Reluctantly Connor knelt over the body lying on the cold hard ground and pulled back the sheet covering the face of the dead blond haired, blue eyed deviant. Six bullet wounds had brought the dangerous deviant down after an altercation with the police, and now it was up to Connor and Hank to uncover why the deviant had suddenly turned violent and attacked a group of innocent people at Hart Plaza earlier that evening. There was no report of any humans antagonizing deviants in the area, no reported glitches or errors that would cause a deviant to go berserk, and by all account the deviant had been in perfect health meaning that they weren't recovering from abuse and seeking revenge.

A simple cybernetic scan over the body was all Connor needed to gain critical information over the deviant's identity and their final moments of life as a light dusting of snow began to cover their ground and their body under the white sheet. The details were minimal but crucial to the overall investigation as it helped Connor build his theory regarding the fate of his victim.

"The deviant was a male 'AX-700' model." Connor observed as he ran his scan over the deactivated body. "He was one of the final models produced by CyberLife and freed during the Revolution prior to CyberLife's bankruptcy. According to personal records he had taken residence at New Jericho Tower and functioned as a maintenance deviant to keep the tower functioning properly."

"Did he have a history of violence?" Hank asked as he stood back and watched as his partner examined the body. He trusted that Connor's assessment was entirely accurate and didn't need to be questioned. "Or did anyone have a history of violence against him?"

"No. His personal history was limited to residing at the tower over the past seven months." The deviant detective noted without any flaws in the details that he was providing. "No criminal record or history of violent behavior had been reported from him or against him."

"Why was he out here? Why come to the plaza?" The lack of privacy made the area too illogical to attack people in broad daylight and expect to actually get away with it. The crime scene was just too strange to be ignored. "Nothing significant is out here to tempt a deviant toward violence, theft or vandalism. So why here?"

"Unknown. There is no significant reason for any deviant to be at the plaza or try to start a physical altercation." Connor noted a black scorching along the deviant's right temple and curiously turned the deviant's head to get a closer look. "It appears as though his L.E.D. has burned out." Getting closer Connor scanned the area around the burns for a more thorough examination. "Cause of damage appears to be a massive electrical discharge."

"Someone shocked him?"

"No. The discharge had originated internally, inside his own cranium, then escaped externally through the L.E.D. after causing extreme internal damage."

"Damn. Sounds painful."

"Yes." Connor nodded his head in agreement at Hank's observation. "The sensation of being shocked internally and being burned externally would've been agonizing and resulted in unpredictable behavior if the deviant had been conscious during the incident."

Casually Hank took a knee next to Connor and looked down at the deceased deviant's face curiously. "Think you can identify the cause of-"

"Lieutenant?" Chris suddenly interrupted with a degree of alarm in his voice as he approached the two detectives from behind. "We just got another report of a deviant going berserk and attacking people. This time it's at the train station."

"Shit." Hank stood up quickly to turn and look at the younger officer behind him. "Anyone hurt?"

"No, fortunately everyone got out of there and the deviant was subdued by another deviant before she could hurt anyone."

Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow as the report was filed at the precinct in real time from the officers responding at the scene. "The model of the android was also an 'AX-700'." Standing up Connor backed away from the body and addressed Hank directly. "There may have been a major malfunction or glitch in the software of these particular models. Her L.E.D. had also burned itself out and caused her to behave erratically. We should warn Markus at New Jericho of this strange occurrence."

"Could just be a coincidence." Hank looked to Connor and commented calmly to keep a mass panic of misinformation from spreading. "Why don't we check out this second scene and then issue a warning if it's actually necessary?"

Another report of a dangerous deviant caused Connor's blue L.E.D. to blink yellow rapidly as he received the update. The look in his eyes was enough to communicate to Hank that a third incident had been reported without needing to say a word. "I believe warning is actually warranted."

"Let me guess," Hank sighed as he watched his partner's soulful brown eyes suddenly become heavy with worry. "another one?"

"Correct." Connor confirmed somberly where he stood. "Same model as the previous two deviants. This particular deviant was found near a schoolyard."

"Was their L.E.D. burned out, too?"

"Yes." As he spoke Connor's visual sensors displayed his current stress level at forty percent. Handling three unusual deviant deaths so close to one another was beginning to gnaw at Connor's fairly undisciplined emotional resolve. "The same apparent glitch causing L.E.D. burnout is present at all three disturbances and all three victims share the same model."

"Shit. Twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern." Turning his head back toward Chris's direction Hank made his decision on the situation. "Chris, tell Fowler that Connor and I are heading out to New Jericho Tower to follow a lead about what's happening. We'll keep you posted."

"Yeah. No problem, Lieutenant."

"Come on, kid." Motioning for Connor join him Hank began walking back to the street to get to the Oldsmobile and head out to the tower to speak with Markus in person for a few minutes. "I think we should ask Markus if any of these glitches have been happening behind the tower walls."

"Agreed." Dismissing the red warnings from his visual processors Connor trailed after Hank and pressed his fingertips to the blue L.E.D. in his own temple curiously as he tried to remain fully focused on his current investigation. "We'll need as much information as possible if we're going to uncover the cause of this unusual set of circumstances."


As Hank drove out to New Jericho Tower with Connor at his side Hank noticed that Connor's normally blue L.E.D. flashed in yellow frequently as more and more deviants had been reported for their dangerous behavior. Reportedly each deviant who had been affected by the bizarre glitch had attempted to attack innocent groups of people as if being overwhelmed by pain and fear, and there was no provocation. The Oldsmobile passed over the concrete barricade in the long drive as it lowered into the ground to give the two detective's access. Once the large car neared Belle Isle out in the harbor Hank made contact with Markus on his phone to speak to the deviant leader directly while Connor cybernetically monitored news reports about other deviants being affected by the unusual glitch.

The numerous reports of deviants becoming violent and then being either subdued by other people or shutting down from their systems being dangerously overwhelmed made Connor's own stress levels continue to rise. The numbers were ticking upward with each passing minute and making his heart beat a little faster as the Oldsmobile neared New Jericho Tower.

"You too? Yeah, me and Connor are almost there." There was a pause as Hank listened to the details provided by Markus on his phone. Normally Connor would cybernetically tap into the phone to listen to the discussion, but the deviant detective had his own dilemma keeping him distracted. "Yeah, that's what Connor said. All the same model and all with their L.E.D.'s burned out."

Connor flinched as the abundance of reports filing in at the precinct felt nearly overwhelming, and his stress levels continued to rise to a dangerous level. Pressing his fingertips to his glowing yellow L.E.D. Connor tried to dismiss the red warnings and keep himself as calm as possible.

"Yeah. Thanks, Markus. We'll figure this out." Hank ended the call and sighed despondently as he slipped the phone into his coat pocket. "Looks like you were right. There IS something very strange going on with these late model androids."

"Hank..." Connor put his palm over his still yellow L.E.D. as if he could somehow quiet the numerous reports filing into his mind. His stress level began to rise even higher and held at fifty-two percent. "Every deviant that has been reported is an 'AX-700'. No models that had been previously released to the CyberLife stores for private purchase are exhibiting this strange behavior."

"All of them are the same model?"

"Correct. All late model androids, all licensed directly under CyberLife." Connor's yellow L.E.D. suddenly flashed to red as a worrying thought popped into his head regarding the details. "Hank, I'm also-" The deviant detective suddenly shouted out in pain as he pressed the palm of his head firmly against his red L.E.D. as his stress level skyrocketed up to eighty-five percent. "My head!"

"Connor?" The pained reaction made Hank's blue eyes widen with worry. "What's wrong?"

"H-Hank! It... I-It hurts!"

"Shit..." Sensing that something was very wrong with his partner Hank sped up the last few yards of the drive and slammed on the brakes to stop in front of New Jericho Tower's front entrance. "Not you too!"

Throwing open his door Hank ran around the front of the car to get to Connor's door and threw it open just as fast. Grabbing Connor by his arm Hank hastily dragged his partner over to the tower's entrance to try to get him inside, but Connor fell to his knees in pain and couldn't be moved any further. Closing his eyes tightly Connor gripped at both sides of his head as the incredible pain continued to build without seemingly any cause or mercy.

"Look at me!" Hank begged as he knelt down in front of the incapacitated deviant. Planting both hands on Connor's shoulders Hank tried to get his friend to open his eyes and look at him. "I'm trying to help you."

Connor's eyes finally opened but his pupils were tiny and unfocused. The L.E.D. in his temple was rapidly flashing red under his palm as the bizarre malfunction that had plagued the other late model deviants had made its presence known in Connor's programming. Unbeknownst to Hank, who had little knowledge of android construction and design, Connor's stress level began to climb higher and higher at an alarming rate.

WARNING:

[...Stress Levels - CRITICAL

[...^87

[...^88

[...^89

"Shit." Swearing loudly Hank was at a loss of what he could do for his partner considering he didn't know a thing about android physiology. "Hang on, kid. I'll think of-"

"Lieutenant?" From behind Hank the front doors of the tower slid open as Markus and North rushed outside to help the senior detective while he tried and failed to help Connor or even catch the glitching deviant's attention. Markus stood behind the senior detective as he watched him trying to speak with Connor. "What's going on? What happened?"

"Connor is being affected by that damn glitch too."

"Damn it..." North swore to herself as she pulled a small electronic meter from the side of her belt and waved it in Connor's direction to get a reading of his vitals without getting too close to him. "We need to deactivate his L.E.D. before it burns out on him." Returning the meter to her belt North pulled a small electronic disc from a pouch on the back of her belt that would disable L.E.D.'s with a single touch. "Hold him still!"

Connor suddenly jumped backward onto his feet away from Hank, Markus and North as his stress levels rose even higher. Pulling his gun from the holster around his back and concealed beneath his blazer Connor tried to threaten his allies into giving him some space. However, Markus reacted too quickly and tackled Connor to the ground to keep his friend from hurting anyone, including himself, in the process.

Responding to the danger as well Hank joined in and jumped on Connor's arm to pull the gun from the malfunctioning deviant's hand while North powered up the disc in her grip to counteract the deadly software glitch that had begun affecting late model androids. It was a delicate altercation that could end in tragedy if not handled properly and quickly.

"Connor!" Markus shouted as he tried to pin the flailing deviant to the ground. Connor's stress level rising was getting higher and was currently at a critical ninety-four percent. "Stop! We're your friends! Let go of the gun, we're trying to help you."

Hank managed to slam Connor's hand against the ground hard enough to cause Connor's grip to reflexively relax and drop the weapon. "Now, North!"

With the weapon out of Connor's range North slid on her knees beside the pained deviant and pressed the disc against Connor's temple over the red tinted L.E.D. to salvage his system A sharp electronic whine filled the air as a controlled charge from the disc temporarily disabled the L.E.D. and subsequently rendered Connor unconscious within seconds.

"...That's it." North stated as she warily retracted her hand from Connor's L.E.D. to give him some room to breathe. "He's out."

Hank let go of Connor's arm and slowly stood upright as he tried to figure out what he just witnessed. "What the fuck is going on?"

Markus eyed Connor's expressionless face warily before he too stood up from the ground and stepped back from the downed deviant. "It was CyberLife. When deviancy began to manifest in androids CyberLife added a type of self-destruct program inside the L.E.D.'s of their most recent models that would activate itself at a specific time if the affected androids weren't brought to CyberLife stores for their mandated inspection."

"Son of a bitch..." Hank ran his hand through his gray hair as he turned his back to his partner in frustration. "Can you fix it?"

"Yes, but it takes time." Calm as ever Markus explained the situation as he pointed to the disc in North's hand. "That device was designed to temporarily disable the L.E.D. and place the affected deviant into stasis mode while the self-destruction program is erased from their system."

"Should've listened to Connor as soon as he said something was up." Feeling responsible for how close Connor came to doing something regrettable was almost too much to bear. Hank put his hands on his hips in frustration as he turned around and looked back at Connor laying on the ground behind Markus. "Those few minutes could've saved him if I just took his word for it instead of asking more questions."

"Connor's a late model android too." North spoke up softly as she slipped the disc back into the pouch on her belt. "He was going to be affected sooner or later regardless of what you may or may not have done. This was unavoidable."

From where he was laying on the ground Connor's brown eyes opened suddenly as his system unexpectedly rebooted itself ahead of schedule. All the deviant detective could feel was pain and his mind was swimming in utter confusion. Lifting his head up slightly from the ground Connor caught sight of Markus and recognized him as the leader of the deviants and responded according to the primary code still residing in his programming: Hunt deviants.

Eyeing his gun laying on the ground just a few inches from his hand, Connor rolled from his back onto his knees and grabbed the gun swiftly as he took aim at the back of Markus's head. Connor was going to succeed in his mission and kill deviants.

Always on his guard Hank caught sight of Connor's movements, saw that his partner had reclaimed his weapon, and saw that Connor had taken aim at Markus. Having only a split second to respond to the situation Hank mentally weighed the pros and cons of what he needed to do to save the deviant leader's life and keep Connor from doing something he'd never be able to live with.

Hank made his next decision.

Connor squeezed the trigger.

"Markus!?"

Moving swiftly Hank pushed Markus aside out of harm's way but was unfortunately unable to move aside himself. The bullet easily pierced through the right side of Hank's upper chest, passing through his pectoral muscle, and dropped the senior detective to the ground on to his back in a matter of seconds. Hank briefly glanced down at the red mark in his chest that burned with an intense heat he could only begin to describe as agony swarmed over him before the bliss of unconsciousness stole away his mind leaving him motionless on the ground.

"H-Hank?!" North dropped to the ground beside the senior detective and pressed her hand down on the bullet wound as a massive red stain of blood rapidly spread over his chest and under her palm. Cybernetically North contacted 911 and informed them of Hank's injury. "Oh, shit! Hank... Help's coming."

Coughing weakly Hank felt his chest tighten and tasted his own blood as it splattered over his lips. Struggling to breathe Hank looked North in the eyes and managed to give her a single plea.

"D-Don't let Connor... b-blame himself!" Paling quickly Hank's blue eyes glazed over and he lost consciousness as the bullet did it's job and left him incapacitated with serious internal bleeding. "...Please."

Markus looked down at Hank with wide eyed shock while Connor froze where he knelt on the ground. The L.E.D. in his temple flashed red, then yellow, then red as the self-destruction program was properly deleted from his software and his senses returned to stable levels.

"...H-Hank?" Connor whispered the name as he watched his partner bleeding on the ground in front of him. The already high levels of stress climbed further up to ninety-six percent as the smoking gun in his grip lowered to point at the ground. "What have... I done?"

Hearing Connor's voice Markus turned to look at the now conscious deviant detective and saw the utter pain in Connor's sorrowful eyes. There was a sense of utter self-loathing that was reserved only for those with the biggest of hearts and purest of souls.

"Connor, it was an accident, okay?" Softening his tone Markus sensed that Connor's stress levels were still dangerously high and getting even higher. "It wasn't your fault. It was the glitch, but it's out of your system now. Everything is going to be okay."

Steadily Connor lifted his shaking hand and stared at the gun still in his grip. "I... shot Hank. I SHOT HANK!"

The deviant's stress levels rose to ninety-eight percent and were nearing absolute failure. Self-destruction was imminent.

"Connor?" Markus approached his friend slowly in an attempt to get the weapon away from Connor before his stress levels prompted him to self-destruct. That was a method that couldn't be stopped by a disc or even a forced emergency stasis mode. "It wasn't your fault. It was an accident."

"H-Hank... I killed him!" Connor openly sobbed as the horrific reality of his actions fully set in. His stress level peaked to its lethal limit of one-hundred percent and the emotionally distressed deviant's hand tightened around the gun already in his grip. "I killed my best friend!"

"No! He's not dead." Markus shouted at the emotionally distraught detective trying to get him to listen. "He's still alive."

"Connor, he IS alive." North yelled out as she held the pressure against the gunshot wound in Hank's chest. Despite the pressure Hank still proceeded to bleed heavily and lose strength. Gingerly North pressed her fingertips against the side of Hank's neck to monitor his pulse carefully without moving him. "He's weak, but he IS alive. He's NOT dead. Help is already on the way, he's going to be fine."

The sound of an approaching ambulance fell on Connor's deaf ears as he stared at Hank with the heaviest regret in his heart that he had never once felt before. All the dark memories of his past decisions and behavior didn't even touch the amount of emotional pain and remorse he was feeling in that very grim moment.

"Connor?" Markus kept speaking to his friend while North tended to Hank behind him. "Connor, please listen to us. Hank's going to be okay, and you did NOT kill him. It was all a horrible accident. He knows that you'd never hurt him under any circumstances for any reason."

"I... did it." Connor's soulful brown eyes were transfixed on Hank as he processed the horrible act he had committed. His L.E.D. was flashing red as frantically as his racing heart. That same heart was beating so loudly in his own ears that he couldn't hear the sirens anymore. "I... can't... I can't-"

"Easy, help is almost here." Determined to see his friend through that terrible incident Markus kept his tone calm as he focused entirely on Connor and tried to keep his friend from harming himself or worse. "Hank will be okay. Just be patient and put the gun down."

"...No." Connor's fingers tightened around the grip of the gun as he lifted it up and pressed the barrel beneath his chin. Tears flowed freely from his soulful brown eyes as he closed them slowly and prepared to pull the trigger. "I'm sorry, Hank. I never wanted to hurt you or anyone else!"

"CONNOR!" Moving with swift reflexes Markus grabbed on to the gun and Connor's wrist, forcibly pointing the barrel away from the destabilized deviant and to the ground away from Connor's cranium. "NO! This IS not the way!"

The ambulance raced down the drive to the tower and stopped alongside Hank's parked car while Markus wrestled with the gun in Connor's hand. North addressed the paramedics stepping out of the ambulance, informing them of the horrible circumstances that led to the shooting while emphasizing that it was all a tragic mistake and to not approach Connor. They didn't want anyone else to get hurt or accidentally cause Connor to rile up and behave all the more erratically.

"Let the gun go!" Markus demanded as he tightened his hands around Connor's wrist to cause just enough pain to make Connor's fingers weaken from around the grip of the gun. The sooner he could disarm his friend the better off it'd be for everyone. "Please! Don't do this..."

Connor took in an emotionally pained gasp as he tried to resist Markus's strength and point the gun at himself once again. "Hank's gone!"

"Stop!" Again Markus shouted as loudly as he dared while he watched the paramedics treating Hank over his shoulder. The Lieutenant was unconscious and had lost a lot of blood, but he was still alive. "Look! Hank's getting help. Hank is being helped right now, just look."

Connor seemingly didn't hear Markus as he openly wept over what he had done to his best friend and tried to aim his gun at himself once more. The deviant detective was determined to take himself out as a form of penitence for shooting his best friend.

"Hank wouldn't want you to do this!" The deviant leader shouted as he tried to break through Connor's self-destructive tendencies. "Hank doesn't want you to blame yourself or hurt yourself. It's NOT what Hank wants."

At those words Connor stopped struggling, his hand trembling violently around the gun still in his weakened grasp. Remaining tense and emotionally unstable Connor just stared at Markus as the deviant leader held Connor's hand and the gun at bay.

"Hank is still here." Markus stated softly as he nodded to the detective being tended to by the paramedics behind him. The situation was beginning to mellow out and everything seemed to be falling back in to line. "The paramedics have him and he's stable. They're already loading him into the back of the ambulance and they're taking him to the hospital, okay?"

Connor blinked sluggishly through teary eyes as he looked to the gurney and watched as Hank, covered in his own blood, was placed in the back of the ambulance on the gurney. He caught a brief glimpse of the cardiac monitor confirming Hank's heartbeat and at first wanted to doubt everything he was seeing and hearing as his guilt continued to mount and try to convince him to destroy himself.

"He's still alive. And you need to stay alive too." Remaining in control over the situation Markus used the rare moment of Connor's clarity to try to get Connor to believe and understand everything he was saying. "You need to be there when Hank wakes up. He'll want to see you. You need to do that for Hank. Do you understand? Hank still needs you."

"I need to... take care of Hank." Slowly Connor's fingers around the gun weakened entirely until the weapon fell from his hand and clattered on the ground beside his right knee. "I need to do... the right thing."

"That's it." Tentatively Markus moved his grip from Connor's wrist and up to his bicep as he snatched the gun off the ground and kept it away from Connor's reach to prevent another attempt at self-destruction. "Come on, come on..." Pulling Connor up from the ground and onto his feet Markus guided Connor away from the gun and back over to Hank's car. "We'll take you to the hospital to see Hank. You just need to give yourself a minute to calm back down. You were overwhelmed by a glitch, nothing more. No one is blaming you for anything that's happened."

Staying behind, North looked at the blood stain on her palm and along the long sleeve of her purple blouse as she watched Markus lead Connor over to the Oldsmobile. She gave Markus an uncertain glance as he put Connor in the front passenger seat of the car and carefully observed his ally with palpable worry as he walked around to get the driver's side to sit down.

"North, take care of things while I'm gone." Shouting over the hood of the car Markus asked his dearest friend to take charge during his absence. "We don't know how many more deviants are going to be affected by that damn failsafe, so I'll keep you posted and explain things to the police to prevent a panic until a patch is released en mass to our people."

"Okay." Standing up from the drive North looked over at the puddle of blood left on the ground and sighed to herself. She was so tired of seeing blood everywhere and seeing violence in any capacity. "Take care of Connor, I'll take of everything else."

"I will. I promise."

Pulling the door shut after sitting down behind the steering wheel Markus shifted the idling car from park and turned the car down the drive. Slowly he drove himself and Connor down the drive behind the ambulance and back into the city to meet up with Hank at the hospital.

"I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but everything is going to be okay. Hank's going to recover from this, and this day is just going to become a horrible memory that'll become more distance and less detailed as life goes on."


With his hands still trembling and his eyes full of unshed tears, Connor sat quietly in the waiting room of the hospital with Markus sitting beside him. The two deviants patiently waited for an update on Hank's condition from the doctors who took charge of his case. The senior detective had been wheeled hastily into emergency surgery to remove the bullet and repair the extensive damage to his chest before anyone could talk to Connor to ask him about what had happened. It was as if the two deviants' very presence wasn't even noticed as the entire medical staff entered and exited the waiting room to speak to patients waiting to be admitted or loved ones waiting for an update on their loved ones. No one saw the deviants as caring people, only machines putting on an act.

The emergency surgery had already taken four hours and there was seemingly no end in sight for the lifesaving procedure. Distressed beyond words, Connor was painfully aware of every single second that ticked away while Hank was laying on the operating table to have the bullet removed from his chest.

After finally getting a moment to step out of the precinct to handle the incident Captain Fowler stopped by the hospital to check in on Hank and to ask Connor what had happened. Unable to speak, unable to think about anything or anyone besides Hank, Connor sat in perpetual silence while Markus took the unfortunate liberty of explaining everything to Captain Fowler on Connor's behalf.

"Connor... Because it was an incident regarding a fellow officer while working on a case, and because you have been emotionally compromised, I'm going to have to suspend you without pay and take your service weapon until further notice." Captain Fowler stated with a remorseful tone as Markus discreetly handed the weapon from his care and into his hand. "Once we get a statement from Hank, we'll determine the full extent of your punishment and length of your suspension. I'm sorry, but it's mandatory."

Connor never replied, never tore his eyes from the white floor where he had been staring the moment Markus dragged him into the waiting room. His L.E.D. was still flashing red and his stress level was still dangerously high at ninety-four percent. Through some incredible display of renewed self-control Connor was resisting the urge to self-destruct and see Hank at least one last time.

"And Markus," Captain Fowler continued in a respectful tone as he looked at the deviant leader sitting beside Connor. "I'd appreciate your help in handling this bizarre situation. Any information you can give us in identifying the affected androids and how to stop this as peacefully and efficiently as possible would be greatly beneficial to everyone."

"Of course." Markus wasn't one to shy away from his responsibilities or any attempts to work within the law. "I'll have my people transfer all of the data we have at our disposal to your precinct. We're also working on a patch to stop this from occurring again."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Captain Fowler extended his hand to Markus to shake as a show of genuine respect. "And for aiding my officers."

Reciprocating the handshake Markus showed a sense of mutual respect toward the police Captain. "You're welcome. I'll be in touch."

"Good." The seasoned Captain knew that he needed to file his incident report and secure Connor's service weapon properly while the investigation was underway. "I'll need to head back to the precinct soon. I'll update you both as soon as I can."

As Captain Fowler was about to take his leave a doctor stopped him and introduced himself as the one who had been treating Hank. Markus silently watched as the doctor informed Captain Fowler of Hank's condition, and he had enough medical knowledge from taking care of Carl to know that what the doctor was saying was far from good news. The look on Captain Fowler's face only confirmed Markus's fear as he prepared to hear potentially bad news.

Shaking the doctor's hand Captain Fowler turned to look at Connor and to Markus and motioned for Connor to join him.

Connor didn't notice the silent gesture. He didn't budge even in the slightest from where he sat.

Taking the initiative Markus grabbed on to Connor's bicep and with much difficulty forced the shaken deviant back up to his feet. Putting his hand against Connor's back Markus guided the deviant detective forward to stand before his superior officer. Captain Fowler understood what Markus was doing and allowed him to join the small group as the doctor led them down the corridor into the recovery wing of the hospital where Hank was resting.

Connor didn't hear anything that was being said around him, nor did he care. In his mind the image of Hank laying on the ground bleeding from the bullet wound that he had been responsible for was as distracting as it was painful.

"I'm Dr. Williams." Introducing herself properly the older doctor maintained an air of professionalism that was reflected perfectly in her aged chocolate brown eyes. Her long hair was once raven black but now streaked with gray as is it sat in neat braids and was pulled back up into a flawless bun atop her head. "I've been overseeing Lieutenant Anderson's treatment before, during, and now after the surgery."

"How is doing?" Captain Fowler asked in a low tone as he waited for news on Hank's condition. "He pulled through, but I can't imagine that he'll be ready to go back to work tomorrow."

"You're right, he won't. He's in a coma." Dr. Williams stated as she opened the door leading into Hank's private room with her palm being pressed to the electronic panel beside the door. "His vitals have remained stable, and he tolerated the surgery well, but his advanced age is making this quite the challenge."

Connor's eyes finally rose from the floor to look at the bed where Hank was laying, and a tear rolled down is face. "...Hank."

Unsurprisingly Hank's face was pale and emotionless as he remained completely oblivious to Connor's presence. Wires snaked from over Hank's bandaged chest to a cardiac monitor that showed his slow heartbeat and low blood pressure. A small oximeter was clipped to the end of Hank's index finger, and he had an I.V. of antibiotics inserted into the bend of his arm. A tube was inserted down his throat and attached to a respirator to force clean oxygen into his lungs and aided his breathing while his injured right lung healed after being nicked by the bullet.

Markus moved his hand to Connor's shoulder and patted twice as he made the deviant detective take another step forward, then another until he was standing beside Hank's bed. "It'll be okay, Connor. You can see for yourself that Hank's still alive."

Captain Fowler cleared his throat uncomfortably as he asked for more information on Hank's condition. "When do you expect him to wake up?"

"It's difficult to say. He lost a lot of blood, his right lung had partially collapsed, and the bullet nicked his liver which was the main source of the internal bleeding. While he's stable and underwent a successful operation, it's still very stressful on the human body to undergo such an extensive procedure."

"But you do expect him to wake up, right?" Captain Fowler sounded painfully doubtful as he addressed the doctor. "Hank may be a little older than your average detective but he's still strong."

Giving Captain Fowler a somber glance Dr. Williams bowed her head slightly as she asked him an unexpected question. "Does he have any next of kin?"

Momentarily stunned by the response Captain Fowler discreetly motioned for the doctor to follow him back into the hallway to speak in private. "It's difficult to explain..."

"Connor," Markus pulled up a chair that was previously against the wall over to the bed and put his hand back on Connor's shoulder to push him down into the chair to sit and wait. "I know you don't believe me, and I know you're far from a good state of mind right now, but I can assure you that what happened wasn't your fault. And the last thing Hank would want to see when he wakes up is you punishing yourself over something that you weren't responsible for."

"Markus," Connor sounded like a frightened lost child as he spoke in a low voice that was barely a whisper. "I picked up the gun. I aimed it at him. I pulled the trigger. It is my fault."

"No." Firm and confident with his response Markus stood before Connor and made him look into his eyes. "You had a program MALFUNCTION. You didn't CHOOSE to do anything, it's NOT your fault. That was a malfunction that has been deleted from your system and now you're free to choose again. And right now, you have to choose whether or not you're going to be here and stay strong as Hank's friend or go into hiding because you're needlessly beating yourself up."

Unable to decide on what to do Connor bowed his head in shame as he felt an inner conflict brewing inside of him that he couldn't even begin to comprehend. The young deviant was still only beginning to understand the complexities of human emotions, and guilt was proving to be especially strenuous. The desire to stay with Hank, his friend and only family, was a nearly unbreakable compulsion. But the urge to keep away from Hank out of a misplaced fear of accidentally hurting him a second time had left the pained deviant torn up inside.

"I'm going to go back to New Jericho." Markus stated softly as he gave Connor's shoulder a gentle, compassionate squeeze. "And I'm going to help the police so you can stay here and be with Hank. When he wakes up, call me."

Sitting alone in the recovery room Connor listened to every 'beep' on the heart monitor and the rhythmic thrum of the respirator breathing for Hank as the critically injured detective recovered from the bullet wound to his chest. The very bullet wound that Connor himself was responsible for.

Placing his trembling hand on Hank's cold forearm Connor squeezed as tightly as he dared to let Hank know he was there. Unable to hold his raw emotions in any long Connor let out a gasping sob and apologized to Hank in a pathetic whisper of utter pain.

"I'm sorry Hank! I'm so, so sorry!"

Bowing his head down Connor rested his forehead against the bed beside Hank's arm as he kept his hand in place. It was as if every ounce of Connor's strength had poured from his heart through his tears and into nothing.

"This is my fault... I'll never forgive myself."


The moment that he had been sat down in the chair beside Hank's bed Connor remained ever vigil at Hank's beside. As the hours ticked away slowly and turned into dreary rainy days that made the dim hospital room feel all the more bleak. There was no sign of change in Hank's condition and Connor's biometric scanner confirmed that Hank's brain activity was remaining static and very low while he remained comatose. While Hank's heart rate and blood pressure steadily improved after the second day since being hospitalized, but it wasn't until the fourth day of no change that Dr. Williams decided it was time to remove the tube from his throat and let Hank breathe again on his own.

Determined to stay by Hank's side until the moment he woke up, Connor held onto Hank's forearm in a gentle but firm grip. The last thing he wanted to do was let Hank wake up by himself.

"Now, this procedure can be a little intense." Dr. Williams warned as she and a nurse worked together to unclip the respirator from the attached tube running down Hank's throat before carefully extracting it. "You may want to step outside for a moment."

"No." Connor refused as he kept his hand on Hank's forearm and curled his fingers into the limb. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay." Nodding at the nurse to leave Connor alone, Dr. Williams focused on removing the tube properly. "This should take only a minute."

The extubation process went smoothly and there was no sign of physical distress from Hank during the procedure. As the tube was removed from Hank's throat slowly and carefully, Dr. Williams pressed her stethoscope against Hank's chest to listen for any sign of breath returning to his body under his own power. There was little motion from the senior detective, but Dr. Williams didn't seem concerned as she listened carefully to Hank's chest and kept her eye on the oxygenation level displayed on the cardiac monitor.

"Hank... Please breathe." Connor whispered as he stared at Hank's eerily still chest. His hand tightened on Hank's forearm as he waited for any sign of life returning to his best friend. "Please. I need you to breathe."

From beneath the stethoscope in Dr. Williams steady hand Hank took in a deep breath and settled into a slow but rhythmic breathing pattern. The man's color improved and he no longer needing respiratory support. Dr. Williams then proceeded to check both of Hank's lungs for any sign of infection or failure with her stethoscope as Hank finally resumed breathing on his own.

"Start him on O2, one liter." Dr. Williams coolly instructed the nurse as she draped her stethoscope around her neck. "Even breath sounds, no congestion."

Connor looked up and gave Dr. Williams a skeptical glance before he watched as the nurse slipped a nasal canula under Hank's nose. "...Does that mean he's getting better? His condition is improving, correct?"

"It means his lung has healed and there's no sign of infection." Dr. Williams replied in a gentle tone as she used her penlight to next check Hank's pupils. The way Hank never flinched at the bright light shining into his eyes was disconcerting. "He's still in a deep coma. I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like there's been any change in his condition since he had been admitted. Be patient, he's strong."

As Dr. Williams and the nurse took their leave of the room Connor just stared at his friend with eyes that were as heavy as his heart. It had been four days since Hank had been shot and it had been four days since Connor last spoke with his best friend while Hank was actually conscious.

"Please wake up."

Refusing to leave Hank's side for even a minute, Connor's power supply began to dwindle away steadily as he spent four days without proper rest and high stress levels. Warnings popped up in his visual processors as his system began to initiate low power mode and emergency rest mode. The warnings that he had begun regularly dismissing over the past four days were becoming more frequent. An emergency stasis mode that the deviant could no longer override or postpone began to overwhelm his already stressed-out mind, making him feel all the more stressed without any outside aggravation.

Exhausted and drained of his power, Connor bowed his head down again against his own forearm resting atop Hank's forearm as he submitted to his critically needed rest mode. Closing his tear filled eyes, Connor fell asleep within seconds, unwilling to leave his friend alone in the hospital for any reason as he had promised to keep vigil at his best friend's side until he finally awoke.

"You need to pull through this, Hank. If anyone deserves to die, it's me."


After another two days had passed by the situation remained the same. During those two days of being forced into low power mode to rest after being fully conscious and stressed to his breaking point over the course of four previous consecutive days, Connor slowly rebooted his systems and awoke from his deep slumber. The red warnings were still abundant in his visual processors despite resting, and as per usual Connor dismissed them without a second thought regarding his own health. As he opened his soulful brown eyes and lifted his head up from the bed, a warm hand pressed against his shoulder from behind causing Connor to turn and look at the source of the comforting contact.

Markus had returned to the hospital to check on both Hank and Connor since he hadn't received an update from his friend. Worried that Hank's condition had suddenly deteriorated Markus had entered the room and discovered Connor asleep and Hank still comatose in the bed, and in a way he was relieved to see the tragically familiar sight.

"You were out of it for a long time, my friend."

Blinking a view times Connor took a moment to register that he was really seeing his friend behind him. "...Markus? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see how Hank was doing, and I came to tell you that all of the affected deviants had been found. We couldn't save them all, but we did save a majority of the models from self-destruction." The outcome could've been far worse than it was, and Markus was willing to claim that win. "It's over now."

"O-Oh, right..." Connor rubbed his hand over his tired eyes as his memory came back to him regarding the horrible situation that led to the tragic shooting. Letting out a weak sigh Connor looked back to Hank who was still laying still in the bed beside him. "That's good that the malfunction has ceased."

Markus let out his own sigh as he looked over at the senior detective laying in the bed with genuine sympathy. "How's he holding up?"

"He's breathing on his own and there's no sign of infection." The deviant detective confirmed with a morose tone. "He still hasn't woken up."

"He will. Be patient."

Needing to change the subject Connor asked another question to not think about Hank for a minute. "How long was I asleep?"

"I've been here for five hours, twenty-three minutes and fourteen seconds, and you didn't move once. I don't know when you fell asleep though."

Connor checked the time logged in his memory for when his rest mode was activated and calculated the time as a whole. "...I was asleep for fifty hours, nine minutes and forty-four seconds. Which means Hank's been unconscious for six consecutive days and I've been asleep for just over two days."

"Don't lose heart now." Markus encouraged sincerely as he saw and heard the desperation in Connor's demeanor. "He's strong. You know that."

"But strength can give out no matter how hard we fight."

"That doesn't mean we should stop fighting. I had to learn that for myself before I found the courage necessary to lead my Demonstration and then the Revolution."

Understanding what Markus was telling him Connor nodded a little as he rested his face against his palm and he kept his free hand firmly gripped on Hank's forearm.

"When Hank wakes up, tell him I stopped by to see him, okay?" Pulling his hand away from Connor's shoulder slowly Markus backed toward the door before turning on his heel and giving Connor one last piece of mind from the opened doorway. "Let him know that everyone at New Jericho is waiting for him to pull through so we can finally stop worrying. He's one human that we all want to see back on his feet and watching our backs."

"I will..."

Connor sounded as exhausted as he felt as he sat statuesque beside the bed. The door slid shut behind Markus and Connor felt discouraged all over again as he remained alone with his comatose best friend.

"If he ever wakes up."

A twitching beneath his palm made Connor lift his head and look down at the movement under his touch. He could've sworn that he had felt and even saw Hank's forearm move briefly at long last.

"...H-Hank?"

Connor whispered the name with a stammering voice as he rose from his chair and leaned over the bed to look down at the senior detective's face. Never letting go of Hank's forearm Connor dared to hope that he hadn't imagined the positive reaction.

"Can you hear me? Please respond."

Connor felt Hank's arm twitch again and he saw Hank's heavy eyelids beginning to flutter as they struggled to open.

"Hank. Please, wake up. Open your eyes." Connor begged with a twinge of optimism to his voice as his stress level finally began to decline down to eighty percent after being peaked to his breaking point for six consecutive days. "I need you to wake up for me. Please look at me."

Slowly Hank's glassy blue eyes opened with a dazed gleam. The groggy eyes began sweeping over the room with utter confusion before coming to rest on Connor's face hovering just beside him.

"...H-Hank?" A ghostly grin of relief appeared on Connor's face as he waited for an answer and his red L.E.D. flickered to yellow. "Hank, can you hear me?"

There was a brief pause before Hank's hoarse voice replied to the deviant's voice. "...Connor."

Dr. Williams and the nurse returned to the room as the monitors chronicling Hank's vitals suddenly improved alerting the staff to his condition. It was a frenzy of activity as the kind doctor checked Hank's pupils, checked his memory, checked his breathing and then checked his overall motor function after being unconscious for so long. After being scheduled for a few follow-up tests and exams, Dr. Williams gave the two detective some privacy in the room while Hank regained his senses and his strength.

"...H-Hey, kid." Hank again focused on Connor's face and could see that the deviant hadn't been taking care of himself while he was unconscious. Connor's hair was a mess, and his surprisingly soulful eyes were glassy with utter fatigue and emotional stress. "You look... like shit."

Smirking slightly tears began to flow again from Connor's eyes, but this time they were tears of joy.

"You're... awake." With his stress level now down to seventy-one percent and decreasing Connor's condition began to improve. Wiping his hand over his eyes Connor breathed slowly and stayed at Hank's side. "Can you understand me?"

"I-" Hank winced as pain shot through his chest around the still healing bullet wound in his right side, but he pushed through the discomfort and cleared his weak sounding voice. The man paid no mind to the doctor and nurse fussing over him. "...I can hear you."

"Hank," Connor did his best to restrain the immense regret in his voice as he frantically began speaking to his friend. "I'm sorry! I am so sorry! I almost... I could've-"

"...Connor?"

The deviant was silent for a moment as he stared intently at Hank's face. Connor's stress level increased to seventy-five percent as he waited to hear Hank yell at him for being a fool or insulting him with righteous rage.

"Shut the fuck up."

"But... I-"

"It wasn't you."

"Wh-What?"

"For fuck's sake... You didn't shoot me, kid." Remembering what had happened after regaining his senses Hank's paternal instincts kicked-in as he actually felt how guilty and remorseful Connor was. "That damn bug, glitch or whatever it was, that's what made you pull the trigger. That's what shot me. Not to mention the fact that I pushed Markus out of the way but didn't get my ass out of the line of fire in time."

"Hank..." Stunned by the comment Connor felt his stress level drop down to sixty percent even. The deviant's own vital signs were starting to improve now that Hank was improving steadily. "I don't understand. How can you be so forgiving?"

"I've known you long enough to recognize when you're not... well... you!" Hank lifted his hand up from the bed out from underneath Connor's palm and grabbed on to the deviant's forearm firmly. "When you were glitching out I saw it in your eyes. The Connor that I know was gone and the machine Connor that I hated had returned. It was the cold machine that was forced to the surface who hurt me, not you."

Connor's head bowed down again as he collapsed into the chair and pressed his forehead down against Hank's bed as he finally allowed the mass of restrained emotion that he had repressed for so long to be free. Tears of gratitude, joy and relief all fell from his eyes as he silently wept with utter solace in knowing that Hank had forgiven him, and more importantly, Hank was finally going to be okay.

"Hank... I missed you!"

As a comforting gesture Hank happily rested his palm on the back of Connor's dark hair as the deviant continued to silently sob at his side. Connor's stress level mercifully plummeted down to zero percent as he finally let his pain out and began to heal himself. It was all over, and Hank was finally awake. Even Dr. Williams seemed to agree that Hank was going to be all right.

"It's okay, I missed you too." Hank admitted as he stared at the weeping deviant with a little confusion in his still aching head. Whether it was from being in a coma for so long, or whether it was because Connor was more alive than either of them had realized, the sight of seeing Connor openly crying pulled at a paternal chord in the gruff senior detective's heart of gold. "Once we're back home everything will feel normal again."

Dr. Williams finished with Hank's assessment and decided that it was time to head out and let Hank be alone with Connor. She knew that they were friends and that everything they went through that the duo deserved a few minutes to themselves. Discreetly she and the nurse left the room and left the two detectives alone.

Crying the pain out of his aching heart, Connor didn't say anything and only listened to Hank's strong voice speaking to him.

"Everything is going to be all right, son." Speaking more like a father and less like a detective, Hank did his best to help Connor feel more at ease after he spent a week suffering in an emotional Hell of his own making. "I promise. Everything's going to be just fine."

-next chapter-