulted in his unconsciousness. As his trembling hand reached up to grab onto the end of the offending screwdriver still impaled in his face, a second gentle hand grabbed on to his hand and coaxed it away from the makeshift and surprisingly efficient weapon.

The touch was familiar and Connor recognized it immediately as Abby's hand. Even with a trusted friend nearby Connor was shaking with fear and visibly shivering from his pain.

"No, no." Abby's voice called out to him gently as she pushed his hand away. "Don't touch that, I'll take care of it for you."

Connor's undamaged left eye opened and he stared up at the kind technician's face as she hovered over him. "...A-Abby?"

"You're safe. I'll get the screwdriver out."

"It hurts." The deviant wanted to scream, if not let out a childish sob as his pain receptors felt twice as potent thanks to the update, but he refrained from touching the offending object still stabbed into his face just below his right eye. "...It really hurts."

"I know it does." Using a soothing tone Abby lightly carded her fingers through Connor's hair in an attempt to get him to relax a little. "I'm sorry, we didn't know the update would make you so much more receptive to pain."

As his vision cleared Connor recognized his surroundings and found himself laying on a treatment table in the emergency repair ward of Skye Tower. "H-How did I get here?"

"Gavin brought you here and he already told Hank what happened."

"Gavin." Connor glanced about but didn't see the Sergeant anywhere. "Wh-Where is he now?"

"He's downstairs visiting Aria in the daycare area and waiting for Hank to arrive." Placing a small ice pack down against Connor's swollen right eye Abby prepared to extract the weapon. "You're lucky. The screwdriver didn't damage your optical unit or any of the major Thirium lines leading into it. There's some swelling of your artificial skin and structural damage to your plastimetal frame that's keeping your eye closed. A few smaller Thirium lines were damaged but the leak isn't catastrophic. You'll need only a day to fully heal and in that time there won't be any sign that you were ever injured."

"...Was the suspect located?"

"The other cops still looking for him. Now, hold still." Draping a small blue cloth over Connor's face just under the screwdriver and a second cloth just above it to keep the area around the metal object covered, Abby proceeded press a small electronic device against Connor's right temple. "This will temporarily disable your pain receptors. Since the update enhanced your receptors I can't give you can exact time for how long the pain will subside, but it will be long enough for me to pull out the screwdriver."

Watching Abby's every move with his one good eye Connor let out a weary sigh and remained as still as possible, his hands gripping the sides of the exam table under a white knuckle hold. Once the pain in his eye finally subsided Connor was able to relax a little and just waited for the procedure to get under way.

"Okay, Connor. You'll feel a little pressure but nothing more. Hold still..."

Closing his good eye as Abby placed a pair of shining metal pliers on the screwdriver still lodged in his face, Connor held his breath and didn't dare move. A mild pressure built up under his eye and then began to lessen as the screwdriver was silently pulled free with a controlled strength.

"Got it! It's out."

Connor opened his left eye and watched as Abby placed the Thirium soaked piece of offensive metal in a basin next to the treatment table with an audible 'tink'. The deviant instinctively reached his shaking hand up to press against the wound under his eye to make sure the weapon was truly gone.

"Hey, come on..." Abby pulled his hand back down again from his wound. "Let me clean it up and put a protective bandage over it."

Connor lowered his hand and let out his tense breath as he gave Abby a pitiful look. "...I dislike this update."

"I can tell, but it's working. You're responding as any human would to this pain and that's a good thing."

"C-Can you extract a D.N.A. sample so that I can uninstall the update?"

"I can try." Dabbing some orange incrassation compound onto a clean wad of gauze Abby gently cleaned up the stab wound under Connor's swollen eye with a ginger touch. "Let me take a small sample of your blood for analysis."

Sitting up slowly on the table Connor leaned forward and watched as the protective cloths surrounding his eye fell away onto his lap. Putting his trembling hand over his stomach that was now feeling very uncomfortable, Connor fought to keep his voice steady. "I-I'll need some Thirium to replace what I lost as well."

"Sure. Just sit still and try to relax." Looking toward the door leading into the repair bay Abby waved over Hank who had just arrived. The senior detective was quietly watching from the doorway and didn't want to intrude. "I'll just be a minute."

Calmly Hank walked over to the table and stood before Connor with his hands on his hips. "You okay?"

"Yes. I'm fine." Lifting his head up a little higher so he could look Hank in the face Connor let out a weak breath and slipped off his gray blazer. "...Does the damage look bad?"

Lightly Hank put his hand under Connor's chin and tilted the deviant's head so he could inspect the damage to his swollen right eye more closely. "Nothing a little rest and a pack of ice won't fix."

"The shooter targeted that deviant." Connor stated very despondently as he recounted the facts on the case he had uncovered before he was assaulted. "She was harmless and supervised a daycare center. She wasn't a threat to anyone under any circumstances."

"Yeah, kid. I know."

"Did you find him?"

"Yeah, Chris and Jack caught him about two minutes after I left the precinct. They're questioning him right now, but by all accounts it's just another pointless bigotry fueled assault and murder."

"That's unfortunate." Connor's uninjured left eye shut and his eyelid fluttered as he received an cybernetic response to his submitted application regarding his chances for adoption. As the information was received his shoulders sagged and his head bowed down toward the floor. "...Damn it."

"What's wrong?"

"...My application." He whispered in a small voice. "I was rejected."

"Ah, kid, I'm sorry." Feeling Connor's pain Hank's hand went to the deviant's shoulder in a supportive manner. "Why'd they say 'no'?"

"The adoption agency does not want a child going into the custody of someone who is unmarried due to the risk of inconsistent parental supervision in a single parent household. My career as a detective is also considered too high-risk to be approved."

"That's bullshit!" Hank was now angry on Connor's behalf. "I raised Cole by myself as a single father AND as a detective. It's possible. It's happened billions of times before."

"Yes. But I suspect being an android was also a factor, but they would not admit to it out of fear of a discrimination lawsuit."

"That's not right, kid. You know it isn't."

"There isn't anything more that I can do." Sounding entirely broken Connor had seemingly admitted defeat. "The matter was settled."

"There is something you can do." The senior detective encouraged with a flare of anger to his voice. "Fight back!"

"...No." Connor sounded exhausted and beaten down. "They'd be less responsive to the threat of a lawsuit or a confrontation."

"Don't just roll over and give up on something you really want and deserve! It's not like you."

"I don't want to fight anymore. I'm tired of it." Pressing his hand over his good eye Connor cybernetically cancelled the orders he placed before everything was delivered to the house and tried to hide his frustrated tears as he spoke. "I'm tired of fighting for everything and against everyone. I just want everything to be peaceful and to go about my life without every day being a struggle for equality. I shouldn't have to fight to be happy."

"You... You're right, son." Tightening his hand around Connor's shoulder Hank agreed with his son's statement. "You shouldn't."

Abby returned to the room with the rest of the bandages and another bottle of incrassation compound to tend to Connor's wound, as well as a syringe for a Thirium sample. She could see that Connor was still in pain but there was something else weighing down on his mind as well. "You okay?"

Connor shook his head a little and remained quiet.

Sensing that Connor didn't want to talk about it Hank spoke up on the deviant's behalf. "He just got some disappointing news, that's all."

With a gentle touch Abby cleaned up Connor's eye and placed the compound down to keep the wound from bleeding any further. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Only if you can change the laws."

"The laws?" She rolled up Connor's right dress shirt sleeve toward his bicep to expose his elbow. Taking a sample of Connor's Thirium with a small hollow point needle from the main line in the bend of his elbow for later analysis, Abby was intrigued and confused by the little conversation she had just become a part of by happenstance. "What laws?"

Connor gave Hank a somewhat pleading glance as if asking him to let the matter drop. "It's all right. Some things just aren't meant to be."

Gingerly Abby put her hand under Connor's chin and made him look directly at her. "And that's why we strive for changes. Now tell me, what's going on?"

Hesitant at first to explain things Connor relented and told Abby what had happened. After he finished telling her about the rejected adoption application she placed a clean bandage over his wounded eye and promptly crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's a bunch of bull!" Abby was just as heated as Hank about the whole matter. "You don't need to have two parents to have a loving home. I'm proof of that. And," she pointed at Connor's chest before she motioned to Hank. "so are you two."

"I doubt that would hold up in court." Connor stated somberly as he pressed his fingertips over his bandaged eye then rolled down his sleeve to cover his arm again. "The laws simply aren't on my side."

"You do realize how one-sided the rules for custody are, right?" Abby challenged with an unexpected fire on Connor's behalf. "You can contest their ruling and I know you can win."

"She's right, Connor." Hank agreed readily with Abby's comments. "Humans can legally adopt androids as family or heirs, they can even give androids legal standing as medical proxies and they can hire androids to play surrogate. But androids wanting to take in a human child to give them a home is still seen as somehow irresponsible? No. That type of bullshit can be challenged in court and you can win. I know what the agency told you about the reasons why you were rejected, but I don't buy it! There's definitely some discrimination going on."

"And if that's really the case," Connor slid off the exam table and stood up with a slouched, defeated posture. "would it really be fair to the child? Any child in the custody of an android would be discriminated against, picked on, bullied... Even if I managed to fight back and win the case any child that I had the fortune of taking in would be victimized by the rest of society."

"Connor, don't-"

"Please." Walking away slowly Connor stared at the floor beneath his feet and took his leave of the emergency repair bay feeling completely drained of all of his emotional energy. "I'd rather not discuss it anymore."

"Son? Wait for a minute."

The deviant sluggishly disappeared from the repair bay out of sight with another word. A few seconds later Gavin walked into the room with Aria on his left hip and gave both Hank and Abby a strange glance. "Hey, what's wrong with the 'Tinman'? He didn't acknowledge me or Aria, and he looks like someone just ran over his dog or some shit."

Hank let out a weary sigh and grabbed on to Connor's forgotten gray blazer laying over the exam table. "Thanks for your help, Abby. I'll go take care of him, and Gavin, whenever you're ready to get back to the precinct, you're dealing with that jackass who stabbed Connor."

"Uh, yeah." Gavin adjusted Aria on his hip as he watched the senior officer get ready to leave. His daughter was playfully touching his face and making it a little difficult to focus on his commanding officer. "No problem, Cap'."

"Here." Abby passed a bottle of Thirium over to Hank to take. "Make sure he drinks this. Take care of Connor and let me know if I can do anything to help."

"Yeah, thanks."

As Gavin and Abby were left alone the Sergeant turned to his wife and gave her an odd glance. "What the fuck was that all about? What's wrong with Connor?"

"Aside from being stabbed in the face and the world being an unfair place and denying him something he wants more than anything? Heartbreak."

"Do I want to know what happened?"

"Probably not, but I'm going to tell you anyway." Eyeing the syringe with Connor's blood sample warily Abby sighed and put her free hand on Aria's back. "Life is unfair and there's very little we can do to make wrong things become right."

The rest of the day proceeded calmly and without any further incident regarding deviant assaults.

Needing to be alone for a moment Connor sat on the back deck of the house with his coin just sitting completely still in the center of the opened palm of his right hand as he stared into the nothingness that stretched out before him for all eternity. Ignoring the mounting chill in the air as best as he could as the evening gave way to night, Connor sat alone with his thoughts and cybernetically filed his report regarding his cases and of his resulting injury. Even while off the clock Connor needed to work in order to distract his thoughts from his disappointment. There was nothing more for him to do than go to work, try to keep the city safe and accept his fate as a second-class citizen.

The backdoor opened as Hank stepped outside and joined Connor on the back step with Sumo trotting out into the backyard along with him. He hated seeing his son so upset and Hank wanted to do something to help Connor feel a little better.

"I just got a report from Abby." Sitting down beside Connor the senior detective studied Connor's bleak disposition carefully. "That blood sample she took from you only had about twenty percent viable D.N.A. to be registered. You gotta' keep that update for a while longer."

"...I figured as much."

"And she told me that a teenage boy and his pregnant girlfriend showed up at the tower about ten minutes after we left. He had four-hundred dollars in his pocket and a gun. Sound familiar?"

"What happened?" Connor's left eye went wide and he paled a little as he looked over at Hank. "...Was anyone injured?"

"No, everything's fine, son. The teen turned over the gun and all of the money to Abby. He said he wanted to turn himself in for the armed robbery at the convenience store after his girlfriend was taken care of at the tower; but Abby talked Gavin into letting the kid off with a warning. Turns out he robbed the place because both of their parents kicked them out on to the street and they needed the money to survive."

"...I see."

"The teen also said that the android he robbed at the convenience store told him where to go. Apparently the detective in charge of the case gave him the idea of getting help at Skye Tower..."

Connor turned his head away and looked back down at the nothingness at his feet.

"Don't act like you're in trouble, kid. I get what you did and I'm glad you did it."

"...I'm not worried about myself. I'm frustrated."

"I don't blame you. That adoption agency-"

"It's not just about getting my application rejected." The deviant interrupted firmly as his right hand clenched into a tight fist consuming the coin. "It's about how hypocritical the laws are. Humans are allowed to have as many children as they want, whether or not they can take care of them or provide them with the necessities of life, but androids aren't permitted because we're still seen as machines." Leaning back a little Connor wiped some sweat from his forehead with his left hand as he also wiped away a rogue tear from his uninjured eye. "The deviant who was gunned down this afternoon volunteered her time to take care of human kids and was a threat to no one. It was a human who killed her, but he could easily have children of his own without anyone questioning it simply because he is in fact a human."

"Easy, Connor. You don't know-"

"Those teenagers who showed up at the tower are scared to death about their future and their child to the point where they'd break the law; but their own parents don't care enough to help them... It's unfair and just so cruel to both of the teenagers and their unborn child! But the laws won't aid them, only condemn them."

"There's nothing I can say to you right now that would make you feel any better." Draping his arm around Connor's shoulder Hank held the disheartened deviant in a half-hug at his side as Connor breathed deeply and tried to compose himself. "But I can tell you that you're absolutely right."

"How did you put up with these unjust laws for so long without breaking emotionally?"

"Who said they didn't break me, kid?" Patting the side of Connor's arm once Hank retracted his own arm and decided a change in subject was absolutely needed. "How's your eye?"

"Sore."

"And your Thirium volume?"

Connor's right hand relaxed as he pressed his palm and coin against his stomach over top the newly formed uncomfortable sensation in his core that he had been trying to ignore. "...Down to eighty-nine percent."

"Come on. You hate the cold as it is." The senior detective insisted patiently as he noticed a few goosebumps forming on Connor's artificial skin. "And I don't think that new update will make it feel any better."

"...I'll going inside in a minute." Refusing to budge Connor remain planted on the step and showed no sign of moving. "I just want a moment to myself. I just need that, a moment."

"Right." Standing up from the deck Hank walked back to the door and opened it slowly and let Sumo back inside without an invitation. It seemed Sumo could sense that Connor wanted to be alone for a while. "Just remember one thing, son; don't obsess over this. It'll drive you crazy."

"I won't obsess, I promise."

Pocketing his coin Connor wrapped his arms tightly over his chest to keep warm as he stubbornly stayed on the step by himself while the sun set and night crept over the city. The backdoor shut softly and Connor let out a single frustrated breath as he seemingly gave up on his dreams and submitted to heartache.

"...I won't try to adopt anymore, either. I'm done with being disappointed and heartbroken. It hurts too much to live with."

-next chapter-