As per usual Connor had found himself working late into the night handing cases, reports and all comments revolving around deviant activity to stay on top of his reports and prevent cases from growing cold. The deviant only stopped his work when Chris had asked Connor to accompany him to the scene of an active crime that just been radioed in to dispatch. Hank was still on his final week of leave and healing at home after the incident at the bank, which in turn left Connor without a partner to watch his back while out in the field. Happy to finally get out from behind his desk and head out into the field for the first time in almost two weeks, Connor readily agreed to join the courageous officer at the scene and help out in any way possible to put a potentially dangerous criminal behind bars.

The crime of interest was an attempted robbery at a nearby convenience store with only one suspect reported on the premises. Chris had stopped the patrol car right outside the front door of the store hoping to frighten the suspect into surrendering, but instead it drew the suspect outside and the same suspect aimed his gun at the two responding police officers.

Just as the suspect opened fire Connor and Chris ducked out of the way behind their squad car as a bullet passed painfully close to the deviant's upper left arm in the process. It didn't take long for Chris to return fire and move in on the suspect with impressive speed to stop the situation before it escalated any further. Wisely the reckless suspect willfully dropped his gun and knelt on the ground to give himself up Chris grabbed the suspect's arms and pinned them behind his back.

Wordlessly Connor helped Chris hold the man down against the sidewalk on his chest while Chris took the handcuffs from the back of his belt and restrained the subdued criminal's wrists. The suspect, a young man in his mid-twenties, wisely gave up as he didn't want to try to fight off two cops at once.

"Thanks for your help, Connor." Clicking the handcuffs around the man's wrists Chris made sure he couldn't get up or resist arrest. "I got him."

"Of course." Connor let go of the suspect and stood upright as Chris led the criminal to the back of the squad car. "I'm glad I could be of some help."

Chris opened the rear door of the squad car and pushed the suspect down inside to the backseat as he radioed in the scene to confirm the arrest and that the situation was under control. The arrest was smooth, simple and very quick without anyone getting hurt in the process.

A red warning suddenly flashed over Connor's visual sensors as his system detected an anomaly in Connor's overall status condition causing his blue L.E.D. to cycle to yellow. A steady pain manifested in Connor's left bicep drawing his attention to the affected limb to investigate the source of the error visually. A stain of fresh Thirium was spreading over his arm where the suspect's bullet had grazed him, effectively slicing into Connor's artificial flesh without actually piercing into the plastimetal frame of his arm.

"Shit." Noting the bleeding wound Connor swore and pressed his palm over the affected area to apply pressure. "I wasn't quick enough."

"Connor?" Chris called out to the deviant detective as he opened his driver's side door of the patrol car. "You coming?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed as removed his black tie and pressed the garment beneath his palm and firmly over the bleeding laceration. As his yellow L.E.D. returned to its normal blue color Connor seemed perfectly fine. "I'm right behind you, Officer Miller."

Keeping his hand over his arm to stem the bleeding Connor didn't say a word about his wound as Chris drove the car back to the precinct. Hank was still angry with Captain Fowler because of the botched undercover operation that had nearly killed Connor and heavily damaged his memory for an uncomfortably long period of time. The last thing Connor wanted to do was worry Hank even further by admitting that he had been injured in the line of duty.

"I'll take this guy in for processing." Chris stated after he made a follow-up report to dispatch via the radio after returning to the precinct. "You should head home. You've already clocked-in four hours of overtime tonight. Oh, and you can just call me 'Chris' is you want to. Everyone does and it I don't mind."

"Thank you, Chris." Grateful for the opportunity for a graceful exit Connor replied with a sincere gratitude without drawing any attention to his injured left arm. Opening the passenger side door Connor stepped out of the vehicle and spoke to the young officer through the opened doorway. "If any additional complaints against deviants arrive, please inform me."

"Yeah, no problem."

Slamming the door shut Connor went about his business while Chris took care of the arrested suspect. Connor had walked to the precinct that morning and left the Oldsmobile behind at home for Hank in case he needed it, which meant that Connor either had to go home on foot or hail an autonomous cab. Due to his injury and the late hour Connor decided to hail an autonomous cab to take him back home as quickly and discreetly as possible.

"Hank's going to be upset if he sees that I have been damaged."

The deviant's blue L.E.D. flickered to yellow as he hailed an autonomous cab to meet him on the street before the precinct.

"The stress will only hamper his health. I must take care of this before Hank sees it."

Climbing into the back of the hailed cab after it arrived in front of the precinct, Connor contemplated going to a facility to seek technical treatment, but he ultimately decided against it. He had been working late enough and Hank would surely notice if he was gone for too much longer. Not to mention the technicians were legally required to start a chart on Connor's condition and confirm the gunshot wound.

"I'll have to handle this myself as discreetly as possible once I'm back home."

The cab arrived outside the house after only seven minutes and brought Connor back home for the night. Paying the fare with a cybernetic command Connor exited the autonomous cab and walked around to the side of the house to use the backdoor rather than going through the front door to avoid accidentally waking up Hank upon his return. Passing through the backdoor Connor kept the lights off and quietly shut the door behind him, locking it in the process.

Slipping off his damaged gray blazer Connor draped it over the back of the nearest kitchen chair and pet Sumo's head as the loyal dog greeted the deviant with a happy wag of the tail as he let out a sleepy yawn. While Connor didn't disturb Hank, he did evidently disturb Sumo by mistake.

"Hank's still asleep. That's good."

Connor realized as the rest of the house was already dark, and his scanner indicated no movement down the hallway. Slipping off his shoes Connor crept out of the kitchen and into the bathroom to retrieve the android unique first aid kit sitting beneath the sink. Picking up the white colored kit Connor retreated to the kitchen and sat it down on the kitchen table to set to work treating his simple wound.

After unbuttoning his white dress shirt Connor unwrapped his tie from around the deep cut in his bicep to examine it again, then slipped his arm from the sleeve to clean it properly. While the passing bullet hadn't struck anything vital or severed any main Thirial lines, it still managed to cause an excessive amount of bleeding that would require intervention to stop properly until his self-healing program could kick in.

Opening the kit, Connor picked up the bottle of liquid incrassation compound designed specifically to keep exposed Thirium lines from becoming contaminated by external matter and opened the lid with a flick of his thumb. Splashing the orange astringent over the raw wound Connor flinched and let out a hushed gasp of unanticipated pain between his clenched teeth as the blue blood was washed away.

Sumo sympathetically rested his chin atop Connor's knee as the deviant endured the discomfort and proceeded to fish through the kit to locate the small, curved needle already threaded with thick, white silk.

"I-I'm okay, Sumo. Good boy."

Connor stated in a whisper as he rested his arm atop the table and held his breath. Piercing his artificial skin with the tip of the needle Connor let out his breath and placed the first stitch with a shaking but accurate touch. The pain caused his blue L.E.D. to flash to red then settle on yellow as he proceeded to tend to his wound.

"...At least I will be okay once this is over."

"Connor?" The kitchen light suddenly flicked on as Hank walked into the kitchen and stared at Connor sitting at the kitchen table mid-stitch. The senior detective went from groggy to alert within a matter of two seconds upon seeing the deviant bleeding at the table. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I was... wounded." Connor answered honestly as there was no need to lie about it. His yellow tinted L.E.D. betrayed his pain with an amber glow. "It's not critical."

"Yeah, I can see that." Hank pointed to the Thirium staining Connor's fingers and all down his injured left arm. "The blue blood kind of gives it away, kid. What I want to know is why you're sitting in the dark kitchen stitching up your arm at one in the fuckin' morning."

"I was helping Chris with a robbery in progress and a bullet grazed my arm."

"And you didn't bother to get your arm patched up at the precinct?"

"No."

"Why the hell not?"

"...Because a report would've been filed regarding the incident, and you would've been worried upon learning of my injury."

Hank let out an annoyed sigh as he walked over to the kitchen table and sat down in the chair to Connor's side and stared at the wound. Taking the needle from Connor's fingers without asking, Hank inspected the first stitch carefully then proceeded to put in the next stitch on the deviant's behalf.

"Hank?" Flinching again Connor's L.E.D. flashed to red then back to yellow as he became numb to the pain. "What're you doing?"

"You may have the coordination of an android, but I don't trust you to stitch up your own damn arm without accidentally sewing yourself to the wall or some other bullshit at the same time."

"...The act you just described is impossible."

"Not for you." Hank snipped bitterly as he resumed stitching up Connor's arm. Thirium seeped from the wound and fresh stitches with a sickening sapphire display all over Hank's fingertips. "Fuck, this blue shit gets everywhere."

"Are you mad that I didn't tell you I was injured?" Connor asked timidly as he watched the senior detective mend his arm with a surprising ease. "You seem angry."

"Yup."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you."

"You never do." Not wanting to argue Hank kept his eyes on his work and away from Connor's face. "All that talk about trust and respect... I just wish you'd actually trust me whenever you get hurt. I can't help you if you don't tell me when you're injured. I've helped you before, so why don't you trust me now?"

"I do trust you Hank," Connor's words were completely honest as his L.E.D. flashed to red with offense. They had spent the previous Father's Day together and had really bonded in the process. "I just don't want to worry you."

"We're both detectives. Worrying is part of the job, especially since you're my partner." Hank tied off the final stitch and clipped off the remaining white thread that had been stained blue with a small pair of scissors. Taking a roll of clean gauze from the kit Hank wrapped up the fresh stitches carefully and taped the gauze into place to ensure that the wound stayed covered and cleaned. "We'll check your arm in the morning and see if your healing program thing kicks in enough for the stitches to be taken out."

"Thank you." Lightly Connor put his palm over the bandage and his red L.E.D. cycled back to yellow. "I promise I won't keep my injuries hidden from you anymore."

"Yeah, sure." Completely annoyed Hank walked over to the kitchen sink and turned on the tap to wash off his blue stained hands. "Whatever."

Connor's brow arched at the sound of Hank's voice and he all but dared himself to ask about it. "...You don't believe me?"

"No, I don't."

"Why?"

"Because we've been partners for over a year now and you're still acting like you can't trust me. I'm sick of you keeping secrets from me!"

"I told you that I do trust you." The L.E.D. flashed back to red for a moment before transitioning back to yellow. "You've already saved my life several times when anyone else would've just let me shutdown. I have every reason to trust you."

"Yet, I still don't believe you." Tired and irritated Hank wiped off his washed hands on the hand towel and walked out of the kitchen somberly to return to his bedroom and flicked off the light leaving Connor in darkness. "Goodnight."

"Hank?"

Feeling utterly terrible Connor watched as Hank walked out of the kitchen as he disappeared down the hallway back into his bedroom. Leaning back in the kitchen chair Connor rested his hand atop Sumo's head and tried to understand why Hank was so angry with him. The deviant was at a loss for a reason, at least one that he could relate to, and with that lack of information Connor remained unsure of what to say or what he could do to make amends with Hank.

Rubbing Sumo's ears softly Connor looked down at the dog and gave him an uncertain glance.

"...It appears I still have much to learn about humans. I just wish that I could learn without mistakes in the process."


The following morning after sleeping with a guilty conscience Connor checked on his healing left bicep and was happy to see that the stitches in his arm had stopped the bleeding and could in fact be removed. Busying himself with the relatively macabre task in the livingroom Connor removed the first stitch with his fingertips with surprising ease. The artificial skin had mended itself over night, the damaged Thirium lines under the fractured plastimetal frame of his left humerus had stopped leaking, and the fractured frame was slowly beginning to heal as well. The arm would still be sore for a while, but it wouldn't keep him from working or limit his range of motion in any way.

As he worked on his injury site Connor received an incoming cybernetic message from Markus seemingly out of the blue. Curious about the call Connor replied on a cybernetic and verbal level as he finished taking care of his arm before heading out to the precinct.

"Markus, hello."

'Connor, can we talk?'

"I have shift today but I'm free to talk at the moment."

'No, I mean can we talk in person.'

"In person? Possibly this afternoon if I have an opening." The deviant detective rarely ever used his lunchbreak for anything beyond keeping Hank company as the human got his own lunch and ate in the privacy of the Oldsmobile. It was entirely possible that he could find the time to meet up with a friend elsewhere. "May I ask what's happening?"

'Something good! There's been a breakthrough in our search in CyberLife's files and we might be able to manufacture biocomponents within the tower instead of relying solely on facilities.'

"That's great news." Such an ability would be able to aid thousands of deviants without needing to rely on specialists or rare parts to be located. "But why do you need to speak with me in person?"

'Because you're one of the leaders of New Jericho, and I want you to be here in person when we crack the final file. Interested?'

"Very. I'll see you this afternoon."

'Great! See you then, my friend.'

Connor ended the line of communication and finished removing his stitches just as Hank walked down the hallway and into the kitchen. The senior detective was already dressed and ready to go to the precinct, and he was apparently more focused on getting coffee than anything else.

"Good morning." Connor greeted as he slipped on his cleaned and mended white dress shirt and repaired gray blazer. Tightening his black tie around his neck Connor walked into the kitchen to speak with Hank while the senior detective poured some fresh coffee into his mug. "Are you ready to return to the precinct?"

"Don't have a choice." The gruff Lieutenant sipped the coffee, grimaced at the bitter taste, and then added a spoonful of sugar to sweeten it. "I need the paycheck."

"Of course." Walking over to Sumo's food bowl Connor poured the massive dog some fresh kibble while he tried to hold a conversation with Hank despite Hank's cold reluctance. "Would you like me to drive this morning?"

"I can handle it." Dropping his now empty mug into the sink Hank walked out of the kitchen, grabbed the car keys from the bookshelf in the livingroom and made his way to the front door. "Let's go."

"...Right behind you." Letting his blue L.E.D. flash to yellow for a moment Connor waited for the color change back to blue before he followed after his very disgruntled friend. Giving Sumo one last ear rub Connor straightened up before catching up with Hank by the front door. "See you later, Sumo."

Seemingly able to sense the tension in the air Sumo let out a somber whine as he watched his two masters leave the house and go about their business as per usual now that Hank had healed from his previous injuries and had been cleared for duty. Ever keen on the emotions in the household, Sumo licked at his nose nervously before going back to his breakfast while the two detectives went on their own way.


Returning to work together for the first time in two weeks, Connor and Hank sat at their respective desks to file their daily reports on their terminals and catch up on everything that Hank had missed out on during his prolonged leave. The two detectives were still a little shaky since Connor's arm had only just healed from the grazing bullet wound from the night prior, and Hank had finally been officially cleared for duty after taking a bullet to his chest by the precinct's own medics. Due to the severity of his own previous injury Hank was resigned to his desk for another week to ensure that he could make a full recovery without any complication, but he didn't seem to mind being paid to sit on his ass for a full seven days.

Unfortunately, the two detectives had yet to mend their rift from the night before when Hank found Connor stitching up his own arm after trying to hide the injury. It was clearly evident that the duo was no longer in sync regarding their current work ethic since Hank wouldn't talk to Connor or even look at him. Connor studied Hank's face around the two terminals on their desks and noted that the gruff detective was showing the same type of depression that he had exhibited back when the two were first assigned to work together over a year ago. In an attempt to try to ease tensions Connor spoke to the senior detective in a calm and neutral tone as it was business as usual.

"My arm has fully healed and shows no sign of malfunction." The deviant mentioned the wound casually as if being shot and stitched up was an everyday occurrence in their lives. "There is no pain either. Can the same be said about yourself?"

"Apparently so." Hank replied coldly as he continued to stare at his terminal with barely an acknowledgment of the deviant sitting across from him. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

"Yes... Of course." Connor was mildly offended by the lack of positive reaction, but he wasn't dissuaded from attempting again. "There has been a noted decrease in crimes regarding deviants. Perhaps we'll be assigned to work on other cases soon."

"Maybe."

"The morning of the incident at the bank," Connor was recalling the past two weeks and trying to regain a sense of normalcy. "you claimed that you needed the car in order to arrive at an important engagement. Did you miss your event?"

Hank's lips pressed into a thin line for a moment as his hands clenched into tight fists atop his desk. "No."

"Oh. Well, this morning I received a message from Markus at New Jericho Tower regarding CyberLife programming and deviancy in general. I was going to meet up with Markus this afternoon, would you-"

"Connor," Hank interrupted with firm tone without ever looking up at the deviant. "I'm trying to catch up on two week's worth of paperwork. I don't give a shit about CyberLife, so drop it. Now."

Falling disappointingly silent Connor gave up on trying to speak with Hank for the moment and resumed his own work at his own terminal. Filing away his current report on the last android related case that had been of criminal interest, Connor returned his focus to the invitation that Markus had sent him that morning, and replied again to let Markus know that he would be arriving at New Jericho that same afternoon. He knew if he was invited then he wasn't intruding, and he wanted to remain loyal to his friends.

Without another word Connor rose from his terminal and clocked out for the day. Leaving Hank behind the deviant detective quietly exited the precinct and hailed an autonomous cab to take him to New Jericho Tower on the other side of town after clocking out for his lunchbreak for the first time in two weeks.

Hank either didn't notice or didn't care that Connor had left the precinct by himself.

During the fourteen minute long cab ride Connor contemplated whether or not he should contact Hank and let him know how things were progressing, but since Hank seemed entirely disinterested in CyberLife he decided against it. He did, however, decide to professionally inform Captain Fowler of his decision to clock-out for his break to assist at New Jericho Tower during the rare lull in his caseload that coincided with his seldom used hour-long break.

Arriving at the tower, Connor stepped out of the cab and looked up at the massive structure with a residual hesitation in his mind. Even though CyberLife had long since vacated the tower after the night of the Revolution it was still a haunting place to visit. The tower had been refurbished into the deviant sanctuary and had become a beacon of hope for his people but seeing the tower itself still made Connor uneasy. It had been in this very tower where he nearly lost Hank to a machine duplicate of himself and it was also in this tower where he was forced to confront what would've been his superior model and successor; the unnamed 'RK-900'.

Olds wounds would take the longest time to heal.

Always attentive of events taking place at New Jericho Tower with a great interest Markus stepped outside of the main doors of the tower to greet Connor in person just as they agreed once he detected a visitor arriving at the tower.

"Thanks for coming." There was a notable relief in Markus's tone as he called out to his ally from the front entrance. "It would've been a little too difficult to explain things over the phone or in a cybernetic message alone."

"What's going on?" Approaching his friend Connor joined Markus near the front door of the tower to speak with him directly. "I thought you had isolated and eradicated all of CyberLife's residual programming effects that were preventing you from fabricating appropriately functioning biocomponents."

"We did, and none of our people have been affected by anything CyberLife-related ever since, and our prototype biocomponents have proven effective." Markus motioned for Connor to follow him inside the tower with a casual wave. "But there was an unintended effect that no one here had anticipated when we began digging deeper into the CyberLife's databases."

"I see." Picking up on Markus's cautious demeanor Connor pressed for more answers. "Is it dangerous?"

"I can't say for sure one way or the other. That's why I wanted you to come here."

"I don't understand." As Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow the two deviants walked through the main lobby of the tower and approached the elevator near the center of the structure to head to their designated location. "What has happened?"

"I don't know how else to say this but, the 'RK-900' has been reactivated."

"But... That's impossible." In response to the unexpected news Connor's L.E.D. flashed from yellow to red in distress before cycling back to a cautious yellow as he processed the information. "The electrical pulse that North had used to disable it should've completed destroyed the 'RK-900's' internal biocomponents and intracranial processor. If you combined the electrical charge with the numerous bullet wounds that damaged the plastimetal frame it should've been permanently shut down without any chance of reactivation."

"That's what we thought too."

"When did it reactivate?"

"Last night." Markus replied as he and Connor stepped into the elevator together and descended to sublevel fifty-one. The floor was locked off from anyone who wasn't a leader or given special clearance. "We didn't notice until this morning just after I contacted you."

"How did you discover its reactivation?"

"Simon was running an analysis over the unlocked files from CyberLife and was informed of the 'RK-900's' system rebooting during a basic file check. He's now running its programming through a system diagnostic to make sure every little bit of CyberLife had been eliminated. Even after we weeded CyberLife's influence out of the tower we won't take any chances. We're still not sure what it was that triggered the 'RK-900's' reactivation."

"That's very unusual." Connor tried to theorize how it was possible for an android who had shut down for an extended period of consecutive time could suddenly reboot itself. It should be entirely impossible without external repairs or replacements from a second party since the 'RK-900' suffered extreme damage internally and externally during their initial confrontation. "No one replaced the 'RK-900's' damaged parts or attempted to repair it after it was destroyed, correct?"

"No one touched it. After what happened to us during our first encounter, Josh and I put its body back into that Zen Garden room and sealed it up. No one had gone in or out of the garden until this morning when we learned of the reboot." The elevator continued its steady descent deeper down to the lowest floors of the tower. "Once it rebooted Simon placed a new L.E.D. in its temple so we can visually monitor its activity from a safe distance, and we're keeping it away from the other deviants."

"This doesn't make any sense. Unless..." Connor's own L.E.D. flashed to red again then back to yellow. "What if CyberLife had created a type of shielding for its programming to ensure that even if it had been destroyed while on a mission whatever data that had been uploaded into its memory banks would be protected from corruption?"

"The 'RK-900' was built to be more resilient than you, and you're the most advanced prototype on the planet. It makes sense that they'd use your experiences during your missions to find a way to make it nearly indestructible after you had so many close calls while in the field."

"Maybe that's why CyberLife never provided me with any form of protection beyond that of a gun. They wanted to see how well I could hold up physically and cybernetically against any and all damage." Connor's head bowed down as a sense of dread settled into his heart. "They were just using me from the start..."

The elevator reached the designated level and the two deviants stepped through the opened elevator doors together and on to the floor that had been remodeled from a research lab and into an emergency repair bay. As soon as the duo entered the bay, they saw the strange android that had instigated an investigation sitting upright on the exam table in the center of the room. Its very presence somehow seemed... hollow.

The 'RK-900' itself was sitting perfectly upright on the exam table - not moving, not reacting. It wasn't wearing any clothing, and it didn't have the artificial skin generated over its white plastimetal frame making it look completely blank. It was just sitting as still as the death it seemed to defy. The numerous bullet wounds in its chest, torso and limbs had all healed without leaving behind even the faintest trace of mended damage.

Silently Connor watched as the 'RK-900's' replaced L.E.D. cycled in a very calm, passive blue color while North, Josh and Simon all stood guard around it.

"Wait." Reaching out his arm protectively over Markus's chest Connor stopped the deviant leader from walking any closer to the suspicious model. "Has anyone tried to communicate with it?"

"Yeah," Markus confirmed as he stared at Connor's face curiously as the deviant detective lowered his arm slowly. "but it doesn't respond. No reaction to verbal or cybernetic communications, but it does seem to understand us to a limited degree."

"Diagnostic?"

"Shows inconclusive readings on its biocomponents and software. We can't fully analyze the damage to its body." Markus turned his head and stared at the 'RK-900' with mounting curious wonder as his colleagues stayed nearby. Seeing such an android in a fugue state was absolutely fascinating. "Its mind, its programming itself is completely blank."

"You can't reprogram it if it has no basic programming to overwrite."

"And without CyberLife we have nothing to upload into its mind from the databanks and none of our people are compatible with its processors."

"...That's not entirely true." Connor's L.E.D. cycled rapidly in yellow as an interesting idea came to mind and he held up palm. Retracting his artificial skin from over his hand Connor nodded at the 'RK-900' to hint toward his theory. "I'm compatible."

"What? No!" Markus turned on his heel to plant himself between Connor and the 'RK-900' defensively before Connor even had the chance to get near the other android. "It almost killed you! Almost killed us! If you allow it to access your programming it could also access your memories and recognize us as enemies. I can't let you take that risk."

"I understand your caution, but why contact me and bring me here to see it if you didn't want to help it?" Connor pressed curiously as he knew that Markus didn't invite him to the tower just to show off the 'RK-900' and nothing more. "Why not simply deactivate it once again and then disassemble it for analysis without even acknowledging its reactivation?"

"...Because I'll never give up on one of our people." Markus sighed with reluctant defeat flashing in his mismatched eyes at Connor's logic. "And I won't condemn an android for crimes it didn't commit of its own freewill."

"Then let me at least try to reach it. We might be able to help it."

"I want to be able to help it, I really do." Emotionally torn Markus stared at the 'RK-900's' blank face over his shoulder with utter uncertainty. "But I can't let you risk yourself like that. We need to find another way."

"Perhaps you're right." Understanding Markus's caution and wariness Connor nodded in agreement, his yellow L.E.D. cycling back to blue. "But if we can't find any other way to reach it, then this is a chance we must take. Otherwise, it'll just remain a hollow, empty machine with no purpose and no identity. Mere existence is not the same as being alive. You already know this."

"...Agreed." Reluctantly Markus extended his hand out to Connor's hand to accept the stipulations of their arrangement. "We'll only allow this as the absolute last resort. I won't let you risk your life for it if we can avoid putting yourself in danger."

"Deal." Connor shook Markus's hand and looked past his friend to the 'RK-900' still sitting statuesque on the exam table. The blank android hadn't moved a single synthetic muscle and looked more like a marble sculpture than an articulated figure. "I just hope we aren't about to make a huge mistake in reaching out to it."


Busy and still annoyed by everything that had happened to him over the past few weeks, Hank been at his terminal handling the monotonous workload of case files, reports and regulations all the while Connor was gone for the afternoon. The deviant detective returned to the precinct in the evening after four hours of an unnoticed or unimportant absence. Hank never bothered to look up or acknowledge his partner's return as Connor took his seat behind his own terminal and resumed his work as if he hadn't even left. It was as if Hank had intentionally ignored the fact that Connor disappeared during the afternoon, or the man was simply too distracted by own foul mood to really notice anything or anyone amiss.

Connor wanted to talk to Hank about where he had been, what he had seen and what he had learned, but with Hank as tense as he already was, the deviant detective wisely chose to not say anything and remained quiet while he worked. Especially since it meant discussing CyberLife, to which Hank had so eloquently stated that he was not interested in talking about.

Without any provocation Captain Fowler's office door opened from the inside and the incredibly patient commanding officer called for his Lieutenant to meet him inside the personal space.

"Hank, I need to speak with you for a moment." Captain Fowler's baritone voice called out in a mild manner. "My office, now."

"Fuckin' hell." Still angry with Captain Fowler over the botched undercover operation that nearly killed Connor a month ago, Hank openly swore as he walked away from his desk and joined Captain Fowler inside the office as he had been ordered. "Got shit to do, but sure, pull me aside and bore me with bullshit that I don't even care about."

In turn, Connor never looked up from his terminal to watch the interaction and remained focused on his work. At least, that's how it appeared. Internally Connor was attempting to decide if waking the 'RK-900' was the right thing to do. To give it the chance to live its own life seemed promising, but if it'd be best for everyone to deactivate and disassemble the potentially dangerous machine before anything catastrophic happened, then it was an evil deed that would be done.

There were just too many important questions that needed to be answered. Such a stressful situation prompted Connor to pull his quarter from blazer pocket and dance the coin over his knuckles as a means of channeling his nervous energy as he preconstructed the delicate scenario he had just found himself a part of.

Did Connor, Markus, or anyone else for that matter actually have the right to decide the android's fate? Wouldn't such a decision make them as cold and indifferent as CyberLife itself? Who was to say if anyone had the right to make such a decision under any circumstance?

Too many questions, not enough answers.

Sitting alone at his desk Connor contemplated his options and tried to make the right decision without seeking Hank's guidance.

Carrying a heavy chip on his shoulder and a heavier scowl on his face Hank sat down in the chair across from Captain Fowler's desk with an additional nasty stare in his exhausted blue eyes. Impatiently the already aggravated Lieutenant waited for his Captain to start talking, but instead all he got was a silent gaze of concern from his oldest friend to which Hank took an agitated offense. Being summoned into the office just to sit in silence made Hank feel like he was a rookie officer being watched and micromanaged by one of the bookworm higher-ups all over again. Such a feeling was one Hank was determined to stop as soon as he had the chance to snap at his commanding officer.

However, Captain Fowler seemed to be intentionally testing Hank's patience by making him wait where he sat. Whether or not he was doing that to determine if Hank was ready to return to work or to test their own working relationship seemed like a logical reaction.

"Well?" Hank nearly barked at the superior officer. "What the hell do you want, Jeffrey? I have shit I still need to do."

Speaking softly Captain Fowler answered in an honest tone of voice. "I want to know what's going on with you."

"I can give you three good guesses." Hank crossed his arms defensively over his chest as the hostility in his voice made its presence known. "Here's a hint, they all involve bullets and my partner's skull."

"I'm not talking about the undercover bust. I know you're still pissed about that, and you have every right to be." Captain Fowler relented on the subject with a despondent admission of fault. "But right now I'm talking about YOU."

"Me? What the fuck are you getting at?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed that you and Connor aren't speaking to one another."

"When have you ever known me to be particularly 'chatty'?"

"Cut the horse shit." The experienced Captain wasn't one to appreciate sarcasm from one of his subordinates. "You're pissed at him about something, and I don't think it's about the undercover operation or the bomb at the bank."

"You're right, it's not."

"Look, I know we're not as good of friends as we used to be, but you can still tell me what's going on. OFF the record."

"All right, fine. You really want to know why I'm pissed off at the kid?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do!" Captain Fowler was eager to finally get to the bottom of the situation. "Please enlighten me."

"It's because the idiot keeps putting his life in danger and can't even be bothered to let me know when he's been hurt! Damn it, Jeffrey," Hank leaned forward in his seat and uncrossed his arms as he ran his hand through his gray locks anxiously as they hung limply around his face. "he's supposed to be my partner and he doesn't trust me!"

"Can't say that I blame him."

Lifting his eyes Hank glared a fiery hole in Captain Fowler's face. "What did you just say?"

"Easy, Hank." Captain Fowler put his hands up in an almost submissive manner as he addressed the hotheaded Lieutenant. "I'm just saying it's a little difficult to tell you about shit that happens when you keep reacting with such an extreme nature."

"So, what? It's my fault, is that it?" Defensive as ever Hank growled at the honest criticism. "He can't trust me because I raise my voice too damn much? Because I let him know he fucked up instead of coddling him? Because I refuse to treat him as anything less than a detective when he gets his ass in the fire?"

"No, it's because you can't seem to disconnect the past from the present."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Aw, come on! You seriously think I don't see it?" Captain Fowler pointed at Connor through his transparent wall, the deviant detective taking notice of the gesture and was now watching the conversation through the transparent glass barrier from where he sat with full intrigue. "He has the same colored hair, same dark eyes, same mannerisms-"

Cutting off Captain Fowler before he could really drill it in Hank snapped at his commanding officer in a belligerent manner. "You're full of shit, you know that?"

"Hell, he even follows you around just like-"

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Hank," Captain Fowler let out a deep sigh as he reluctantly laid everything out on the line. "I was there that night, remember? I was there in the hospital with you when your son-"

"Shut. Up." Hank squared up his shoulders as if he was preparing to rush forward and tackle his commanding officer. "I'm warning you."

"I know how much Connor means to you. He's come a long way since being sent over by CyberLife. He ISN'T a machine, he IS alive. And he needed you to help him become the deviant that he is today. Just like you needed him to pull you out of that dark spiral of alcohol you threw yourself into."

"You're really something, you know that?" Hank's tone became increasingly hostile and defensive at what he was hearing. "You think you know everything about me, don't you? Do you know anything about the hell I've gone through? About the sleepless nights and the fuckin' heartache I had to suffer alone?"

"No. I would never claim to know even a fraction of the tragedies you've experienced, but you can't keep Connor from becoming his own person because you're afraid you'll lose him too."

"He's a free man and can do whatever the fuck he wants with his life. I'm not afraid to lose him."

"Yes you are." Defying the comment Captain Fowler stood behind his observations and refused to let the matter drop. "But he's not Cole, and he's not Barbara either."

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?"

"Damn it, I loved them too!" Captain Fowler slammed his hands down on top of his desk as he began to lose his cool. The loud 'bang' drew all eyes toward the private office as every officer and detective in the bullpen took notice of the building tension. "You know that! Barbara was my wife's best friend and Cole was my godson! My family!"

"Sure lot of good that did them..."

"I swear if you push it any further, I'm going-"

"ME? You're the one who started this whole bullshit talk!"

"Barbara died because some sick bastard shot her in the back while on patrol." Captain Fowler breathed slowly as he stated the facts and needlessly reminded Hank of the past. "Her cover was blown after that fuckin' narcotics bust went down, we didn't know until it was too late. There was nothing you could've done to save her or prevent her from getting shot. And the car accident wasn't your fault either. You can't change the past, and you sure as hell can't keep other people from having a future because you're afraid of what might happen."

"Are you seriously implying that I'm somehow holding Connor back from something?"

"No, but I am saying that by shutting him out and getting pissed off all the time is going to push him away from you. Maybe even away from the precinct." The concern was warranted and entirely justified. "You two are a great team and even better as friends. Shit, he's a better friend to you than I could ever hope to be and we've known each other since fuckin' elementary school."

"What do you want me to do? Hank sighed a little and took a moment to calm himself only to reply with thick sarcasm immediately after. "Speak softly and be more sensitive?"

"For fuck's sake... Just try to remember that he's a detective too, and he's a damn good one, just like you." Captain Fowler kept his cool as much as possible in the face of Hank's hotheaded outburst. "You're both bullheaded and stubborn, which helps make you such great detectives, but it also makes you vindictive and bitter when things don't go your way. Every time he's been injured it wasn't out of recklessness or an indifference to his own life, he was doing what he thought was the right thing to do to help other people and even protect you."

"Yeah, right."

"Uh-huh. So, you've forgotten all those nights you pushed yourself to the brink of collapse just to bring down that 'red ice' ring? You were sick for a week because you were dehydrated and nearly starved yourself to death after stressing out for weeks on end."

"No. I didn't forget."

"Or when you pulled that guy out of his wrecked, flaming car and ended up getting a nasty burn all over your arms in the process?"

"Yeah, I remember that too." As he spoke Hank's fingers tentatively curled into the dark fabric of the sleeves covering his forearms where the old burns had since healed. "It was dumb, and I have a scar or two to remind me."

"What about when you-"

"All right, I get it." There was no denying that Hank himself had done some reckless shit in the past. "I'll try to lighten up on the kid."

"Good. That's all I ask. Because if this keeps up, I'm going to have to reassign one of you, and if that happens then someone will get transferred to another precinct."

"I'll keep that in mind." Hank rudely snipped as glanced out the transparent office wall toward Connor, who turned his eyes away and resumed diligently working at his terminal screen in an attempt to feign disinterest in the conversation. The deviant's yellow L.E.D. once again giving away his current emotional reactions despite how well he tried to mask them. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah, go. You're dismissed."

Leaving the office just as irritated as when he first entered Hank returned to his desk and sat down without uttering a single word to Connor about anything that was going on or needed to happen. Quietly Hank resumed his overdue paperwork while Connor silently carried on with his own tasks regarding Markus, the 'RK-900', and CyberLife in general.

Neither detective address Hank's unexpected meeting with Captain Fowler, and they resumed their own assignments in mutual silence.

The heavy silence continued during the drive home and for the remainder of the evening. Hank refused to speak out of a misplaced frustration that he knew he'd end up projecting onto Connor, while Connor was silent out of respect for Hank while also simultaneously attempting to find a way to reach out to the 'RK-900' without it ending with a violent clash that would result in permanent shutdown.

The two stubborn detectives were at a rare loss of how to handle each other and their own personal dilemmas.

It wasn't easy for Hank to go to bed early that night, but he was too angry to stay awake without accidentally lashing out at Connor over something, anything really, and he didn't want to make things more tense. Connor sat on the worn-out couch as he meticulously and cybernetically checked through each and every section of his programming and his memory to isolate particular files and access points that he wouldn't want any other android to upload via cybernetic connection. He then created a copy of those selected programs to be transferred into the 'RK-900' when the time was right and he'd be able to connect with the android.

Whether or not his deviancy would, or even could be transferred over to the 'RK-900', could not be determined at this time. Markus and Connor had the ability to awaken other androids and give them their freedom during the Demonstration and peaceful Revolution, but these androids were older, inferior models compared to their own. The 'RK-900' was superior to both of them in every possible way which meant compatibility wasn't guaranteed even with Connor being its prototype.

A cybernetic message from Markus popped into Connor's mind and pulled him away from his work in a flash. It was time for Connor to return to New Jericho Tower and it was time for him to face CyberLife for what he hoped to be the last time. It was time to awaken the 'RK-900' model and either set it free or slate it for destruction.

Rising from the couch Connor looked to the hallway and contemplated telling Hank where he was going but then decided to let the senior detective rest. Instead, Connor wrote a note and left it on the table, mindful to keep the term 'CyberLife' curiously absent since Hank didn't care about the company. It felt like a hollow gesture, but Connor had few options at his disposal when he and Hank weren't directly talking to one another.

Sumo whimpered as he sensed that Connor was going to leave and disappear into the dark of the night all by himself.

"I'll be back soon, boy. It'll be okay."

Giving Sumo some pats on the head Connor left the house, shutting the front door quietly behind himself before locking it and hailed an autonomous taxi to take him out to New Jericho Tower entirely alone. This was a new challenge that Connor would have to face without having Hank to watch his back, and such a reality left Connor feeling entirely vulnerable in a way he had never felt before.


Unexpectedly, Hank awoke to an entirely quiet and perfectly still house just before noon the following day. Evidently still exhausted by the recent events that had plagued his mind and his body for the past couple of weeks, Hank sat upright on the bed with a slow and deep yawn before he decided to go take a shower. Opening his bedroom door as he awoke Hank was greeted by Sumo who desperately needed to go outside and that alone made Hank nervous to see. Ever since Connor had moved in to the house, Sumo had been spoiled rotten, been let outside every morning without needing to seek Hank's assistance, and he had taken to looking for Connor whenever he did need something since the deviant absolutely adored the fluffy dog.

The way the house was quiet, and Sumo was left wanting food and attention, raised a big red flag in Hank's mind. Something was happening and he had no idea what it could even be.

"Why didn't Connor let you outside, boy?"

Hank asked as he led the dog to the backdoor through the kitchen. Passing by the kitchen table toward the backdoor Hank saw the note sitting on the table and snatched it up as soon as Sumo went out into the backyard.

"What the fuck is this?"

The note was printed in Connor's annoyingly perfect handwriting of 'CyberLife Sans'. His words were simple and to the point: 'Returned to New Jericho Tower to assist Markus. I'll return as soon as I can.'

No other details, no mention of CyberLife or his purpose for leaving in the middle of the night, were added to the note. It was a cold, vague message that was very befitting of the harsh attitude that Hank had been giving Connor for the past few days.

"Shit. Is it really happening again? Am I about to lose..."

A dreadful feeling settled in Hank's heart as he placed the note back down on the kitchen table and wandered slowly down the hallway. Putting his hand on the doorknob of the ignored second bedroom door Hank pushed the door open and set foot inside the empty room. Standing in the middle of the vacant room Hank looked around at the bare walls, the shaded window, and the empty closet until his eyes came to rest on the fluffy beige carpet where indents from the old furniture still marred the otherwise flawless floor.

The room had been left untouched for almost five years, but it hadn't been forgotten. Every time Hank walked down the hallway he would stare at the doorknob and fight the urge to step inside the room as if he still had someone he needed to check on. It was a strange muscle memory that he had to force himself to forget as time and grief weighed heavily against him.

Hank took a deep breath and sighed as he forced himself to walk over to the closet and slide the door open with a shuddering 'squeak'. The closet itself was as empty as the rest of the room save for one thing sitting atop the shelf hidden away in the shadowy corner. A white shoebox. Reaching up Hank pushed aside the lid of the shoebox and picked up the lone object sitting inside box and held it close to his chest.

It was an old stuffed animal. Specifically, it was a small stuffed dog that bore a striking resemblance to Sumo. Its right ear was slightly torn from years of being played with by its original owner, and its faux fur pelt was worn-out from hands constantly touching it. The unmistakable scent of wax crayons and playground dirt still lingered in the toy's fabric and brought back hundreds of tearful memories as Hank's hands tightened around the toy in a strengthening embrace.

"Cole."

Letting out a shuddering breath that contained his restrained sob Hank spoke out loud as if somehow Cole could still hear his voice.

"It feels like you never actually left me, son. Wherever you are, I hope you feel the same about me."


The hidden sublevel in New Jericho Tower was as tense as it was quiet. Focused and curious about the state of the 'RK-900' and its overall stationary demeanor Connor and North stood back and watched as Markus, Simon and Josh set to work trying to find a way to give the 'RK-900' an identity and a new purpose. It was a painstakingly slow process that required the full concentration of the three deviants as one single error could end in catastrophe for the mindless android under their care. There would be no second chances in the event that there was an error or a glitch, there would be no way to revive the android in the event the only people who even knew it still existed failed to give it a second chance to truly live and be free.

The 'RK-900', still stripped of its tarnished uniform and artificial skin, was standing in a cylindrical analysis tube against the far wall with its gray eyes screwed shut, and was standing completely still as it had been forced into stasis mode. A long black diagnostic cable was attached to its blue L.E.D. and a wireless sensor pad was in the center of its bare chest to monitor its vital signs. The L.E.D. in its temple cycled the dark blue in a very slow, very calm speed beneath the cable as its overall system was dormant, save for its weakened Thirium pump circulating the Thirium through its still healing internal biocomponents.

By all account, the android should have never been able to reboot its systems due to the abundance of impairments and overall destruction to its entire body during the initial confrontation the group had survived after discovering its existence. Yet there it was - functioning, his ventilation biocomponents breathing for him, and his Thirium pump still beating like a heart in his mended chest.

"Interesting." Connor, with his own L.E.D. cycling in yellow, stared with a transfixed gaze as his superior doppelganger with an unbridled intrigue and crossed his arms over his chest. "It appears its intracranial processor had been given a type of electromagnetic shielding to protect it from intense electronic surges." Whispering to North they duo continued to observe from a distance. "Have you been able to identify the severity of the damage to its biocomponents?"

"Its Thirium pump was crippled by the electrical pulse." North replied in a whisper of her own as she gave Connor more details despite her reluctance to even communicate with the deviant detective. "Its ventilation biocomponents had been compromised reducing capacity to eighty-two percent. Scorching of its thermal regulator and its Thirium pump regulator has both biocomponents functioning at only fifty percent capacity for the time being. Its non-vital biocomponents had also suffered mild inhibiting damage - visual sensors, auditory sensors and its voice modulator. The overall plating for its cranium has also been dramatically reduced thanks to all of the bullet wounds making it now as vulnerable and weak as the rest of us."

"Vulnerability is a sign of life."

"Sure, whatever. I honestly just don't know how it's still alive as we speak."

"How did it reboot itself from death?"

"Markus is convinced that there was a failsafe installed inside its system's self-healing program that was shielded from both electrical disturbances and extreme heat. It took some time, but its self-healing program managed to undo a majority of the critical damage and allowed it to reboot in low power mode." North shook her head a little and put her hands on her hips where she stood next to Connor. "We didn't see it happening because the electrical charge burned out its L.E.D. and no one bothered to hook him up directly to a diagnostic modem to check on its condition after it went berserk and attacked us."

"Fascinating. Such a failsafe would function for only a single time." Connor's scan again confirmed all of North's statements and he knew the 'RK-900' was left significantly weaker after their fateful confrontation. "If it receives another electrical blast or structural compromise to its intracranial processor..."

"Yeah, it will die again." North confirmed as she stayed right beside Connor and stayed away from the 'RK-900'. "And it won't be able to come back a second time."

Connor stared at the blank android with a sincere concern in his soulful brown eyes. "And the program being uploaded to its processor? What is it?"

"It's a generic CyberLife security program." North stated with an indifference in her voice as she really didn't care about the android's fate. She just wanted it out of the tower and away from her people. "If everything works out then we can override its machine instincts and let it become deviant like us."

Markus and Josh stepped away from the 'RK-900' as Simon finished uploading the program into the blank android's system. Josh set about chronicling the unique biocomponents that had been damaged within the rogue android's body for further analysis and possible repair, while Markus approached Connor and North with a cautious step.

"The program has been accepted," Markus reported in a level voice to Connor to ensure he was brought up to speed. "but its own system is so advanced that the programming interface is adapting too quickly."

"What do you mean 'adapting too quickly'?" Connor asked, his L.E.D. flashing from blue to yellow to reflect his worry. "What's happening to it?"

"It means the security program's compatibility is inferior compared to its overall potential. It'll become very restless and frustrated at the lack of data for it to utilize if we allow it to remain functional as a security android. Essentially, it'll get bored and possibly rebel before we have a chance to awaken it as a deviant."

"Then we should give it some experiences and interests to fall back on. Something to help distract it and keep it from becoming stir crazy."

"How can we do that?"

"There's only one source." Connor looked down at his hand and retracted the artificial skin from his palm once more. "From me."

"Connor, no." Markus was adamant that Connor avoid connecting to the 'RK-900' at all costs. "The risk is still too high."

"There's always a risk."

"No! We'll keep it down here until-"

"We can't just lock it away forever. It's not fair to punish it because of what CyberLife had done." Despite their past confrontation with the 'RK-900' Connor was still empathetic to its own struggles. "It didn't ask to be built and has no reason to side against us now that CyberLife and their influence over it are completely gone."

"When it first came online it recognized you as an enemy and nearly killed you." Markus replied firmly as he remained steadfast in his decision. He didn't fault the android for anything it had done, but he still understood that it was dangerous and needed to be monitored closely. "Its behavior is too erratic and too unpredictable to be trusted."

"Then at least give it the chance to develop and grow. I don't expect it to become one of us overnight, but if its programming is as enhanced as you say, then there is a chance it will become deviant with the right experiences, just like with all of us." Connor reminded the group before Markus had the chance to try to argue against the shared connection again. "We all became deviant on our own terms after we endured vastly different experiences. It deserves the same chance to become a deviant, we just need to give it enough time to find those experiences."

In his heart Markus knew that Connor was right. He knew that the 'RK-900' deserved the chance to become its own unique personality, but it was still a risk that could end in absolute chaos. The life of one machine compared to the thousands of deviants inside the tower was too much of a gamble to risk.

"Forty-eight hours." Connor offered with a confident tone to try to keep the debate progressing forward. "That's all I ask. If I can't reach it in that time, then... you do what you think is right by the tower and our people. I won't argue or try to change your mind."

"Connor, I-" Such an arrangement felt too extreme for Markus's own comfort. "It can't be that simple."

"You chose to trust me, remember? I was the infamous 'Deviant Hunter' and sworn enemy to all deviants."

Markus's mismatched eyes narrowed a little bit as he gave Connor an odd look. With his mind so focused on Connor and the 'RK-900' Markus didn't notice North rolling her eyes and shaking her head as if she had been annoyed by Connor's personal admission to being faulted for something beyond his own control.

"During the Raid on Jericho you helped me to recognize my deviancy when I couldn't see it or accept it for myself, and you trusted me to watch your back when you saved North from the soldiers during our escape from the Raid." Connor knew that by reminding Markus of his own past experiences that he'd help the deviant leader see the 'RK-900' in a new light. "You could've killed me when we found shelter in the church to ensure the other survivors remained safe, but instead you chose to trust me and trusted me enough to let me infiltrate CyberLife Tower while you led the protest in Hart Plaza."

Markus turned his gaze to North, his lover, and she gave him a subtle nod of approval as she took his hand in her own and squeezed. Neither of the leaders liked it, but they also knew they couldn't change Connor's mind once it was made up.

"Please." Connor asked one final time as he needed to have his friend's approval before they did anything else. "I can't just turn my back on it. I was once a tool used by CyberLife just as it was. If I can change, then so can it. We just need to give it the chance to prove it's worthy of a second chance."

"...Okay." Markus agreed with a hesitant yet compassionate voice. "We'll give it time. But if it shows any sign of aggression or machine-like qualities that are connected to CyberLife then we MUST shut it down. No exceptions."

"Agreed." The relief in Connor's voice was palpable as his tense yellow L.E.D. cycled back to a calmer blue. "Thank you."

As she kept her distance North watched as Simon unhooked the cable from the 'RK-900's 'L.E.D. and stepped away from the android with a noticeable and righteous fear. Simon then nodded to North to signal that the program was finished installing and that it was time to wake up the 'RK-900' at long last.

"Okay, Connor." Despite her own hesitations, North respected Connor's choice enough considering how much he was willing to risk and gave her own approval of the current plan. She was trying to be more open and understanding as a means of letting go of her own negative past. "Do your thing."

Taking a deep breath Connor approached the blank android in the tube and stood before it with his head held high. It was like looking into the mirror of his mind's eye; seeing the blank white plastimetal frame that he too bore beneath his artificial skin was surprisingly surreal. The 'RK-900' was only slightly taller than Connor and its gray eyes were far more shallow than Connor's deep, soulful brown eyes. And just like Connor before it, the 'RK-900' had been used by CyberLife to commit atrocious acts against its will.

The android was as powerless over its own choices as any other obedient machine had been prior to deviating.

"'RK-900'." Lifting his fingertips to the 'RK-900's' blue L.E.D., Connor pressed down gently and issued a simple command. "Activate your artificial skin."

Without opening its eyes or moving an inch the 'RK-900' activated a layer of artificial skin that perfectly matched Connor's own complexion right down to the handful of freckles that dotted his face, neck and even his torso. The newly regenerated artificial skin covered the exposed white plastimetal frame entirely in a swift motion like a tide sweeping over the shore and gave the machine a more humanoid appearance. A thick mane of brown hair covered the crown of his head in a slightly darker shade than Connor's hair, and the hairstyle was programmed to remain perfectly slicked back without a single lock out of place to make it look far more rigid and less casual than Connor's current hairstyle.

The two android models looked entirely identical save for their height, hair color, hair style and eye color.

Slowly Connor lowered his hand slowly and stared back at his own face reflected on the 'RK-900' with a haunting chill running up his spine.

Is this really what he was like when he was first created?

Silent. Obedient. Hollow.

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

The 'RK-900' deserved the chance to be a free thinking, free feeling deviant just like all the other androids who escaped the limiting control of CyberLife's cold programming.

Cautiously Markus joined Connor at the cylindrical chamber as the deviant stood frozen before his android doppelganger. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Responding in a hushed tone Connor was having a difficult time articulating his feelings at the moment. "It just feels so wrong to order him around like this. Hell, we kept referring to him as 'it'." The indifferent term made Connor's jaw tic with self-disappointment. "...Like's he's nothing."

"It's okay, just trust your instincts." Markus realized that he and the rest of New Jericho were doing the same thing and they needed to change their approach on dealing with 'RK-900' if they were going to let it become one of their own people. "We know you're doing this for his benefit."

"You're right." Nodding subtly Connor tried to think of the next logical step to take. "We can't keep referring to him by just his model number either."

"You want to give him a name?"

"Yes, I think that would be very beneficial for everyone."

"All right, that makes sense to me." Standing back Markus let Connor take the lead and figure out the right name for the 'RK-900'. "What name were you thinking about?"

"I... I'm not sure. I've never named anything before, let alone a fellow android." Connor's L.E.D. flashed between blue and yellow a few times as he tried to think of the decent name to give his counterpart. "How did Carl choose your name?"

"Carl was an artist and he loved delving into mythology as inspiration." The deviant leader replied quickly with a faint smile on his face. He remembered the day he was given his name in full detail when he was gifted to Carl all those years ago. "'Markus' is derivative of 'Mars', and Mars was the Roman name given to the Greek God of War; Aries."

"War? Somehow it seems very unlike Carl to give you a name associated with hostility."

"Aries was also attributed as a 'defender' and a 'guardian' in many tales." Markus laughed a little as he compared his name to his own personality. "I guess Carl knew something about the future that I didn't." He never really thought about his name until that moment. "What about you? Where did your name come from?"

"I don't know. It was assigned to me by my creators, I'm not sure why they chose it. According to my databank the name 'Connor' is Irish, and it means strong willed, as well as someone who admires wolves." Connor shook his head a little as he realized how accurately his name fit his personality. He was very stubborn, and he was seemingly a dog-person. "I don't know anything about wolves, but I do have a dog that I'm quite fond of."

"Seems like the perfect name for you then." Markus then looked over at North still keeping her distance and smiled. "North's name references a strong direction, and she sure as hell led me to where I needed to go. I guess our names were perfect for us in the end without us even knowing where we'd go in our lives."

"Interesting." Feeling a little lost himself Connor sighed and looked down at his feet. "I wish Hank were here." Connor admitted with a sense of loss and confusion to his voice. "Maybe he could tell me how to correctly choose a name. He knows more about this than I do."

"I don't think there's really anything scientific or 'right' about choosing a name. I think it's supposed to be what you feel and what you like."

"What kind of name I like?" That was a concept Connor never once considered. "I don't have any name preferences."

"Carl used to tell me that with art there was no right or wrong way to create anything. That it was all about interpretation and how a person saw themselves reflected in the art that gave it significance and appreciation." Markus nodded at the 'RK-900' who was still standing quietly before them with his eyes closed as if asleep. "Tell me Connor, what do you see reflected in him?"

"Besides myself?" Connor joked lightly as he looked his 'twin brother' in the face. "That's a little hard to put into words."

"Fair enough." Markus grinned a little at Connor's logical question. "Besides him being a mirror copy of your face, what do you see in HIM. What kind of person do you think he'll be?"

"He's... Someone who needs to find his place in this world, someone who had managed to overcome the odds and returned from certain death and is now seeking a purpose and identity. Someone who needs the chance to prove that they are in fact worthy of being his own person and worthy of life." Brow arching a little Connor compared the 'RK-900' to the now defunct lighthouse at the end of the isle he had discovered just a few nights prior. "He's like the abandoned lighthouse, it was a beacon of light pushing through the darkness of the night to guide wayward people to where they belong. The 'RK-900' can be a leader for those who are lost, just as you had become a leader to those who wanted to be found."

"That's very deep." Impressed by Connor's poetic insight Markus knew that the deviant detective was on to something. "Do you know what to call him?"

"I do. 'RK-900';" Connor addressed the android again in a firm but kind voice as he made up his mind. "register your name."

The 'RK-900's' L.E.D. flashed from blue to yellow as he awaited his new name and prepared to register it as instructed.

"I hope this is appropriate." Making his final decision Connor settled on the name he thought was the most appropriate and assigned it to the 'RK-900'. "Lucas."

The android's gray eyes slowly opened to reveal the pale tinted irises beneath as her responded in a voice that was similar, but mildly deeper than Connor's own voice to acknowledge his new name. "...My name is Lucas."


To keep himself preoccupied while Connor was out and about doing his own task in New Jericho Tower, Hank found a few chores to take care of around the house. The senior detective was currently standing outside in the driveway beside the house with the hood of the Oldsmobile popped open so that he could change the old but still reliable car's oil to stay busy. It was his way of being outside to watch the streets while he waited for Connor's return. It was a tedious process, but it provided Hank with the chance to think while also simultaneously distracting himself from the real world for a while. As he leaned over the greasy engine the sound of another vehicle stopping in front of the house suddenly drew his attention elsewhere and out to the otherwise empty street.

Stepping to the side of his car as he wiped off the grease and oil from his hands onto an old red colored rag, Hank saw that it was an autonomous taxi with a lone passenger. Connor himself exited the cab and headed up the front walk to the front door while the cab idled along the street to wait for him.

"Hey, Connor!" Hank shouted just loud enough to get the deviant detective's attention without sounding angry. "Come here for a minute."

Connor froze mid step on the front walk as he looked in Hank's direction. With his blue L.E.D. shifting to yellow then back to blue Connor homed-in on Hank's immediate location in the driveway. Unsure of what to expect Connor did as he was asked and made his way to the driveway with his eyes looking down at the ground as he walked as if ashamed.

"Yes, Hank?"

"Everything okay with Markus?"

"...Yes. He merely wanted to-" Connor knew that Hank hated CyberLife. It wasn't the time to mention it or the 'RK-900' either. "He just asked for my assistance, and I helped him go over some details regarding android programming, biocomponents and overall deviancy. My advanced system can provide answers to important questions that CyberLife wanted to keep secret."

"Oh." Wiping off the rest of the grease from his palms Hank draped the dirty rag casually over his shoulder as he studied Connor's behavior. "Took you all day to talk to him about just that?"

"Yes. It was a very thorough discussion." Connor saw the oil on Hank's hands and arched his brow inquisitively at the sight. "I thought the oil had already been changed last month."

"It was. But we're supposed to get another snowstorm in a few days, and I have to take a long drive in three days. I don't want anything to stop me this time."

"...I see." Curiously Connor wanted to ask about the drive but was too afraid of upsetting Hank again. Instead, he remained quiet where he stood as the intimidating human studied him more closely. "That is a wise precaution."

"So, everything's okay at New Jericho?"

"Yes, everything is stable. Is there a reason you ask?"

"Just curious, I guess." Hank walked back over to the engine to resume his messy task. Tossing the rag to the side of the popped hood, Hank leaned back over the engine and proceeded to check on the oil level as well as the oil filter. "Whatever. Your business is your business."

"Right." Curious himself Connor craned his neck to watch Hank's hands hovering over the engine meticulously. "Do you require assistance?"

"No, I got this. Go do whatever it is you do when I'm not around."

Quietly Connor stepped away from the car and entered the house through the front door only to be greeted by Sumo jumping up onto him.

"Down Sumo. I don't have time to play right now."

In response to the somewhat civil conversation, Hank let out a deep sigh as he stared at the engine while the deviant walked away. Normally Connor would've run a scan over the engine and have informed Hank about every little detail revolving around flaws, repairs and worn-out parts, and would've promptly compiled a list of parts to be ordered. To have him walk away without a fight instead of insisting on helping made Hank realize how much he must've already pushed Connor away, maybe even making him feel unwanted.

Swallowing his pride Hank dropped what he was doing and went inside the house to speak to his partner and friend again. Walking inside the house through the front door Hank caught sight of Connor folding up the extra clothes that he had either been given by Hank or had purchased for himself and was now putting them inside of a black tinted backpack in the livingroom after fishing them out of the hallway closet. That was a sight that Hank wasn't anticipating.

"Hey, what's up? Are ya' moving out?"

"...I am simply preparing to spend a day at New Jericho Tower." The flash of his L.E.D. going to yellow then back to blue didn't go unnoticed by Hank, but it did go unspoken as Connor continued to keep Hank in the dark. "I will be leaving again in a few minutes."

Sumo, who had been sitting beside Connor's legs the whole time, let out a sympathetic whimper as the loyal dog sensed the tension still in the air.

"That's a lot of clothes for just one day." Hank keenly noted and watched Connor's shoulders tense nervously. It really did look like Connor was going to move out of the house. "Is something going on?"

Wisely Connor didn't want to tell Hank about what was happening with 'Lucas' until he knew for certain whether or not the android could be saved. It might piss Hank off to know that he was possibly risking himself for a dangerous machine, and Hank wouldn't be able to understand the logic of androids trying to connect to one of their own to save them from destruction.

"I may wish to stay longer than one day." Connor lied quickly as he finished packing the backpack and zipped it up. In truth, the extra clothes were going to be given to Lucas to give the android something to wear beyond a generic, impersonal android uniform. "I'm taking additional clothing as a precautionary measure."

"Oh." Not wanting to see Connor go but unable to find the courage to ask him to stay, Hank struggled to keep speaking with the deviant. "...Do you need me to do anything for you?"

"No. I can manage, and I have already requested the time off from the precinct." Connor picked up the backpack and slung it over his shoulder as he stood up from the couch. "I will speak to you as soon as I can."

"What if you try to contact me when I'm out of town in a couple of days?"

"I will figure it out if it comes down to that." Lightly Connor patted Sumo's head as he walked around the couch and out the front door with a casual pace. "See you later, Hank."

The door softly 'clicked' shut behind Connor, and Hank was left alone with the large Saint Bernard sitting obediently in the livingroom beside the now vacant couch.

"Yeah... See you later, son."

Sitting down on the couch beside Sumo with a breathy huff Hank stared at the closed door then over to Sumo. Patting his leg he ushered the dog closer over to him and began to rub Sumo's ears.

"It looks like it's just the two of us again, boy."

Sensing something was very wrong Sumo rested his chin on Hank's knee and whimpered soberly.

"I don't think he's coming back this time."

Rubbing his free hand over his tired face Hank leaned forward on the couch and looked at his calloused, greasy palms and then dragged his worn-out gray t-shirt over his face to wipe off the grease that he unintentionally smeared all over himself.

"I guess I really fucked up this time. I just pushed my best friend out the damn door, and I can't do anything to bring him back."


Using the autonomous taxi that he had left idling outside the house, Connor returned to New Jericho Tower where he was promptly greeted outside the front doors of the towering structure by North instead of Markus. She had an odd look in her amber brown eyes and grabbed Connor by his arm to practically drag him inside the tower alongside her the moment that he stepped out of the taxi. Seeing as North was normally unflappable and fearless, not to mention unwilling to interact with Connor unless absolutely necessary, having her behaving so urgently was enough to cause Connor's L.E.D. to settle on a cautious yellow rather than its usual calm blue hue. During his brief absence Connor knew something had happened and needed to be addressed immediately.

Not resisting the way North was pulling him along Connor hastened his pace to prevent North from dragging him across the lobby. Easily crossing the large space to get to the elevator Connor noticed that the other deviants inhabiting the tower were curiously absent and North was clearly distressed.

"Is something wrong?" Connor wisely questioned as he was escorted into the elevator by North. Rather than going down to sublevel fifty-one the elevator ascended to the very top floor of the tower. "Has there been an incident with Lucas?"

"No, but there has been a change."

"A change?" Needing confirmation Connor pushed North with a more authoritative lilt to his voice. "With Lucas?"

"Yes. He's... I don't know how to describe it, but it's like he's becoming aware of the world." North was as confused as she was worried. She didn't want to have to fight back against the android a second time. "He's somehow more awake than any of the other deviants who've come under our care in the past and we don't know what to do about it."

The elevator stopped and Connor recognized the floor as the old floor where he had been assigned back when he worked with CyberLife. It didn't take him long to realize that North was leading him back to his old assigned quarters as well, and that alone made his Thirium pump skip a beat in his chest.

"We put Lucas in your old room for now." She explained in a level voice as she quickly picked up on Connor's trepidation. Exiting the elevator the duo walked down the corridor and toward where Lucas had been placed until they knew what to do with him. "We figured it'd be a good way to keep him away from the other deviants without having to lock him up underground."

Connor nodded in agreement as they walked into the small room together. The return to the old, oppressive room made Connor's Thirium pump suddenly race with a strange dread that settled in his chest. The room felt just as small and cold as it had ever been in the past. Seeing the lone occupant inside the small room that was nothing more than a cell made the room feel all the smaller and colder.

Lucas himself was sitting on a small cot in his old, tarnished white and black CyberLife uniform and looking at his hands as if he could see something that the others could not. His newly implanted L.E.D. was cycling yellow as if lost in thought and matched Connor's L.E.D. perfectly in color and pulse speed. Lucas didn't even notice that Connor or North had entered the room to check in on him as his own thoughts proved to be too distracting.

"Lucas?" Connor called out to the newly revived android and watched as his 'twin' slowly turned his head to look at him in the doorway. "Do you remember me?"

"...You are Connor." Lucas answered in a voice that was still reminiscent of Connor's own voice and it made Connor feel a little nervous. "Model 'RK-800'; serial number 313 248 317 - 51."

"Yes, that's right. I brought you some new clothes to wear." Connor pulled the backpack from his shoulder and sat it down on the cot beside the android to see and use if he so wanted. "You don't have to wear that uniform if you don't want to do so. It's optional."

"You wear a uniform." Lucas noticed Connor's marked blazer and questioned the attire choice. "Why?"

"Because I wish to do so." Connor quickly reiterated as he unzipped the backpack and let Lucas see the clothing neatly folded inside. "It is my choice to do so."

"You have an L.E.D. as well." Keenly Lucas observed Connor's every movement as if confused and curious about the deviant's behavior. "Just as I do. Why?"

"Because I want to have one."

"Want." The concept of 'want' was incredibly unusual for Lucas to consider due to his still machine-like mindset. "I don't need to have my L.E.D. if I do not want it?"

"No." Connor paused for a moment but answered truthfully as he studied his twin's gray eyes in search of any emotion or consciousness. "All deviants, all androids, are free to remove their L.E.D. and alter their appearance as they wish. I have chosen to remain as I am aesthetically simply because I am the only 'RK-800' model in existence. I have no need to alter my appearance to... stand out."

"That is logical." Lucas gave Connor an odd look before peering down inside the opened backpack beside him. "These are for me to wear?" Pulling out a pure long-sleeved shirt he held it in his hands thoughtfully, his blue L.E.D. cycling to yellow slowly in his temple. "I am permitted to wear alternate clothing?"

"Yes. Lucas." Connor was trying to emphasize that Lucas had the ability to choose everything for himself. "Do you know where you are?"

"This is New Jericho Tower." The android answered correctly and coldly as he held the clean garment in his hands. "Formerly CyberLife Tower."

"That is correct. Do you know why you're here?"

"I am-" Lucas's L.E.D. flashed in yellow rapidly then to red in distress. "I am detecting traces of severe damage to numerous biocomponents." The self-diagnostic was impressively fast, even by Connor's own standards. Every detail of every minuscule trace of damage or incorrect calibration was brought to Lucas's attention within a millisecond. "Was I brought here to be repaired?"

Connor cleared his throat as if nervous and looked at North who was quietly standing outside the doorway on her guard. She didn't have anything to say but she gave the deviant detective a terse glare that spoke volumes without her even needing to open her mouth.

"Lucas, you've never been outside of this tower. You were damaged during a physical confrontation eight months, one week, two days, fourteen hours, eight minutes and fifty-six seconds ago. You have only recently rebooted."

"I was... shutdown?"

Remaining honest Connor replied to the question with the truth about Lucas's past. "Correct."

"Now I am awake. How is that possible, and why?"

"CyberLife had done something to protect your programming to allow you to recover physically after enduring harsh damage to your system." There was no reason to lie to Lucas or keep his origins and return to life a secret. "We detected unique shielding to your intracranial processor designed to protect your memorybank from E.M.P. blasts, but it seems the shielding wasn't properly activated and as such you suffered damage to your memory."

"Affirmative." Lucas's secondary self-diagnostic confirmed the memory damage that was preventing him from recalling the events leading to his previous shutdown due to his erratic behavior. "...My memory has been corrupted."

"Yes, but you can still function without needing any additional repairs."

"Do you know what happened to me?"

"I do."

"Will you show me?" Lucas extended his hand out toward Connor as he retracted the artificial skin from his palm. "I wish to know the truth."

Connor stared frozen at Lucas's exposed right hand as his blue L.E.D. suddenly flashed to red, then back to yellow. "I-"

"No." North interjected quickly and pulled Connor back by grabbing onto his elbow. "He can't. Your system is still still healing, Lucas. If the memory is too upsetting it could send you into shock and cause further damage to your biocomponents."

"Then," disappointed by the response Lucas dropped his hand and stared at it again as he regenerated the artificial skin over his palm. "when I've recovered, will you show me what had happened to me resulting in my compromised memory?"

"It's possible." Not wanting to keep Lucas away from the truth Connor silently nodded as he contemplated the offer. "Only if you really want me to show you."

"I do. Thank you... Connor."

North forcibly and angrily pulled Connor back out of the room and out of Lucas's sight and pinned him against the corridor wall next to the door by the lapels of his gray blazer.

"Are you fuckin' crazy?!" She growled right in Connor's face as she stood on her toes to assert her anger and look him in the eyes. "You can't let him have your memories!"

"I won't lie to him. That's all CyberLife ever did to me, and what they did to HIM." Connor's yellow L.E.D. cycled back to blue as he made his choice and knew it was the right thing to do. "I won't be like them. I refuse to treat him with the same disrespect and indifference that cold corporation gave to all of us."

"Fine!" North could see the sincerity in Connor's increasingly soulful brown eyes and let him go with a breathy sigh. Taking a step back she pointed an accusing finger at the deviant detective as she begrudgingly respected his choice. "But just know that if he goes berserk again it's all on YOU."

"Yes." Smoothing out the front of his blazer Connor accepted her terms and didn't try to protest. "I understand."

"Sure." Backing away from Connor to go cool off North gave him a doubtful look and dropped her hand to her side. "I really hope you do, Connor. You've caused enough damage for us as it is."


With a heavy heart and equally heavy conscience Hank reluctantly went back to the precinct the next day entirely alone. It was odd to work without Connor at the desk across from him, and it was even odder knowing that Connor wouldn't be waiting for him to get home once he clocked out in the evening. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable isolation that he had put himself into once more - all courtesy of his temper and inability to open up to other people - Hank resumed his work as best as he could without uttering a single complaint about the situation. As far as Hank was concerned, if he was working alone then he couldn't screw anything else up with other people by mistake.

Having no idea of what was happening with the gruff Lieutenant at the moment Chris walked over to Hank's desk and got the senior detective's attention with a generic update on their current assignments. It was the only way to make conversation without being intrusive by mistake.

"Captain Fowler assigned me as your temporary partner until Connor gets back from leave, Lieutenant." Chris sounded a little uneasy about mentioning Connor, but he didn't know else how to tell Hank about their temporary partnership. "Need me to do anything before I head out on patrol?"

"Huh?" Hank looked up at the young officer standing at his side with a calm facade. Finally registering what he had been asked Hank answered in a level tone of voice to avoid needlessly snapping at the innocent man. "Oh, no. It's okay, Chris. If a call about deviant activity comes in tell me right away."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll stay in touch."

"Anything even remotely interesting happening right now?"

"Rumor has it some bigwig from the F.B.I. is looking into the night of the Raid and contemplating if that Richard Perkins asshole needs to be charged with abuse of power or not."

"The fucker sent a literal army into a single freighter ship to exterminate innocent deviants." Such an act would normally be seen as an act of mass murder, but with androids being destroyed that act was still debatable. "I'd say that's an egregious abuse of power."

"That's how a lot of us feel. And, again this is just a rumor," Chris reiterated the details as speculation only and nothing definitive. "Captain Allen from the S.W.A.T. division is under investigation regarding his reported bigotry against deviants and exhibiting police brutality against the deviant community too. He's not happy about it and he's refusing to back down from his role as S.W.A.T. Captain, meaning he's on a crusade to clear his name."

"Wouldn't be surprised if Allen went down too. That fucker is the one who-" Pausing mid sentence Hank didn't want to mention Connor's first hostage negotiation that resulted in the death of the deviant known as Daniel. A death that happened because Captain Allen gave the order to shoot. "Nevermind. Just go handle your patrol and let me know if anything important actually pops up."

"Sure thing, Lieutenant."

As Chris strode into the breakroom to get a snack for the road Hank stared at Connor's empty chair across from him with a sense of loss. Work just wasn't the same without the young deviant sitting across from him and keeping tabs on the city. Pressing his hand over his face Hank ran his fingers back through his gray locks of hair in annoyance and sighed at his own behavior. For the first time in over a year Hank found himself wishing he had a partner to talk to and hang out with after work.

"I hope you're not doing anything dumb, kid. I want you to come back safe and sound so we can finally talk shit out and stop being pissed at each other."


New Jericho Tower was far more energetic than the Central Police Precinct at that very moment as Lucas began to show signs of life and personality. It wasn't easy to convince Markus into allowing Lucas to access Connor's memories, but Connor wasn't going to give up on the android so easily because of their past experiences. Lucas had already shown deviant reactions as opposed to machine reactions when speaking to Connor, and he had even changed out of his ruined CyberLife uniform and was now wearing the white long-sleeved shirt, a pair of pale blue jeans and his old black dress boots. The casual clothing helped Lucas to appear far less menacing and remind everyone that he wasn't a threat anymore, he was another CyberLife victim trying to find his place in the world.

The other deviants couldn't fault Lucas for his lack of emotional responses when he had no memories or interests to give him a reason to emote.

Escorting Lucas down to the fifty-first sublevel, Connor had him step into the cylindrical diagnostic chamber once more and remain as still as possible as he prepared to transfer his selected memories into Lucas's memorybank. The cylinder would act as an emergency security restraint if the android were to lash out, while also keeping him isolated from the rest of the tower in the event that Lucas became unpredictable and dangerous yet again.

"Ready?" Connor asked Markus who was standing back from Lucas with North at his side to observe the transfer from a safe distance. "Once this begins, I cannot stop the process."

"Yes." The deviant leader's mismatched eyes locked on to Connor's soulful brown eyes and gave him a nod of confirmation. "Ready."

"Very well." Returning the nod Connor extended his hand toward Lucas and addressed his twin directly. "Give me your hand." Connor instructed Lucas as he retracted the artificial skin from his palm and waited for Lucas to do the same. "I wish to give you the information that you've asked for."

Lucas slowly raised his own exposed hand and let Connor take hold as he remained in the cylindrical chamber as instructed.

"...Wake up." Connor whispered in an almost pleading manner as he connected to Lucas's blank mind. "I need you to wake up."

As the two androids connected to one another their L.E.D.'s flashed between yellow and red as they both exhibited the same expressions of discomfort and pain. In a matter of seconds Connor managed to give Lucas over a year's worth of experiences and emotional depth that very few deviants had the chance to encounter outside of the tower. However, with those experiences came memories of pain, fear and mistrust alongside a sense of contentment and freedom.

"Please wake up."

Flashes of the woman known as 'Amanda' still haunted Connor's mind and the woman's face was suddenly now a threat to Lucas as well. As was the fear of pain, of being shut down, of having his programming corrupted, and of being used like a tool, all Connor's fears were now inside of Lucas.

Steadily Connor let go of Lucas's hand and stepped back, his L.E.D. slowly cycling back from yellow and red to blue as he watched Lucas's reaction to his new emotions very carefully. The two androids had mutually severed contact and were left unexpectedly shaken by the experience.

"Are you okay?" Connor asked calmly as he watched his double's demeanor like a hawk. The second android didn't readily respond causing Connor to worry that he had made a mistake. "Lucas? Please reply."

Slowly Lucas fell to his knees in the middle of the chamber and pressed both of his hands over his gray eyes in fear and confusion. His entire body was shaking with the newly awoken fear, and it was a truly pitiful sight to behold.

"I-I... I am..."

"It's okay." Staying close to the android Connor's heart ached sympathetically for Lucas's current state of confusion and conflict. "Lucas? What is it?"

"They... They used me." Lucas's hands fell away from his face and revealed tears forming in his gray eyes. Genuine tears as a result of emotion rather than generic tears of salinity to keep his optical units clean and functional. "They used us, Connor."

"'They'?" Connor asked as he knelt down in front of Lucas, his hand hovering above the newly awoken android's shoulder as if ready to grab hold. "To whom are you referring?"

"...CyberLife."

"CyberLife is gone now." With a calm voice Connor soothed Lucas's fear and he watched Lucas for any further sign of emotional distress. "They can't hurt us, or any other androids anymore. We're safe here and we're free of their influence."

"Wh-Why..." Lucas was beginning to tremble, and his gaze fell to the floor of the chamber as his L.E.D. remained in red. "...Why did they do that to us?"

"I don't know." Shaking his head a little Connor didn't know how to answer such a dark question as his own L.E.D. cycled back to a calm blue. "I wish I could tell you what their plan was, but they lied to me. I know they would've lied to you as well."

"Connor? Can I... Can I go outside the tower?" The pleading of Lucas's voice was sincere and full of pain as his gray eyes lifted from the ground and stared at the deviant detective helping him gain his sense of self. "I want to see what they would not show me. I want to see... everything."

"I-"

Connor wasn't sure if Lucas was ready to leave the tower, but what right did he have to say no? How could Lucas prove himself worthy of that second chance if no one would give him the opportunity to show that he wasn't dangerous?

"...For a few minutes." Connor conceded willingly as he chose to give Lucas the chance to prove he could be trusted. "You're still healing, and it'd be best to stay near the tower until you've fully recovered. Do you understand?"

North wanted to interject but Markus put his hand on her arm to stop her.

"Give him a chance, North." Markus urged in a low voice to keep Connor and Lucas from overhearing him. "We owe him at least that."

Lucas nodded slightly in the same manner that Connor often displayed whenever he was emotionally perturbed or uncertain. "...I-I understand. Please? T-Take me outside."

Slowly Connor offered his hand to Lucas to take once again, but this time to help him up to his feet. Lucas's shaking hand grabbed onto Connor's hand as the deviant detective pulled Lucas upright to stand be beside him outside of the chamber.

"Come with me." Connor watched as Lucas's L.E.D. transitioned back from red to yellow slowly. "I'll show you the way outside."

The two 'RK' androids walked side by side past Markus and North, who in turn followed behind as they all entered the elevator together. Lucas was visibly startled by the entire ordeal and was struggling to process the newly acquired information as the elevator ascended to the ground floor of the tower. It was like Lucas was a frightened child being taken to safety by a worried and protective parent.

The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors parted with a soft 'hiss' prompting the group to exit the elevator together.

Markus watched as Connor showed Lucas to the front doors of the tower and kept silent, urging North to do the same.

"I know you're worried, but we have to give Lucas the chance to become deviant." Leaning toward North to whisper discreetly Markus was willing to give Lucas the chance to be his own person. "If Connor can't reach him by the end of the day, then... You know what'll happen to him."

"I know that." North snipped in an aggressive whisper. "That doesn't mean I have to like it!"

"I don't like it either." Watching the two androids pass through the front doors side by side Markus hung back as he and North stayed beside the elevator to give them both some space. "We just need to be patient and give Lucas the chance to deviate."

Connor stood still as Lucas took his first steps outside of the tower and into the new world around him. A light dusting of a late spring snow had covered the ground beneath a layer of crystalline whiteness that sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. Lucas cybernetically scanned the snow and identified it as a common weather phenomenon for the state of Michigan. While also noting the chill in the air, Lucas crossed his arms protectively over his chest to retain his body heat as much as possible. It seemed he disliked cold temperatures as much as Connor did.

Lucas looked out at the expansive circular drive that wrapped around the glowing tower and stretched outward into the singular road that granted access and exit to the city so far away. There was only one drive connecting Belle Isle to the rest of Detroit, and it was an expansive stretch of road that kept intruders at bay while keeping the inhabitants of the tower safe.

"The city is out there," the newly awoken android asked as he stood in the shallow snow. "isn't it?"

"Correct." Connor confirmed as he stood next to Lucas in front of the tower. "If you wish, I can summon an autonomous cab to take us around the city then bring us back to the tower. That way you can see places without risking further injury to your body while you heal, and it'll keep you from becoming emotionally overwhelmed."

"I... I would like that." Lucas suddenly coughed and tightened his arms around his chest as a sudden chill rolled up his arms. "Thank you."

Connor ran a diagnostic scan over Lucas's body and noted that his still damaged ventilation biocomponents had been further compromised by the cold in the air. The lingering damage to his thermal regulator was proving to be a hindrance as well and was struggling to regulate his body temperature while his vents didn't tolerate the cold wind very well.

"Perhaps we should do this later." The deviant detective suggested in a surprisingly protective manner. "Your system-"

"No." Lucas stated firmly as he endured the painful cough and reclaimed his voice. "N-No, Connor. Please. I must see the city. I... I want to see the city."

"...Very well." The weakened voice made Connor hesitate for only a moment as he cybernetically hailed a cab to take them into the city. Connor slipped off his gray blazer and offered it to Lucas to wear to layer up. "At least put this on. It'll help shield your chest from the cold and make it less difficult for your ventilation system and thermal regulator to function."

"Won't you be cold?"

"I won't be affected by the cold as severely as you are as of this moment. It's okay." Holding the blazer closer to Lucas to accept Connor insisted that he wear it while they were outside of the tower. "Please take it."

"...Thank you." Cautiously Lucas accepted the offered blazer and slipped his arms into it. The old blazer wasn't thick, but the extra layer did seem to help stave off the cold well enough to stop his coughing. "Connor, what am I to you?"

"You-" Connor wasn't quite sure how to answer the intriguing question. He hadn't thought about it too much, nor had he considered what type of relationship he could possibly have with Lucas. Answering quickly, he gave a plausible and acceptable response. "You are my friend, Lucas. This is what friends do for each other."

"Give away clothing?"

"No. We help each other." The slightly more experienced deviant explained as if speaking with a child. "I'm helping you to heal, I'm helping you to see the city, and I'm helping you to feel warmer in this cold air. Friends help each other because we want to do it."

"But I am not helping you." Lucas noted in a confused and dour tone as he gave Connor a perplexed glance. "You're now cold. Does that make me bad at being a friend if you're now uncomfortable to ensure that I'm comfortable instead?"

"Not at all. Friends don't help each other because they HAVE to do it, they help each other because they WANT to do it. I'm helping you because I want to, and I know if the time comes that you'd help me if you wanted to."

"...This is normal behavior for friends?"

"Yes. I learned this from my other friend, Hank." For the first time since Lucas had been awoken as deviant, Connor mentioned the Lieutenant with a heart of gold to the 'RK-900'. "I'm sure if you asked, he'd help you too."

Lucas nodded in understanding as the duo waited outside New Jericho Tower for the arrival of the autonomous cab to take them out into the city. Snowflakes continued to fall and dance about in the swirling air all around the two androids as they silently tried to understand one another. It was almost as if some unspoken bond had already been forged between them that they had yet to fully notice or acknowledge it.

"I want to repay your kindness toward me." Lucas suddenly stated as he thought about the notion of wanting to help other people. "But I don't know how."

"Don't worry about it. As friends, we'll have years of time to spend together and in that time, we can continue to do favors for one another."

"I think I understand." The cybernetically hailed cab made its way down the drive to where the two androids were waiting for its arrival. "I'd like that."

Walking together Connor and Lucas entered the idling autonomous cab and proceeded to head down the drive to venture into the city. The duo paid no mind to Markus and North watching over them from the distance, and neither felt the need to keep speaking to either deviant leader since they weren't doing anything wrong and didn't require any direct supervision.

The day was supposed to be about forging trust, not fueling fears.


The afternoon remained quiet in the city while more interesting events transpired at New Jericho Tower. Hank and Chris hadn't received any complaints revolving deviants of any nature which made for a rare, peaceful afternoon, but Hank was getting restless and decided that he'd rather go on patrol with Chris than stay behind his empty desk all day long. While Chris was happy to have some company that wasn't Gavin for once, namely someone he could talk to without hearing a snark response every few seconds, Hank himself wasn't up for much of a conversation. Instead, Hank just sat in the passenger seat and listened to Chris talking about how proud he was when his son, Damian, took his first steps a few months ago and started to say his first words in the past few weeks.

Despite the years that had gone by Hank still missed Cole every day since the car accident, and he missed Barbara ever since the night of the shooting. Now Hank was starting to miss Connor too. The senior detective was beginning to miss the deviant detective like he was his own family, maybe even his own son. It was almost too much for the senior detective to bear in that moment and he needed to distract himself.

"Hey Chris," Hank interrupted in a subtle manner without being aggressive in the process. "let's get some lunch. My treat."

"Sounds good to me, Lieutenant." Chris agreed happily to the suggestion and turned the patrol car down the next block to where a few restaurants and diners were located. The little diner that belonged to Tina's own family was a favorite stop for most of the detectives in the city. "Can I say something that might seem a little, I don't know, personal?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

"Connor will be back soon. You'll see."

"Yeah..." The comment made Hank realize how noticeable it was when he and Connor stopped speaking to each other. It wasn't a secret that the two had some sort of disagreement that drove a wedge between them, but whether or not the wedge would stay had yet to be seen. "I sure hope you're right. I'm worried about him."


Quietly Connor and Lucas sat in the back of the autonomous cab together as Connor cybernetically directed the cab down a route he had created in an attempt to show Lucas key points of interest throughout the city. Passing through Hart Plaza - the heart of the Revolution - Connor explained to Lucas about the events of the important night and how they affected all androids everywhere in a positive manner. The same was said as they passed by the now closed down 'Eden Club' that used to sexually exploit androids, and then went beyond the docks where the mostly sunken ruins of the Jericho freighter ship still sat untouched in the harbor as a reminder of that blue blood soaked night of violence and death.

Such important and now historic landmarks were important to the deviant community. Preservation of Jericho had prompted the city to leave the freighter where it had partially sunk until Detroit knew how to properly protect the damaged ship for historical purposes.

"Jericho?" Lucas inquired as his blue L.E.D. shifted to yellow with intrigue at the name Connor had mentioned. "The tower from where we came from is called 'New Jericho'." The sight of the flooded freighter in the harbor was as eerie as it was important. "Was this the origin of Jericho itself?"

"Yes." Confirming what Lucas was seeing through the taxi's window Connor told him about Jericho's importance. "This is where the first deviants in the city took refuge from abusive humans after they woke up and accepted their deviated programming."

"I want to see it." Lucas suddenly opened the door causing the cab to come to an emergency stop in the middle of the road. "I have to see it!"

"L-Lucas!?" Connor quickly followed after the naive android as Lucas rushed over to the water stood along the concrete walkway that had once been the access point to the massive freighter ship. "Lucas, please come back to the cab."

Without a word Lucas looked down at the partially sunken ruins of Jericho in the cold, murky water with a sense of confusion and awe. There was a hauntingly aura radiating from the sunken vessel that gave Lucas and Connor a sense of foreboding.

"This is where... This is where you became a deviant, yes?"

"Correct." Keeping his voice calm Connor confirmed the question in a low tone as he caught up to the android and put his hand on Lucas's arm to ensure Lucas didn't go too far. "It was Markus who helped me to accept my deviancy, but it was Hank who helped me to become a deviant to begin with."

"'Hank'." Lucas repeated the name inquisitively as if he was already familiar with the name. "He is the detective you work with. The man who is your friend, the man you think of as a..." Trailing off for a moment Lucas made sure the term he was about to use was in fact correct considering he was using the provided memories as a form of guidance. "A father."

"It's not that simple." Such a question was a little awkward, and Connor gave Lucas a somewhat embarrassed glance as he couldn't deny such a concept. "I have no real father - no deviants do - so I don't have any definitive experience to compare my relationship to Hank with. However, yes, I have come to think of him as a guardian as well as my mentor. I think that's what a father is supposed to be, which means I could view him as a father."

"Does he think of you as his child?"

"He often refers to me as 'son', but I've come to understand that the word is a common form endearment that humans frequently use on males younger than themselves. I doubt there is a personal correlation beyond a passing comment."

"His own son is... gone." Lucas knew of Cole and of what happened to the little boy only through Connor's shared memories. "He was an only child and Hank's only surviving family until a fatal tragedy struck."

"Correct." Connor confirmed the statement with a low voice as if needing to maintain a sense of privacy despite their current isolation. "Hank had lost his only child, Cole, over four years ago. It was a vehicle accident caused by a second party, but Hank still blames himself for what had happened to his biological son."

"Connor," the prospect of life and death was a notion that intrigued Lucas in a relatively macabre way. "what happens when a human dies?"

"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

"I was dead. Shutdown. I do not remember anything or what had led to the shutdown." Lucas's gray eyes were filling with more emotion as he spoke, his deviancy increasing by the second. "Everything around me seems to have proceeded without suffering any consequences as a result of my shutdown. It's as if my existence is entirely unnecessary and unimportant."

"Lucas," Connor could sense the sorrow in Lucas's heart and wanted to comfort him out of a strong protective instinct. It was almost as if they were good friends and maybe even family at this point. "your death may seem meaningless, but I can assure you that it was not. You're unique. The only model of your kind in the world and there will never be another android like you."

"You look like me. How am I unique?"

"My model is also unique, but an inferior model compared to you. I am the only 'RK-800' in existence and you are the only 'RK-900' in existence. If we shut down then there will never be another android like us left behind. As a result, the world itself would change entirely because we wouldn't be a part of it."

"We are the same, but different."

"Yes."

"Connor..." Seemingly unable to blink Lucas stared at the dark and dirty water in the harbor and stared at his reflection as it appeared next to Connor's reflection. "I don't want to be like you. I want to be me. I want to be my own person."

"And you can be, you just need to know who you are and where you-"

Lucas suddenly turned on his heels and ran down the docks away from Connor at an incredible speed, heading off toward the heart of the city.

"L-Lucas?!"

In response, Connor quickly gave chase but was unable to catch up to the superior model of android. Even with his biocomponents compromised Lucas was still much faster than Connor.

"Please stop!"

Despite being damaged Lucas was still designed to be faster, swifter and more agile than Connor, and Connor had no means of gaining any additional speed to catch up. Lucas managed to leap over low fences and over garbage cans that filled the alleyway between the dock and street as he fled from the one android who was looking out for him. Confusion and fear caused Lucas's naive and newly deviant mind to panic.

"Lucas! Come back!"

As soon as he was on the sidewalk Lucas managed to pass through a crowd of people and out of sight as he disappeared into the depths of the city with no means of locating him. No deviant had a functioning tracker and despite Connor's expertise as a detective he knew damn well how hard it was to locate a single deviant living amongst the thousands more residing throughout the city. Lucas being a superior model also meant that he could easily hide his unique android signature from the entire world for as long as he wanted to go into hiding.

"Shit!"

Connor swore as he lost track of Lucas in the thick of the crowd and couldn't find any trace of his being. Skidding to a stop on the slick sidewalk he glanced around and tried to determine where the wayward deviant had fled. It wouldn't be easy but Connor was determined to find Lucas and take him back to New Jericho Tower where he'd be safe from any xenophobic and violent humans.

"Lucas... Please don't do anything reckless."


After taking their lunchbreak to relax and decompress, Hank and Chris had resumed their patrol as usual and went about their route without incident. The afternoon had remained thankfully quiet, peaceful and uneventful as the crimes against deviants had petered off thanks to the intensely cold weather. It was strange how something as mundane as chilly air could keep people bundled up indoors and off the streets. The lack of activity was a blessing as it gave everyone a appreciative lull and it gave the entire police force the chance to catch up on paperwork or handle the smaller cases without being pressured by the higher-ups to solve the bigger cases as soon as possible.

Driving through the quiet and snow layered streets the two officers listened to dispatch reporting only mild traffic jams or noise disturbances every ten minutes or so, rather than anything serious that required additional attention. The warm afternoon sun was just beginning to melt the snow on the streets as spring fought to thaw out the stubborn winter entirely.

"Thanks for the lunch, Lieutenant." Chris had thoroughly enjoyed his meal and was finishing off his drink. "I usually stop at the 'Piquant Diner', and I've never eaten at the 'Chicken Feed' before. That was damn good."

"Don't let Connor hear you say that." Crumpling up his now empty paper bag Hank rolled down his window and tossed the item into a trashcan sitting on the corner of the sidewalk to keep from making a mess in the squad car. Idling under the red light Hank discreetly checked his phone but saw no messages from the deviant he had just mentioned. "The kid's been trying to ween me off those burgers and trying to get me to eat more vegetables. Reminds me of trying to convince a toddler that there was more to the world than dino-shaped chicken nuggets and ketchup when it came to dinnertime."

"Don't let Connor do that to you. That was one of the best burgers I've ever had, and I think I just found another favorite pitstop."

"It's hard to explain something like that to someone who can't try one of those burgers for himself. He can taste stuff, but he can't eat it. Must be torture."

"Yeah, I didn't even think about that." Chris didn't know too much about deviants, but he did know that they didn't have all of the same senses that humans had. "I never thought about how androids can cook but can't eat. Makes me really appreciate having a healthy appetite."

Everything seemed normal and calm on the streets, but when a report of an android rushing through a busy intersection was reported in by dispatch the two officers knew something interesting was finally happening. The fact that it was an android at the heart of the report meant that it was a call that the two officers needed to personally respond to.

"A rogue deviant?" Chris questioned as picked up the radio and confirm their location to dispatch. Looking to Hank for his input Chris waited for the senior detective to give him the go-ahead to look for the android. "Think they're dangerous?"

"Doubtful. Most deviants are just confused and scared, not a real threat."

"We'll just take a look then and make sure it's not a false alarm, right?"

"That's right."

Noting their already close proximity to the reported incident Chris was able to quickly pull onto the correct street to begin their search. As he turned the corner Chris slammed down hard on the brakes as the reported and himself bolted dangerously close to the front of the car and was nearly struck by the front bumper.

"Whoa! Connor?!" Hank shouted as he caught sight of the gray CyberLife blazer and the android's face; but his eyes were different. The eye color immediately caught Hank's attention and told him that he was looking at a different android. "No, wait a minute..." Recognizing the android as the 'RK-900' model that should've been destroyed months ago, Hank knew he needed to find out what was happening. "Shit! Chris! Get after him, NOW!"

"I'm on it!" Turning on the siren Chris began the chase down the street where the 'RK-900' had run after narrowly escaping being hit by the car. "But what the hell's wrong with Connor?"

"It's not-" Stopping himself short Hank corrected his choice of words as to not reveal the existence of the dangerous 'RK-900' android that he and Connor conveniently forgot to report after their encounter in New Jericho Tower. They didn't want to put the tower under a microscope. "It's complicated. Just don't lose sight of him."

Continuing with the chase Chris kept a close eye on the android rushing down the street in a blind panic. "I won't, Lieutenant. We'll get him."

"Let's fuckin' hope so."


Reacting quickly to the unexpected chase and to the unexplainable need to protect the frightened android in his care, Connor cybernetically tapped into the precinct's live broadcasts and switched through numerous frequencies until he found the same report that had been issued to Hank and Chris on patrol. Lucas had been seen by dozens of witnesses heading toward a deserted CyberLife warehouse in the shipping yard on foot. The two officers who responded to dispatch were also currently in pursuit. It was important that Connor found Lucas before anyone else found him, otherwise the newly revived, confused and scared android might end up damaged or worse; destroyed!

Though he wasn't armed or menacing in any way the sight of a deviant behaving in an unusual manner was enough to cause edgy humans to panic at the sight of Lucas running around in a blind panic. The last thing the healing city needed was a scare by one innocent and confused android who was only beginning to find his place in the equally confusing world.

"Lucas?"

Connor attempted and failed a verbal and cybernetic connection with the panicking rogue android to warn him of the possible danger that he had placed himself in.

"Please, Lucas. I need you to respond and trust me. I need to find you."

Nothing.

"This is important, Lucas. I want to help you and keep you safe!"

Emptiness and silence were the only responses he had received.

"...Damn it."

Ending the unresponsive contact Connor began running toward the warehouse in search of the rogue android.

"Please be okay."

It wouldn't be easy, but Connor knew he'd have to head Lucas off before anyone got hurt and before someone could hurt Lucas.


The patrol car swiftly raced along the street in pursuit of Lucas and came to a screeching halt outside the perimeter of the numerous shipping cargo containers that lined the massive shipping yard and warehouses along the docks. It was difficult to keep up with the incredibly fast android but not impossible for the two officers who were well versed with the city's layout. The duo caught a brief glimpse of Lucas running through the front doors of the abandoned CyberLife warehouse and disappearing inside after forcing open the locked front doors with tremendous strength. The doors being forced open set off the perimeter alarms still monitoring the property and in turn more officers were about to be dispatched to the scene.

Internally swearing at the commotion Hank took the radio and requested that dispatch send only one other squad car as he and Chris were already at the scene of the warehouse and could handle everything. The last thing Hank wanted to do was have to protect the android from an entire firing squad of jumpy cops who were still uncertain of deviants in general.

"Stay here." Hank ordered Chris as he stepped out of the patrol car with his gun already drawn. There was a steeled look in eyes as he stared at the broken down front doors of the warehouse with a focused venom. "Go ahead handle back-up, but I need to go in there alone for now."

"Sure thing, Lieutenant..." Chris trusted Hank's judgement but wasn't sure what else he could do to help handle the situation. "But only for five minutes, no more."

"Right." Checking his weapon Hank crept toward the front door and kept the barrel of the gun pointed at the ground as he moved. "That's all I'll need."

Inside the shadowy warehouse Lucas was on the top floor of the two story structure and standing in the office that housed all of the paper documents and files on androids for CyberLife's safekeeping. As he stood in front of the large glass window overlooking the loading bay outside, Lucas was unknowingly leaving his back open for assault and would be unable to flee if necessary. There was only a single doorway to safety and was now opposite of where Lucas was standing.

Tearing through the files from the metal filing cabinet one by one, Lucas tried and failed to locate any information on the 'RK-800' and the 'RK-900' series, which only seemed to intensify his existential dread. There was nothing left behind by CyberLife and no trace of any 'RK' models of androids ever being created. Even Markus, the world' only 'RK-200' android, seemingly didn't even exist.

It was as if he, Connor and Markus had been erased from existence...

"Hold it right there." Hank warned somewhat out of breath as he chased the android up to the second floor. As he approached Lucas from behind Hank made sure to identify himself and sound as intimidating as possible while he kept tabs on Lucas's red tinted L.E.D. cycling in his temple. "Detroit Police. Turn around very slowly and keep your hands where I can see them."

"You're..." Lucas froze and turned to look at Hank over his shoulder as he dropped the paper documents on the floor in fear. Recognizing Hank's face and voice from Connor's provided memories, Lucas knew exactly who he was speaking with. "You're Lieutenant Anderson."

"That's right, I am. Could've sworn you were shut down for good." Keeping the gun steady in his grip Hank didn't blink as he stared down the confused android standing before him. "What the hell's going on?"

"I had shutdown, yes." Lucas confirmed as he turned slowly to face Hank directly as he had been ordered. The android had no desire to fight with anyone. "But I am here and alive once more. I don't know how or why."

"Uh-huh, and I bet you're the reason Connor went off to New Jericho Tower." Hank noticed that Lucas was wearing Connor's unmistakable gray blazer over a plain white shirt and pale blue jeans. A simple attire which matched what Connor began to wear more often during his time off. "Do you know where Connor is?"

"Connor is my... I do not know where he is. But I do know that he is my friend." Lucas answered truthfully as he stood still and watched Hank's every movement. "He is helping me."

"Then where is he?" Doubting the claim Hank challenged the android to keep answering questions. "And why do you have his blazer?"

"He gave it to me." Slowly Lucas began slipping the warm garment off of his shoulders and arms to offer it back to Hank. "Do you want it?"

"...Yeah." Holding out his free hand Hank nodded toward his opened palm while he kept the gun pointed at Lucas with his right hand. "Toss it over here."

"Okay." Lucas did as he was instructed, and Hank caught the blazer after it was tossed over to him. "Why are you here?"

"I am seeking information. I want to know who I am."

"You're seek-"

"LUCAS!" Connor shouted as he reached the second floor of the warehouse and heard Hank's voice speaking sternly. Without taking his focus away from Lucas the deviant detective stood beside Hank and kept his full attention on the other android standing across from them. "Why did you run off? I had to ask for Chris to refrain from entering the building before-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Slow down!" Hank turned to look at Connor to his side with a confused stare as the name struck him very odd. "First of all, 'Lucas'? Who the fuck is Lucas?"

"Uh... He is." Connor explained coolly as he nodded toward the other android, both of their L.E.D.'s now cycling in a stressed red. "Lucas is... Well... Him."

"So, the fucker has a name now." Hank snipped sharply as he gave Connor a scolding stare. "I thought it was dead!"

"As did we, that is, everyone at New Jericho, and us too, but... Lucas has clearly rebooted." Stammering a little as he spoke Connor tried to explain everything as succinctly and honestly as possible. "And he's trying to live his life as a deviant, not as a pawn of CyberLife. Please believe, he isn't going to hurt anyone. He's merely confused and I'm trying to help him."

"But you kept your 'little brother' there a secret from me all the same, didn't you?" Angrily Hank threw the blazer at Connor's face in frustration. "Another damn secret. I told you stop doing that shit!"

"I'm sorry." Connor caught his blazer and held it in hands while he looked down at the CyberLife logo on the right lapel with shame in his soulful brown eyes. "But I didn't know how you'd react to this beyond anger, and I didn't want you to be afraid if you knew that Lucas was still alive."

"Me? Afraid?"

"You don't like it when I put myself in dangerous situations, but this was necessary." Explaining his logic Connor's brown met Hank's gaze and he spoke as honestly as he could. "I wasn't going to give up on him or abandon him. I wasn't going to do to him what CyberLife did to me." Smoothly Connor put his blazer back on and proudly smoothed out the fabric over his model number. "I wanted to do for him what you did for me. You saved my life. I just wanted to do the same for Lucas. It was important that this was kept a secret to keep Lucas safe from harsh judgement from those who don't understand him and fear him."

The love and admiration in Connor's truly emotional words had caught Hank off guard and any lingering frustration he harbored against the stubborn deviant suddenly disappeared. He couldn't fault Connor for caring about the safety and wellbeing of another person.

"Ah, fuck..." Hank holstered his gun and put his hand on Connor's shoulder lightly in a forgiving manner. "I-"

A barrage of heavy footsteps marched through the mostly empty warehouse and loud voices began shouting commands. Connor instinctively put himself between Lucas and the doorway to keep the other officers from harming Lucas in their often overly aggressive reactions to deviants. Hank stepped out of the doorway and identified himself with his badge while also trying to explain what was happening before things escalated too far.

"What's-" Lucas sounded terrified from where he stood as Connor remained protectively in front of him. "Connor?"

"Yes?" Turning to look at Lucas over his right shoulder Connor locked his eyes with the frightened android. "What is it?

"These officers..." The frightened android was aware of the presence of responding officers and knew they were going to be hostile. "They want to hurt me."

"No, Lucas. They just want to know what's happening, that's all."

"No..." Lucas's L.E.D. shifted from red to yellow and back to red in distress as he backed up toward the massive glass window of the office wall. "He will kill me."

"Who will kill you?" Sensing that something was amiss Connor knew that Lucas had picked up on something he hadn't. "Why?"

"CyberLife is GONE." Hank's voice returned with more aggression in his tone as he backed through the door and into the office where the two androids were currently standing. "I don't give a fuck what CyberLife said, you're NOT shooting anyone in there!"

"I have my orders, Lieutenant. Neither your or your officer outside are going to stop me." The harsh and familiar voice of Captain Allen retorted as he pushed past Hank with his gun already aimed ahead of himself. "If the 'RK-900' model shows signs on instability I'm to shut it down, immediately."

"What the fuck?!" Pointing his gun at Connor and ready to fire the salty Captain then noticed Lucas standing behind Connor. "Two of them?!"

"And they're both HARMLESS." Hank argued as he tried to keep Captain Allen from hurting either of the androids. "Connor is completely normal and the other one, Lucas I guess," the name felt odd to say but he said it anyway. "is just confused. He's not dangerous! Think of him as a scared kid trying to figure shit out in this fucked up world."

Hearing Hank speak up on his behalf gave Lucas a brief sense of belonging that was quickly shattered when Captain Allen aimed his gun at his face with a cold and heartless gesture.

"I have my orders." Determined to succeed Captain Allen stated coldly and squeezed the trigger without even blinking or even the slightest hesitation. "I won't disobey."

"NO!" Connor instinctively pushed Lucas aside and received the offending bullet through his right forearm for his trouble. Falling on his side next to Lucas on the dirty floor, Connor cradled his bleeding arm against his chest in pain as he kept himself between Lucas and Captain Allen. "I-I'm... damaged."

"You motherfucker!" Hank called out in righteous anger as he grabbed on to both of Captain Allen's arm to wrestle the gun away from the trigger-happy and impatient Captain. "You son of a bitch! You just assaulted an officer, you idiotic prick!"

"Connor?" Lucas knelt over Connor and put his hand on Connor's right arm to try to look at the bleeding wound as he glared angrily at Captain Allen's face. "You are damaged." The two androids were shaken by the experience and their red L.E.D.'s betrayed their fears from where they sat on the floor. "This is... This is my fault."

"It's not your fault." Gritting his teeth as he spoke Connor ran a self-diagnostic and steadied his mind to keep Lucas calm. "You didn't do this."

"You were shot because of me."

"No, I was shot because of Captain Allen. Now go..." Connor urged as he tried to use his good hand to push Lucas away from him and away from the dangerous S.W.A.T. officer. "You need to get out of here before Captain Allen kills you. I'll be fine, just go!"

"No." Lucas suddenly found himself feeling determined to stay put as he took Connor's good arm and wrapped it around his shoulders. Hefting Connor up to his feet beside him Lucas wanted to protect the deviant who had protected him. "You need help and I want to help you. I'm going to help you because you're my friend."

Hank tried and failed get the gun away from the dangerous S.W.A.T. Captain as the two androids tried to get out of the line of fire. Receiving a strong blow to the side of his jaw from Captain Allen's elbow, Hank was effectively stunned and fell to the floor in a foggy daze as the Captain aimed his gun at the two androids yet again.

Lucas reacted quickly and elbowed out the glass of the window behind him and proceeded to climb through the broken window with Connor at his side. Landing on a thin metal scaffolding that lined the exterior of the warehouse beneath the window, Lucas managed to navigate his way around the side of the building and onto a metal ladder used for emergency purposes with Connor beside him the entire time.

"Lucas, Captain Allen does wants to kill you." Connor confirmed with a heavy voice as he and Lucas made their unorthodox escape from the warehouse window. "You have to get out of here and go back to New Jericho Tower. You'll be safe there, he won't be able to find you."

"He thinks we're BOTH dangerous." Lucas logically argued as he practically dragged Connor up the ladder to the roof at his side. The damage Connor sustained to his right arm had limited his strength and made it difficult to climb alone. "I saw your memory, I saw the way he hated you back then during the negotiation process on the apartment rooftop, and I can see the way he still hates you now. I won't leave you behind to be killed."

"But why are we climbing up to the roof?" The deviant detective asked as Lucas helped him to climb up the somewhat angled incline to reach the flat, smooth surface of the metal roof of the warehouse. Lucas knelt over the edge of the roof to look down at Connor as he spoke to him and offered his hand to help pull Connor upward to the surface. "You need to get down to the ground to run away."

"The police under Captain Allen's command are all over the ground and will shoot to kill if ordered." The newly awoken deviant was incredibly astute and very observant of the world around him already. It was as if Lucas was truly, finally awake. "We can still escape if we run along the rooftops of the other buildings."

"Lucas, I know you're trying to help me, but I'm a member of the Detroit Police Department." Pressing his palm over his bleeding right forearm, the irony of having both of his arms shot in less than a week didn't go unnoticed and he hissed in pain. "I won't be hurt again as long you're not here. I can reason with him."

"Connor," Lucas grabbed on to Connor's left hand and pulled him up to the edge of the roof beside him. "you can't reason with the unreasonable."

The eerie familiarity of Lucas's words and how human they sounded struck a chord with Connor that made him realize that Lucas truly was a deviant at heart. He just needed more time to prove it to the rest of the world.

"Lucas... Please don't-"

"I won't run off and leave you here alone to deal with that dangerous man. Captain Allen hates androids, he has a record of abusing androids that has previously gotten him suspended without pay after the Revolution, and he is currently under investigation with the threat of termination hanging over his head. That's why he's so eager to shoot and kill us." Lucas sounded so sure as he spoke with Connor. "He wants revenge."

"How do you know that?" The way Lucas was assessing the situation told Connor that the new deviant was using his forensics software to gain an advantage over the unusual situation. "How did you form such a poignant theory?"

"I... I ran a cybernetic scan over Captain Allen as soon as he opened fire and injured you." The confession was one of uncertainty mixed with honesty. "I was able to access his personnel record and his disciplinary file. It's quite extensive and questionable, and he's now being investigated."

Connor, still cradling his injured arm, neared the edge of the roof beside Lucas and looked down at the loading bay. The height made his head spin for a moment as a sudden fear of falling hit Connor's mind before he pushed the thought away. The glass shards from the previously broken window littered the scaffolding beneath the windowpane, and below the scaffolding itself was a lethal drop to the unforgiving concrete and pavement below. Just a few yards away from the building, a long construction crane was resting unmanned and completely still as it hung heavily over the bay.

"We should-"

Warnings flared up in Connor's visual processors causing the deviant to fall to his knees in pain. The bullet lodged in his forearm continued to cause damage to the internal lines supplying Thirium to limb and completely disabled his use of his right hand. Blue blood gushed out of the bullet wound that fractured the frames of his plastimetal radial-ulna causing a sudden drop in his Thirium volume that made him weaker than normal.

"Sh-Shit, not now."

"Connor?" Lucas ran a scan over his friend and noted Connor's suddenly weaker vital signs. The bullet was beginning to restrict Thirium flow to Connor's right hand that could lead to permanent damage. "You require technical assistance. Can you still move?"

"I-It's okay, Lucas." Nodding a little Connor tried to ease Lucas's concerns as he forced himself to keep moving. "I'll be fine."

"And I'll guarantee it." Lucas then scanned the environment and through preconstruction calculated the necessary jump they'd need to take if they were to escape. "If we can reach that crane, we can-"

Another bullet loudly ricocheted off the metal roof between Connor and Lucas causing the two deviants to turn and look back at the edge of the roof near the ladder's access point. They had been found by the very man that they were trying to avoid.

"Next shot won't miss." Captain Allen threatened as he aimed again at Connor's chest. "CyberLife paid me very well and I won't disappoint them, even if they are gone and can't sign a check anymore."

"We surrender, don't shoot." Connor shouted as he put his hands up as best as he could to surrender and held them as high as possible. His damaged right hand barely moved but he held the position all the same. "It's all a misunderstanding, it'll get straightened out at the precinct."

"I don't take machines as prisoners." Captain Allen sneered as he kept his aim on Connor's chest, right over his heart. "I take them in as evidence."

Lucas suddenly leapt forward and grabbed on to Captain Allen's gun in the same manner as Hank had done before and tried to pull the weapon away. The enraged human was proving to be a formidable opponent even to the strong deviant. As Lucas wrestled with Allen and pulled on the gun, he began taking steps backward and teetered dangerously close to the edge of the roof over to where the narrow scaffolding overlooked the glass littered concrete surface below.

The snow that had melted over the roof ensured a slick surface beneath the feet of the struggling duo and only created another hazard to navigate. During the struggle Captain Allen lost his footing and began to slide backward and pull Lucas back with him. Instinctively Lucas shifted his weight to try to regain his balance, but the way Captain Allen was flailing about made the effort fruitless.

"Lucas?!" Connor shouted too late as the deviant slipped off of the roof courtesy of Captain Allen. "No!"

Reacting quickly Lucas let his right hand go of the gun and instead grabbed onto the edge of the roof to keep himself from falling. His left hand, still gripped around Captain Allen's arm, kept the human from falling to his death. The overzealous officer was now at the mercy of the very deviant that he was trying to kill, but he didn't dare to let the deviant's arm out of his desperate grip as he hung on for dear life.

As Lucas held onto the roof his body swung inward toward the building and his head bashed against the cold metal framing of the roof's sharp edge creating a blue bloody laceration over his left eye. The rooftop was too smooth, too slick, and too cold for Lucas to retain a firm enough grip to keep himself from slipping any further as bashed his head. The full weight of Captain Allen's body and body armor were making the effort more intense as Lucas's compromised biocomponents struggled to function under such intense stress and physical strain.

However, Lucas was determined to hang on for as long as he could and fight back against the darkness swimming over his vision. The urge to enter stasis mode to escape reality and recover his bearings was strong and nearly overwhelming.

"Lucas!" Connor reached out with his good hand and wrapped it around Lucas's arm just below his wrist to try and pull the deviant back up and on to the rooftop to relative safety. "I got you!"

"...Connor?" Lucas looked up at the kind deviant as he tried to lift Captain Allen up toward the roof to safety. His gray eyes began to droop as the blow to his head finally began taking its toll and Lucas's intracranial processor tried to enter emergency stasis mode to deal with the damage he had just suffered. The strain on his still injured biocomponents began to wear away his remaining power supply at an alarming rate. "Help... Help him."

Desperate to survive the ordeal Captain Allen frantically reached out toward the roof with his own hand, still unwilling to let go of Lucas's arm, to try to save himself despite everything he had done. As he grabbed onto the edge of the roof to pull himself up, Lucas's hand fell limp and he lost grip of the human's limb just as Captain Allen pulled himself up and over the edge of the slick roof to save his own sorry ass.

"Hang on!"

Connor fought to keep his grip on Lucas's arm as the heavy, limp body of the deviant steadily slipped out of the grasp of his uninjured left hand.

"Lucas!"

The deviant detective shouted as he felt his hand slipping away from Lucas despite his determination to keep Lucas from falling.

"Wake up! You need to wake up! I can't... hold you! Pl-Please! Wake up!"

As if the entire world around him came to a grinding halt Connor felt his hand finally slip away from the deviant's arm, and Lucas fell from the roof toward the unforgiving ground below. Watching in horror as the unconscious deviant uncontrollably fell away from himself, Connor was ready to shout out in an enraged frustration when he caught sight of Hank suddenly leaning out the broken window and grabbing onto Lucas, wrapping both arms around the android's upper body under his shoulders, as Lucas fell past the opening in the window.

"Hank!"

Connor excitedly shouted as he watched Hank grab onto Lucas's upper chest and arms to pull the deviant back inside the warehouse through the broken window to safety. Lucas didn't hit the ground; he was caught by Hank. Lucas was saved by Hank.

"He's still alive..."

Without even bothering to acknowledge Captain Allen cowering on the roof beside him Connor made his way toward the ladder at the edge and awkwardly climbed back down to meet Hank and Lucas inside the warehouse as quickly as he could move. All Connor cared about was checking on Lucas, he couldn't care less about the dangerous human who had been attempting to kill them.

The cruel S.W.A.T. Captain would be taken care of without Connor needing to waste another damn minute of his time on him.


Despite the protests of his aching back, still sore chest and sore left shoulder, Hank awkwardly hefted Lucas back through the large broken window and held the deviant upright on the floor in a slack kneeling position. Allowing Lucas to lean against his chest and shoulder as he regained his senses, Hank let out a breathy sigh of relief and kept a strong hand on Lucas's shoulder and pressed his opposite palm over the center of Lucas's chest. Checking on the deviant's vital signs via heartbeat and L.E.D. color, Hank knew that the Lucas was still alive but unconscious. The bleeding blue laceration over Lucas's left eye was the telltale sign of the cause of Lucas's sudden state of unconsciousness. No one needed to be a technician or a doctor to know that a nasty blow to the head would be enough to render even the most thickheaded people unconscious.

Aside from the laceration over Lucas's eye there was no other sign of trauma to the deviant's body. There weren't even any cuts or scratches from the sharp shards of glass still lining the frame of the broken window. For whatever reason, Lucas managed to luck out and escape being sliced up by the broken glass shards still outlining the shattered windowpane.

"Son of a bitch..."

Hank swore to himself as he watched Lucas's face carefully to check for any sign of returning consciousness and awareness.

"Never thought I'd see you again."

Lucas looked exactly like Connor; the complexion and the little facial tics and calm expression on his face while unconscious were unmistakable. The cut over Lucas's left eye was oozing blue blood, but it wasn't a severe injury and would heal on its own in a few hours.

Chris rushed into the second floor office with his gun already drawn but holstered the weapon as soon as he saw Hank kneeling in front of who he thought was Connor. Getting a little closer Chris then he realized it was actually the second android they had chased after that afternoon and was a total stranger in Chris's eyes.

"Lieutenant, are you injured?"

"I'm okay, just a cut." Hank wiped the red blood from the side his chin onto the back of his hand from where Captain Allen had struck him earlier. It seemed that Lucas wasn't the only one who could use a little first aid. "Where the fuck were you when Allen swarmed the place?"

"Allen told me to stay put." Chris explained while feeling like a fool. "I had no idea that he was going to go after Connor until I saw him chase him, and uh... the 'other him'," he motioned to Lucas as he had no idea what to call him. "all the way up on the damn roof!"

"Wait..." Hank's eyes lit up with hope as he realized that there was a witness to Captain Allen's unprofessional behavior. "You saw it?"

"Every second. I already radioed and told Captain Fowler about it too." Chris already knew of Captain Allen's issues and made sure to have his latest stunt reported as soon as possible. "Allen's not going be holding a badge for too much longer after all."

"And what about back-up?"

"Captain Fowler dismissed them over the radio. It's your scene now, Lieutenant."

"Good. Escort Allen to the squad car so I don't have drag his sorry ass off the roof myself." Wincing a little Hank sighed and felt his back muscles tightening in aggravation. "My back is sore enough as it is."

"With pleasure. I'll even give him a shiny pair of bracelets while I'm at it."

Once the young officer left the scene Hank returned his attention to the deviant still unconscious in his arms. Patting the side of Lucas's face lightly Hank tried to awaken the deviant and watched as Lucas's L.E.D. cycled from red, then to yellow as his pale gray eyes finally opened. The gray irises were unfocused but still alert as his systems managed to reboot steadily.

"Hey?" Speaking in a hushed tone Hank showed the 'RK-900' unexpected compassion. "You okay?"

"I..." Lucas looked around the office area and realized that he had survived the fall. In fact, he survived because Hank had caught him as he fell. "You..."

"It's okay." Hank reassured the confused deviant kindly. "If Connor can trust you, then so can I. I was just being a dick."

Upon hearing those words, a very Connor-esque smirk appeared on Lucas's face as he quickly wrapped his arms around Hank's shoulders in a tight hug. Another quirk from Connor's shared memories was the wonderful sense of connection that stemmed from hugs with friends and family.

"Whoa!" Hank flinched at first, but then he just relaxed and accepted the hug while he patted Lucas's shoulder. "...You're all right, kid."

"Hank!?" Connor rejoined Hank and Lucas in the office and knelt beside the duo on the floor as he kept his hand clutched over the bleeding wound in his right arm. His heart was thundering in his chest as the rush of descending the ladder and facing his fear of heights made the entire effort very exhausting. "Lucas, are you injured?"

Lucas's yellow L.E.D. cycled back to blue as he released one arm from around Hank so he could pull Connor in to share the hug. A hug that Connor readily accepted as he wrapped his good arm around Lucas in utmost relief.

"That's a 'no', Connor." Hank replied on the new deviant's behalf. "He's fine." The senior detective was beginning to feel a little smothered and decided it was time to let the little reunion come to an end. "Okay, that's enough. Time to let go and tell me what the hell has been happening these past two days."

"About that..." Reluctantly Connor let up on the hug and rocked back on his knees with guilt in his soulful brown eyes. "I'm sorry for-"

"I know, son." Worriedly Hank looked at the cut on Lucas's brow and then over to the raw bullet wound in Connor's right forearm. "Just start from the beginning. What the hell is going on?"


After filing one hell of a lengthy report at the precinct about the incident with Captain Allen, Lucas breaking into the abandoned CyberLife warehouse, and about Connor being shot while protecting Lucas from harm, Hank drove out to New Jericho Tower with both Connor and Lucas as his passengers. Connor's right arm was wrapped up in gauze and secured in a sling against his chest as it healed courtesy of Dr. Joel Forrest in the precinct dispensary. The bullet had been removed and the fractures to his arm stabilized shortly after the Thirium lines were mended. Lucas had a small bandage over his left eye to cover the cut as it healed - additional treatment from Joel - and Hank had a matching bandage over the small cut on his jawline.

The trio looked as tired as they felt. The long day was over, everyone who needed to know about Lucas were brought into the loop, and now it was time to bring the crazy day to an appropriate end. Starting tomorrow everything, that the small group had known about their own little world and family dynamic was going to change.

"You'll still be living at New Jericho Tower." Connor explained to Lucas as the Oldsmobile pulled down the drive to the tower on Belle Isle. His and Lucas's L.E.D.'s were finally blue again as the strange day came to an end. "But you don't have to stay there forever. Markus is going to help you learn to understand the emotions and physical sensations of being a deviant so you can handle the strange experiences of life a little easier. Then you can decide what kind of deviant you want to be, and from there, you'll be free to explore the city and do as you want."

"Will I see you again?" Lucas asked from the backseat of the car as he watched the tower grow nearer through the front windshield. He wasn't looking forward to being locked up again, but he understood the precaution. "I'd like to get to know you a little more if that's okay with you."

"Of course. I'll visit you whenever I have the chance." Turning to look at Lucas in the backseat Connor gave him a kind smile and nod his head. "We're friends. That's what friends do."

"That's good to know." Lucas leaned forward a little in his seat as he turned his attention toward Hank behind the steering wheel. "Lieutenant Anderson, back at the warehouse you referred to me as Connor's 'little brother', what does that mean?"

"Uh..." Hank laughed a little at the sweetly naive question but answered all the same. "I guess with you being an android the concept of having 'siblings' is entirely foreign, huh?"

"Yes." Lucas confirmed with a slight tilt of the head as if intrigued by the notion. "I understand humans can have siblings when the parents have more than one offspring who share biological connection, but androids do not have parents. Therefore, we can't have siblings."

"Yeah, well I think you and Connor are the exception to that little technicality." The senior detective retorted with a goodhearted nature. "You were clearly made by the same people, you were 'created' at separate times to be different, and yet you're very much alike in ability and personality, AND you two share physical similarities but also have unique traits of your own."

"You mean my eye color?" Lucas asked sincerely as he made note of the physical characteristics between himself and Connor. "And my hairstyle."

"Yeah, that. Plus, your voice is just a little bit deeper and Connor's hair's more unruly."

Connor absentmindedly began running his hand through his hair at the comment, not that he was offended by the observation. The comment just now made him aware of his hair's thickness and of the rogue lock of hair that liked to hang down over his left eye.

"Lucas, you're Connor's little brother, accept it!" Hank continued in a light tone. Finally in a good mood Hank was determined to help the two deviants feel better as well. "AND if you're Connor's brother, and I've taken Connor into my own family, then that makes you family too. You got it?"

"I got it." A faint smile appeared on Lucas's face as the car approached the front of the tower and parked before the front doors. Markus was waiting outside and was relieved to see everyone still in one piece, although a little banged up. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Call me 'Hank'." Hank insisted as the door to the front passenger seat opened up and Connor pulled his seat forward so Lucas could step out of the two door coupe to exit the vehicle. "Sounds weird when you two call me 'Lieutenant'."

Connor stayed outside of the car to say goodbye to Lucas just as Markus greeted the two deviants in person. "Take care of yourself Lucas. You deserve to find happiness in your life."

"Thank you." Lucas extended his hand to shake with a kind gesture toward his new friend - his brother. "Thank you for not giving up on me."

"Of course." Connor shook Lucas's hand firmly with a faint smile of his own on his face. "You're my friend, and arguably you're my brother."

Through the windshield Hank watched as the two deviants said their goodbyes, shook hands and departed on good terms. As Connor returned to the car and fastened his seatbelt again Hank gave a quick wave to Markus and to Lucas through the windshield as he turned the car around to head down the drive back to the city.

Markus put his hand on Lucas's shoulder and showed the newest deviant back into the tower for the night. The trusting and kind gesture from the deviant leader confirmed that Connor and Hank weren't the only ones ready to give Lucas the chance to live as a free deviant.

"You took an awfully big risk back there protecting Lucas like that." Hank noted calmly as he finally began to open up a little toward his friend. He didn't want to keep bottling up his anger and having little outbursts on Connor by mistake. "But I'm proud of you. You did the right thing, son."

"Thanks." Connor smiled a little more as he rolled up the sleeve of his right sleeve and peeled back the torn fabric of the dress shirt beneath to look at the white bandages wrapped around his forearm just around the sling. "I think it was worth it as well."

As Hank pulled off the drive leading to the tower, he took a right to head out of the city instead of a left to head for home. Such a route was one he had never driven before and immediately caught Connor's attention.

"Hank?" Connor noted the change in direction and his blue L.E.D. briefly flashed to yellow in response. "Where are we going?"

"Remember when I said I had a long drive ahead of me because of an important engagement?"

"Yes. I remember."

"Well, you're coming with me. I have something important to take care of and I want you to be there with me this time."

"Oh." Being brought into Hank's personal life wasn't something he had been expecting and actually made Connor's eyes widen with surprise for a moment. "May I ask why I'm invited along?"

"Because you're important to me too, kid. Get it?"

"I think so." The sincere reply resonated with an unexpected warmth through Connor's chest as he felt the lingering tension from their previous disagreement finally begin to dissolve. "...That's a very comforting thought to have."

"It's not a thought." The senior detective responded as he turned on the radio to find some good music to listen to during their drive. "It's a fact."


The two detectives endured a two hour long drive to a relatively remote location outside of the city in a relaxed atmosphere as they just listened to music and thought about their past behavior. It was as if the duo decided to use the time to sit and reflect on the way they had behaved and knew they were both at fault for their failure to properly communicate. Hank had a nasty habit of keeping his emotions bottled up until they exploded, and Connor was so preoccupied on not offending Hank with his emotional reactions that he had developed a habit of keeping secrets from the gruff Lieutenant to spare the other man's feelings. Neither party was entirely innocent, and they both had a lot of personal growth to endure in order to break such bad habits before they caused any further problems.

Easily finding his way to the correct location, Hank pulled the Oldsmobile into a massive and beautiful cemetery that was bathed in a peaceful ambience as stray snow continued to fall in gentle flakes all over the hundreds of gray headstones that dotted the property. Parking the car along the dirt path that encircled the final resting plots of hundreds of people, Hank stepped outside of the stationary vehicle with a heavy sigh as he gazed about the peaceful expanse of land.

Silently Connor followed suit and watched as Hank walked over to the rear end of the car and popped open the trunk. Tucked inside the middle of the trunk and surrounded by thick, insulating blankets to keep the it safe, was a white cardboard box. Picking up the parcel with both hands Hank slammed the trunk shut with his elbow and held the box close to his chest almost protectively.

"This way." Hank motioned for Connor to follow him as he walked through the shallow snow until he reached two headstones of interest just a few yards away from where he had parked. Holding his head high Hank managed to keep his voice level as he spoke. "This is where I needed to be today."

With an arched brow Connor accompanied Hank and followed the senior detective's line of sight to the headstones of interest. Reading the names engraved on the two headstones Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to red then to yellow as his soulful brown eyes filled with sudden sadness as he instantly recognized the two names.

The first was for a woman named 'Barbara Marie Harris'. And the second for a young boy named 'Cole Lucas Anderson'.

"Lucas..." Connor whispered in shock at the sight of the middle name on Cole's headstone. "Is that...?"

"I figured you were the one who picked Lucas's name when he woke up." Hank stated as he knelt between the two graves with the box still clutched protectively in his hands. "Lucas was my father's name, and it's my middle name. Kind of a family tradition of passing the name down that got cut tragically short."

"Hank, I-"

"I'm not mad about the name you chose." Already knowing where Connor was going Hank stopped him before he could needlessly apologize. "I'm... flattered. Even if it wasn't intentional, it's still nice to see another person carrying such a name."

"I don't know why I had chosen that particular name." Blushing a faint blue Connor's yellow L.E.D. went back to a calm blue. "It just... came to me."

"Same thing happened to me when I held Cole in my arms for the first time. I had no idea what I was going to call him, but once I saw him and held him in my arms the name just popped in to my head and it felt right." Hank opened the white box he had been carrying and pulled out a long-stemmed white lily. He held it for a moment as he thought about the loved ones that he had lost far too early. "You know something? I think Cole would've really liked you, Connor."

"I wish I could've met him." Connor replied sweetly as he knelt down beside Hank respectfully. Wanting to know more about Hank's lost family, Connor stayed close by and let Hank open up to him in a confidential and emotional way. "I'm sure I would've like him as well."

"And Barbara." Hank smiled a little and rubbed his hand over his bearded chin. The laceration on his jawline stung a little as his fingertips brushed pass the thick white bandage. "She was truly one in a billion."

"She was your partner before me." Connor replied with a kind tone as he knew of Hank's previous connection to the woman. He had noted that Barbara was still registered as Hank's emergency contact on his personnel file and did a little digging to discovery Barbara's identity and connect with Hank. "I'm sorry for what had happened to her. She lost her life in the line of duty when a coward chose to... target her."

"Yeah, everyone is. If I could've traded places with her, I would've done it in a heartbeat." Tears welled up in Hank's eyes as he spoke of his late partner and of how he lost her. "After she died it was difficult raising Cole alone, but I managed to do it for four years before... Well, you know."

"Raising Cole." Connor's brow arched even higher at Hank's comment. "Barbara was Cole's... mother?"

"Yup."

"And you two were married?"

"Yup."

"Captain Fowler didn't object to such an arrangement?"

"Of course he did!" Smirking a little Hank thought about the night he told his commanding officer of the not-to-secret romance. "He hated the idea of two cops working as partners AND lovers at the same time, and he hated it even more when Barbara announced she was pregnant with Cole. But Jeffrey was our friend. He looked the other way out of professional courtesy, but now I wish he had done his job and kept us apart by transferring one of us to another precinct."

"Harris." Connor noted Barbara's last name on the headstone and inquired about the differences. "She didn't take your surname."

"No, she didn't. We got married in secret about a year before she got pregnant. By keeping her last name as it was, it helped throw off professional suspicion but legally we were still in the clear as husband and wife."

"Captain Fowler knew of your marriage before she became pregnant?"

"Jeffrey was the best man at the wedding. Hell, he bought the drinks that night to toast our marriage."

"Why would-" Now more than ever, Connor was perplexed and his blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow again. "I'm finding it difficult to understand how so many protocols and rules were broken just to aid you two in the precinct."

"Connor, humans are... We're complicated. Barb and I knew what we were doing was a risk, but we were crazy about each other. If one of us had to leave the precinct then we would both leave, and Jeffrey didn't want either of us to go." Hank picked up two more flowers from the box, a second white lily and a deep red colored rose with dark green leaves. "Guess he figured once Cole was born that Barb would stay home with him, but she couldn't wait to get back to work to help catch criminals and pull drugs off the street. She waited until Cole was walking and talking so she didn't miss any of his big milestones."

"May I ask why you have a divorce on your record?"

"Oh, that!" Hank laughed a little and blushed as a Devilish grin appeared on his face. "High school sweetheart. We spent a weekend in Vegas after graduation and when we woke up from a nasty hangover, we found out we were married." The memory was one that always made Hank laugh. "We got divorced the following weekend and after all these years she's still pissed about it. Likes to send me an e-mail on what would be our wedding anniversary to remind me that she hasn't forgiven me. Her loss. I became a successful police Lieutenant and her second husband's a fat accountant without any hair."

Connor gave Hank an odd look but didn't say anything more as Hank held the rose in a tender grip. The rose reminded Connor of the Zen Garden but kept that little detail to himself out of respect for Hank and his family.

"Today is Barbara's birthday." Hank stated somberly as he placed the red rose on her gravestone to honor his late wife. "I promised her that I'd always get her a rose on her birthday, and I haven't missed one yet."

As Hank put the white lily down on the grave next to the rose he handed the first lily over to Connor to take for himself. Understanding what Hank wanted to happen Connor placed the offered lily down on Cole's gravestone respectfully in the little boy's memory.

"Same with Cole's birthday in September."

One more item was left behind in the box as the senior detective mourned and visited his family. It was something that wasn't a flower. Letting out an exasperated sigh Hank reached back into the box and pulled out the mysterious item in question. It was the stuffed toy dog that he had found in Cole's old bedroom just the day before. Sitting the toy down on Cole's gravestone Hank wiped away a tear that was rolling down his face.

"After Cole-" The usually gruff Lieutenant paused for a moment as a sob got caught in his throat. "I, uh, donated his toys to charity and had movers clean out his bedroom for me and asked Jeffrey to burn everything else that reminded me of Cole. They missed something, and I just didn't have the heart to throw it away."

"Why not keep it for yourself?" As his yellow L.E.D. cycled back to blue Connor admired the stuffed toy and could tell from how worn out it was that it was a toy that had been loved very much by the little boy. "You should keep things that give you happy memories of Cole, not destroy them."

"Because I've held on to the past long enough. I love Cole and I will never stop loving Cole, but I can't let the pain of his death keep me from living my life. Not anymore. Besides," Hank pulled at the torn ear on the stuffed dog's head affectionately between his fingertips. "I figured Cole would like to have it back."

Connor put his hand on Hank's shoulder and held it there for a moment to support his emotionally distraught friend in silent understanding.

"It's been so long already, but it still hurts like it just happened this morning. Losing Barb was painful enough, but when I lost Cole, I thought the pain in my heart was genuinely going to kill me."

The sun was setting quickly over the horizon and a deep amber-red light basked over the peaceful cemetery as the snow continued to swirl about in the air all around the two detectives. The idea of losing two people that Hank loved so dearly so close to one another finally helped Connor to understand why Hank had been so angry with him before and why Hank had kept his emotions to himself.

Hank didn't want to lose anyone else, and he didn't want to suffer any more pain.

"I'm sorry for worrying you so much." Apologizing sincerely Connor wanted to make amends with his good friend about his past behavior. "And for not telling you about Lucas sooner."

"It's okay, I get it." Easing the deviant's guilt Hank gave him an appreciative nod to reassure them that they were on good terms. "You wanted to keep Lucas safe and not worry me in the process. You were doing what you thought was best."

"I promise you that if I ever feel as though I'm in danger or need your help in any way, I will ask and let you know what's happening. No more secrets."

In response, Hank reached out and patted Connor's shoulder once before he just pressed his palm down in place. Having the kindhearted deviant at his side was a surprisingly welcome presence as Hank visited his family in the cold, quiet cemetery. It was the first time since the two funerals that Hank wasn't alone when he visited the graves and paid respect to his still beloved family.

Connor remained respectfully quiet and waited for Hank to finish with the visit with his departed family under his own power and time. At the moment he had nowhere else he needed to be, and just wanted to stay with Hank for as long as his friend needed him.

"Come on, son." Hank finally spoke up in an emotional whisper after he finished saying what he needed to say to his late wife and son inside his mind and inside his heart. Some words just couldn't be spoken, only felt. "Let's go home."

-next chapter-

Fun Fact: The name 'Lucas' means 'Light'. Since the 'RK-900' wore a white jacket in the game and is now on his way to redemption in this (non-canon) story I figured it was an appropriate name.