It had been a week since Connor and Abby were threatened by a junkie at the newly constructed Skye Tower, and in that week not only had the building been approved by the city inspectors to open up its door and operate, but a new security protocol had been implemented to keep violent people at bay. Chris had convinced Captain Fowler into setting up additional patrols around the block to deter any junkies or thieves from targeting the sanctuary and to keep the refugees feeling as safe and secure as possible. Gavin readily backed up the request since Abby was volunteering at that tower and had already been threatened and he refused to let his girlfriend and unborn child be put in any potentially dangerous situations.
As Connor stared up at the finished building with a sense of pride in his soulful brown eyes Hank clamped down his right hand over Connor's left shoulder as he joined him on the sidewalk outside the doors. The new sanctuary was a bold statement for peace that Hank could fully get behind.
"You did real good, son."
"I hope so."
"Are you going to be spending all your time here or..." Motioning toward the still vacant building across the street Hank asked about Connor's plans to become a solo private detective. "Are you going to set up shop across the street and watch things from there?"
"I haven't decided." The conflict in Connor's voice reflected the emotional conflict he was feeling in the depths of his heart. "I wish to resume working as a detective, but I do not want to distract myself from my responsibilities here."
"You can have numerous responsibilities and priorities, Connor. You don't have to settle for just one."
"I am aware." Reaching into his right pocket Connor retrieved his coin but held it in a tight fist at his side as opposed to juggling it in his hands nervously. It was a nervous habit he was trying to break out respect for Hank as well as his own mental health. "But I do not want to overwhelm myself."
"Good. One thing at a time, kid."
Letting out a weary sigh Connor motioned for Hank to join him inside the building as he returned the coin to his pocket. "Would you like to see the tower?"
"Absolutely." Patting Connor's shoulder once Hank followed after the deviant as they entered the tower side-by-side to see how much Connor's hard work had paid off. "No matter what you did with the design, I already know that what's in there is a hell of a lot better than that damn club."
Whether it was a sign of fortune or misfortune no one could really say, but no wayward deviants or humans had ventured into the tower to seek shelter from the still icy cold streets. Normally having no one showing up in need of help would be seen as a positive day, but the fact that there was little attention being paid to the tower seemed like a negative impact that might doom the sanctuary before it had the chance to help anyone. The lack of activity and attention made the entire venture seem like an arrogant failure on the deviant's behalf and with that implied failure came a heavy heart that weighed down Connor's already lukewarm enthusiasm.
Connor was sitting in the community room with Hank, his coin finally rhythmically jumping from one fingertip to the next as he failed to quell his tic, and was beginning to think his entire plan was little more than a failed vanity project. If the tower became an ugly mark of failure in the city then any future deviant projects could fail just as spectacularly.
"Connor, stop worrying."
"I cannot." Admitting his concerns the deviant sounded as glum as the tower was empty. "It's as if the tower itself is just a hollow shell or an empty promise."
"What makes you think that?"
"Very few people have volunteered their services despite their time being paid, no one has bothered to inquire about the tower's future and it seems even the deviants in the city have forgotten about the purpose of this shelter." Clutching his coin tightly between his right index fingertip and thumb he bowed his head forward with a sense of failure. "They've either stayed at New Jericho Tower or have remained hidden in the forest."
"If they're hiding it's because they're scared. Isn't that why Markus when out to that camp to try to encourage the deviants into returning to the city?"
"Yes. But it seems he has failed. It's been a full week now since his initial meeting at the camp and despite his and North's return this morning to bring deviants back to the city they've yet to return."
"He didn't fail, kid. And he won't fail as long as he keeps trying." Gently Hank pulled Connor's coin out of Connor's fingers and put it in his own jean pocket for safekeeping. "Hey, this is a good thing you've done. Don't worry about the lack of publicity or the empty rooms. Everything will work out in the end and the people who need to be here will find there way here in time."
"...How can you be so sure?"
"Because I've been a detective for a hell of a lot longer than you." Reminding Connor of his own personal experiences with a firm but jovial voice, Hank proceeded to instill some paternally influenced confidence in his adopted son. "I've seen many shelters come and go throughout the city and the ones that leave are always the ones that put more emphasis on getting personal attention for the shelters than keeping a low profile to help people needing shelter feel safe. They are the ones that fail because they buy publicity and their funds dry up. You're keeping every cent of the donations focused on the people who need it and that's what's going to keep this tower up and running for decades."
"I hope you're correct." Just as it seemed things were going to remain quiet Connor's soulful brown eyes went wide and his brow furrowed as he received an emergency cybernetic communication from North. Giving Hank a concern glance Connor cybernetically informed the other deviants inside Skye Tower of the impending emergency. "...No."
"Connor?" Hank knew that look and tone of voice meant something horrible just happened. "What's wrong?"
"...Markus. The autonomous taxi that had taken Markus and North out to the forest had been struck by a semi truck after its brakes failed upon their return to the city. The supplies at the refugee camp are not enough to... repair the damage."
"Fuck." As if ready to snap into action Hank gave Connor a focused stare. "How bad is it?"
"North informs me that Markus is unconscious, he has lost his right leg below his knee and his Thirium filter has been ruptured from blunt force trauma from the impact. He has lost a massive amount of Thirium and is continuing to bleed despite North's efforts to tie a tourniquet around his severed limb."
"Where are they right now?" Hank rose to his feet and caught sight of a familiar deviant volunteer, Jarvis, wheeling a gurney out of the elevator toward the front door of the tower. "Wait... Are they coming here?"
"North had already hailed a second autonomous taxi and proceeded to place Markus inside." Connor explained somewhat coolly as if the situation were somehow as commonplace as any other day. "We are in closer proximity than New Jericho Tower as well as the other facilities."
"But this place isn't an emergency facility, Connor. He needs more than a few bandages and blood."
"Traffic has become congested and would cause a forty-two minute and fifteen second delay in Markus's need for emergency technical attention. We have the necessary emergency supplies to assist him and Abby is already here. She can provide just as much aid to Markus here as Simon could at New Jericho Tower."
"Abby? She's at least thirty weeks along, is it safe for her to keep working?"
"It is her decision." Connor replied curtly as he proceeded to stand up and join Jarvis in the main lobby to await Markus's arrival. "And she is Markus's best chance of survival."
"What about Simon? Shouldn't someone bring him here to help?"
"...He is skilled but not as experienced as Abby." Connor remarked in a low voice as he made his way to the front of the tower to await Markus and North's arrival. "Abby will be able to save Markus."
Hank detected a slight sting to Connor's comment about Simon and wondered if it had something to do recent tragic events at New Jericho Tower. Despite Simon working with Abby when Skye had died from her injuries it seemed Connor was subconsciously holding a grudge against the tower, if not Simon. No one was to blame for Skye's death but it appeared as though Connor was focusing his residual anger on the location in the same way Hank honed his anger in on the android who tried, and failed, to save Cole while the on-call human surgeon was sleeping off his high.
Outside the tower an autonomous taxi pulled up and stopped outside the front of the brand new building. Jarvis wheeled the gurney out to the vehicle as the door automatically slid open and North stumbled out, her entire being soaked in fresh blue blood and her cinnamon brown eyes were wide with righteous worry.
"Connor?!" North called out as the worried deviant, as well as Hank, met her outside and proceeded to kneel down onto the backseat of the taxi to examine Markus. Running a scan over the wounded deviant leader Connor noted Markus's dangerously weak vital signs and of his critically low Thirium volume. "Please, save him."
"We will." Connor replied confidently as he slipped his arms under Markus's shoulders and under his remaining leg beneath the knee to lift him up from the Thirium soaked seats. "We'll do everything it takes to keep him alive."
"C-Connor..." Markus's mismatched eyes opened slowly as he regained a fragment of consciousness and recognized his friend's voice. "...North. Wh-Where... Where is she?"
"You're safe, Markus. North is as well. We're both with you and we're going to get you taken care of." As he lifted Markus up and into his arms Connor became drenched in Markus's lost blood within seconds and Markus's head fell back as he lost consciousness once more. Turning to look at Jarvis standing beside him Connor informed him of their current situation. "I've relayed his vitals to Abby, she is waiting for him on the second floor."
Once Markus was placed onto the gurney Connor assisted Jarvis in wheeling Markus inside the tower while Hank shrugged off his coat and draped it around North protectively and to hide the massive blood stains on her clothing from public view. Doing his best to keep North, who was also wounded from the accident, from rushing after Markus and to stay by his side, Hank guided her slowly into the tower and into one of the private rooms on the first floor to catch her breath and try to calm down after having her nerves shaken so violently.
"Stay back, North." The senior detective pleaded in a kind and paternal tone. "Markus will be taken care of."
"...This was so stupid." She lamented as she began to shiver from shock and rub her left hand along her sore right shoulder. "We were hit by a damn truck all because we were trying to help a refugee camp find a safe place inside the city."
"North, as a detective I can confirm that ALL accidents are in fact stupid. Come on." Escorting her inside the tower as Markus was wheeled into the elevator by Connor and Jarvis, Hank took charge and led her to a private room to have a moment to herself. "You know that Markus is too damn dedicated to his cause to just roll over and die like that. You'll see."
Ready to tend to the deviant leader in the emergency repair bay Abby was wearing dark purple scrubs and had her hands already covered in protective purple gloves as Markus was rolled into the bay and taken into the first treatment room. As she leaned over the bloodied deviant leader as best as she could with her big pregnant belly. she knew without having to check his Thirium pressure that he would need several pints of blue blood to replace what he had lost. The problem was that Markus being a prototype model meant that his Thirium filter was that of a very unique, if not rare, design that would be a challenge to repair or replace if absolutely necessary.
The significance of the wounds combined with the rarity of Markus's design was going to prove itself to be a formidable challenge. Regardless of the difficulty in the impending procedure Abby was both ready and willing to fight for the deviant leader's life.
"Ah, shit." Checking the belt that had been used as a makeshift tourniquet around Markus's damaged leg Abby shook her head somberly at the catastrophic damage. "I'm going to need some help here."
Connor looked at Jarvis expectantly but he had discreetly taken his leave of the repair bay. It seemed Jarvis, like Barry, was more of an assisting technician than an actual hands-on technician. Returning his focus to Abby and to Markus laying on the table. Connor dared to ask a dour question. "There are no other technicians currently in the tower?"
"It's just me until Dr. Wilson gets here for the night shift, and the nurses don't start until tomorrow."
Wringing his hands together anxiously Connor volunteered his own services. "...How can I help?"
"Can you contact Simon and let him know of the emergency?"
"Y-Yes. ...Done." Connor had begrudgingly made the cybernetic distress call, although he was certain that North had already done so as soon as the accident had occurred. "Now what?"
"I'll need your hands to apply pressure to his damaged Thirium lines until I can replace his leg and repair his ruptured Thirium filter."
"Of course." Slipping off his more casual gray blazer he wore for the sake of the tower's 'grand opening' Connor rolled up his white shirt sleeves and stood over the table and helped Abby to remove the torn up and tattered clothing that Markus was still wearing to fully expose Markus's wounds. "I'll do everything that I can to assist you."
"Good." Sighing as the weight of her pregnant belly began to pull on her back Abby motioned to the storage cabinet with her hand where the extra pairs of scrubs were located. "Because right now I'll need all the help I can get. Scrub up!"
Still sitting inside the private room out of sight of potentially curious eyes North told Hank everything that had happened while she and Markus were visiting the refugee camp and of the semi truck crashing into the autonomous vehicle just outside the city. If they had been closer to the city she would've waited for an ambulance to take Markus to a facility, but the distance and his massive blood loss made time utterly critical. Not even the refugee camp would've been able to provide Markus with the appropriate technical assistance he'd need in order to survive.
"You called 911 after the accident, right?"
"Yeah, I reported the crash before I put Markus in another taxi." She was trying to not be snippy with Hank as he was just doing his job as a detective, but she was so worried about Markus that she couldn't control the tone of her voice. "I didn't flee the scene of the accident."
"Are you hurt?"
"Just a few scratches." North lied quickly as she dropped her hand from her right shoulder. "I'm fine."
"What about the other driver?"
"He got out of the truck and helped me with Markus. He's no worse than I am."
"Okay. Take a moment and try to breathe." Hank urged as he watched North sitting perfectly rigid with fear glistening in her eyes. "Markus is being taken care of, he'll make it."
North turned away from Hank as she kept herself from mentioning how they had believed the same thing about Skye and Lucas in the past, only for them both to shutdown. She was hurting but didn't dare show any sign of weakness, especially in front of a human; even if that human was one of the select few she actually respected and slightly trusted.
"You two have been through a lot together and survived way worse than a damn car accident." Hank reminded her calmly as he stayed beside North as a means of helping her feel safe. "And he's getting the best technical assistance in the whole city as we speak."
"But this is the first time we didn't have our allies to immediately back us up. It took so long to get back to the city that I'm worried Markus may-"
Hank grabbed on to North's left arm and held on lightly to 'shush' her worries. "He is going to make it. Between his dedication and Connor's stubbornness there's nothing that'll keep either one of them down. If Markus can survive a damn bullet to the heart and an entire Revolution with U.S. military ready to open fire, then he can pull through a stupid car accident. Trust me on this."
Unconscious and weak Markus was placed over the treatment table in the emergency repair bay still covered in his own blood. His clothing had been cut away from his broken body and a blue sheet was draped over his lower half and placed under his the remnants of his severed leg as the full extent of the damage was carefully analyzed. A Thirial activity monitor had its two wireless leads attached to his chest and were recording his weak vital signs in real time. The sound of his rapidly beating heart beeping on the monitor filled the room with an unsettling ambience.
Connor had changed into the same shade of purple colored scrubs as Abby had been wearing and was now working to stop the bleeding in Markus's leg while Abby had opened up the panel in Markus's lower chest and abdominal cavity in an attempt to repair the damage to his ruptured Thirium filter. Leaking blue blood had collected throughout Markus's core and was making it difficult for Abby to see through all of the puddling dark blue liquid, but she was determined to save him regardless of the challenge.
"I need suction." She stated without looking up from the near fatal wounds. "There's too much blood in his abdominal cavity to work."
Reacting quickly Connor gave Abby the necessary assistance and helped to clear the blood from Markus's abdomen. As the plastic suction tube was placed in Markus's abdomen Connor updated the technician on his own progress on the damaged leg. "I have successfully clamped off the damaged lines in his leg and stunted the bleeding. There is a replacement limb compatible with his design in storage."
"We'll take care of that after his Thirium filter is taken care of." Abby stated firmly as she clamped off the still bleeding lines surrounding Markus's ruptured filter carefully. Despite the applied pressure Markus continued to bleed heavily and was becoming weaker by the passing second. "Shit. He needs blood, NOW."
"There is a large supply of blue blood in storage."
"That's not going to do much good for him right now."
"I don't understand." The abundance of supplies should've made the procedure much easier to handle. "Why won't it aid him?"
"If his Thirium filter isn't functioning then any Thirium that he's given will be rejected by his system because it won't be filtered properly. It'll initiate an emergency expulsion program and cause his main lines to hemorrhage."
The complication was unexpected yet not uncommon to encounter when androids suffer blunt force trauma to the abdominal cavity. "...What can we do?"
"The only thing that can be done is a direct line transfusion from a donor of the same model."
"I can donate."
"Yeah, I know, but you can't donate blood and assist with repairs at the same time."
"I can try."
"Connor-"
"I'm the only other 'RK' model left in this entire city. I have to be the donor."
The monitor that was recording Markus's vital signs began to drop even further and a warning alarm sounded off as his already critically low Thirium volume began to deplete even further, the number shifting from digits displayed in green to red to emphasize the severity of the situation. Time was now an enemy.
"All right, all right..." Abby relented out of desperation to keep Markus alive and gave Connor strict instructions on how to go about the donation. "You need to get three pints of Thirium and sit down in a chair beside him. Blood donation in androids is similar to that of humans since it takes your system time to cycle and register the new blood. Don't exert yourself and focus your self healing program on cycling your Thirium as quickly as possible while you consume the replacement Thirium in the process."
"Yes, of course."
Connor rushed out of the treatment room and proceeded to get the necessary supplies from the storage room down just the hallway of the wing efficiently and swiftly in an effort to save his friend's life. Thankfully the donations and abundance of funding from his own account ensured that there was plenty of Thirium in storage, and could be used en masse to help deviants in need.
Abby resumed her focus on keeping the damaged Thirium lines clamped off as she proceeded to very carefully and meticulously remove the ruptured Thirium filter from Markus's right upper abdomen and lower chest with both of her hands. Placing the damaged biocomponent down on the neighboring metal basin, the dedicated technician next attempted to isolate and identify the damage, no matter how minute, to begin the meticulous repairs.
Returning to the treatment room with the three pints of Thirium, a Thirium transfusion line and two folding chairs in his hands, Connor set up another chair that was tall enough to keep the technician at her current standing height behind Abby and then placed the second beside the treatment table opposite from her and sat down. Placing his left arm on the table beside Markus's right arm Connor retracted the artificial skin from the bend in his elbow and manually deactivated Markus's artificial skin from the same place on his arm by pressing his left fingertips to Markus's right temple.
"Expose the lines in both of your arms first," Abby directed as she watched Connor place the transfusion line down between the two limbs. "then insert the locking cannula of the transfusion line in your arm before you secure the other end of the line to Markus. Once locked the transfusion line will know to siphon the Thirium from your line into Markus's line."
"I will do so." Following Abby's words precisely Connor secured the lines as she had instructed and found the connection to be perfectly aligned. "The line is in place."
"Good. Flex your hand slowly a few times to initiate the transfusion at a steady pace."
Obediently Connor did as he was told and watched as his blue blood left his arm and entered Markus's arm in a steady consistent flow.
"Monitor your Thirium volume." She practically ordered as she used tiny metal tools to inspect the damage to the Thirium filter under her skilled touch. "What is your current level?"
"I am at ninety-eight percent."
"Okay, when you reach ninety percent drink the first half pint slowly." Sitting down in the chair Abby was relieved to have the pressure off her back and legs while still being able to work. "It'll replenish your reserve without straining your own filter in the process."
Opening the first pouch of Thirium and placing it on the nearby table Connor nodded and monitor Markus and his own vitals very carefully. "What else can I do to help?"
"I'll need you to run a consistent scan over his filter as I work to repair the damage. I can't see inside of it and I can't risk opening it up and causing irreparable damage in the process since he's a prototype."
"Of course." Initiating an in-depth and accurate scan over the Thirium filter Connor guided Abby's hands in the correct direction to the appropriate location of the internal damage of the vital biocomponent with calm ease. "There are two internal fractures that will require soldering, as well as a hairline fracture of the outer casing."
"What about the internal couplings?"
"The secondary coupling has been compromised but it can be mended with additional soldering."
"All right, okay." Abby let out a deep breath and sat down in the chair that Connor had graciously provided for her as her back began to ache from the constant additional weight of her larger front. "This may take a few hours, so don't let your own Thirium volume get too low or you could slip into depletion shock; if not total insipid shock."
"I will be cautious. Focus on Markus instead."
Doing the best he could to keep North from worrying too much for her bondmate's life, Hank had taken North out of the private room and into the community room as they waited for any news on Markus's condition. The other volunteering deviants and humans weren't medically or technically trained, and had refrained from going to the second floor to check in on Abby as she worked to save the deviant leader with Connor's needed assistance. Instead the group of volunteers who were still learning the layout of the tower and their roles tried to go about a routine that didn't involve the emergency procedure taking place on the second floor above.
The previously empty tower was slowly filling up with helpful people and gave the tower some life. Word of the car accident had drawn goodhearted people into the tower to volunteer and offer their assistance in whatever they could without accidentally getting in the way.
A flurry of blond motion walked through the main lobby of the tower and stopped abruptly as they spotted North and Hank sitting together a few feet away from the main area in the community room. "North." Simon called out as he tightened his grip on the satchel slung over his shoulder. "Where's Markus?"
"Simon!" The relief in North's voice was palpable but brief. "Second floor. Use the elevator!"
Rushing into the elevator without another word Simon made his ascent to the next floor to aid in saving his friend's life.
"...Fuck." North swore as she pressed the heels her palms to her eyes and began to breathe rapidly. The way she favored her left arm over her right arm didn't go unnoticed. "It took him over a fucking hour to get across town."
"And in that hour Markus has been taken care of already." Hank reminded her calmly. Running his right hand over his bearded chin he sat down beside North and let out his own tired sigh. "Hell, I never thought I'd end up being the voice of reason while waiting for an emergency procedure to end."
"I hate this."
"You're not the only one."
"This is so fucking stupid!" Frustrated and fighting back her righteous urge to have an emotional breakdown after enduring what she had just been a part of all because of a pointless accident, North was losing her unbreakable facade as her heart began to break from emotional pain. "We were just trying to get back to the city..."
Unsure of what else he could say or do to comfort her Hank just put his left hand over her right arm, gauging how tender her shoulder was, and held tightly for a few seconds to make her feel grounded and safe. "You're not wrong. Just don't give up on him or assume the worst."
"Yeah, I know."
"How about you let me take a look at your shoulder?"
"Are you technician?"
"From all the times I've patched up Connor and put that kid back together, I think I count as an honorary technician." Joking a little Hank did his best to lighten the mood while distracting North for a moment. "At the very least I can get your arm in a sling and keep it from hurtin' ya'. What do you say?"
Agreeing to the idea North quietly allowed Hank to take her aside so she could receive some technical treatment as well. It was a small thing that would have a big impact as it meant North was finally lowering her walls and she was no longer seeing every human as the enemy.
The emergency procedure reached its second hour and Connor had finished off the second pint of Thirium. He was beginning to feel the effects of his massive blood donation to Markus as the Thirium transfusion continued. It was a struggle to keep his Thirium volume at an acceptable level but he was determined to aid Markus for as long as possible. Ignoring the warnings that continuously popped up in his visual processors reminding him of his constantly fluctuating Thirium pressure and wavering Thirium volume, Connor continued to assist Abby with his scanner from where he sat across from her at the emergency repair table.
Markus was still stable but very weak. As he remained entirely oblivious to what was happening to his own body Markus was unknowingly walking that fine line between life and death.
"...The internal fractures are holding properly." Connor's voice was slightly lethargic and his words were beginning to slur as he spoke. "The filter can now hold Thirium pressure without internal... h-hemorrhage."
"Connor?" Abby's hazel eyes briefly raised to take in the deviant's appearance, namely the waning focus in his soulful brown eyes. "Stay with me. What's your Thirium volume?"
"Uh..." The fact that Connor said 'uh' was another bad sign that immediately caught the technician's attention. "it's holding at eighty-eight percent."
"Don't lie to me. I know it's lower than that."
Shaking his head a little Connor opened up the third pouch of Thirium and began to slowly sip it. "...Sixty-eight percent."
"How can your own volume be so low if you've been replenishing your Thirium as quickly as you've been donating it?"
"...P-Prototype."
"Right, right... Fuck, once I get Markus's filter fixed I want to take a look at your own to make sure it isn't being strained."
From the elevator Simon rushed into the emergency treatment room and gave the wing a quick once-over before he joined Abby at the treatment table. Checking the monitor to gauge Markus's vitals and checking on the progress of the repairs being performed by Abby on the Thirium filter itself, Simon then checked on the damage to Markus's leg with a thorough examination.
"Simon!" Abby sighed in relief as she instantly recognized her ally coming to her aid. "I'm so glad to see you."
"How long since the accident?" Simon asked while he checked the clamps holding off the damaged bleeding lines in Markus's abdomen and then checked on the exposed lines in his leg. "How much Thirium has he lost?"
"...One hour... twenty-three minutes... and s-seven seconds." Connor slurred as he forced himself to finish off the Thirium in the final pouch. "...He's lost six pints since... the repairs began. He's since regained... four point three pints."
"Connor," Simon had noticed the same unusual lethargy in the deviant as Abby had before. It didn't take him long to see the transfusion line connecting Connor's arm to Markus's arm and the steady flow of Thirium being donated. "you need to stop the transfusion."
"No." Defiant and determined Connor refused to risk Markus's life even for a few seconds. "I just... need to increase my own volume and I'll be able to continue on with proper... compensation."
"The filter has nearly been fixed, you can-"
"No." Refusing to stop, refusing to listen to reason, Connor didn't budge from where he sat. "Replace the filter. Then... I'll cease the transfusion."
There was no point in trying to argue with Connor as he had made his decision and wasn't going to change his mind. Abby just nodded at Simon who understood her cue and finished the repairs to the filter himself. Despite her best efforts Abby's hands just weren't as fast as a deviant's hands and she was already exhausted from the lengthy procedure on top of her current condition.
"Okay, then let's get this filter repaired and re-secured into Markus's torso." Simon continued on from where Abby had been working as the tired woman put her hand to her lower back and then stood up slowly before she left the treatment room to get some addition Thirium for both Markus and Connor. "This should take approximately six minutes to finish."
"...I can make it." Connor sighed weakly as he flexed his hand again to keep the flow of Thirium steady and consistent. "...Keep going."
Abby returned as quickly as she could walk with six additional pints of Thirium in her arms. Reaching up to the head of the exam table Abby pulled a retractable I.V. stand that was attached to the table upward and locked it into place. She then hung three of the pints up onto the stand in preparation to transfuse the fresh Thirium into Markus's arm once Connor could stop donating his own blood.
Handing one of the three remaining pints to Connor to drink Abby tried to encourage him to consume more Thirium to raise his own volume. "I know you're tired and you're fighting to remain alert," Abby discreetly pressed her left fingertips to the right side of his neck to count his rapid pulse. "but you need to drink this to keep your strength up."
Raising a shaking right hand toward the offered Thirium being presented before him Connor struggled to take hold of the blue blood. As his weakened fingers slowly wrapped around the pouch he fought against his own mounting fatigue to drink the crucially needed Thirium, and replace the massive amount he had donated to Markus.
"That's good, keep drinking." Retracting her fingers from Connor's neck Abby refocused on Markus. Peering down at his leg she double checked the clamped lines and was satisfied that the bleeding was successfully stemmed. "Simon, can you do internal lines on a replacement limb?"
"Yes. I've done seventeen such procedures in the past three years, and thirty-eight additional times before the Revolution."
"Once the filter is replaced we can-" Abby sensed Connor's body beginning to sway and turned her head in time to watch the deviant fall to his left side in a dead faint onto the hard floor. "Shit!"
The transfusion line tore out of Connor's arm causing a stream of blood to pour out of the line and would've continued to leak if Abby hadn't clamped off the line quickly to prevent further complications to Markus's condition.
"Connor!?"
"Don't move him!" Simon warned as he finished the repairs on the filter and looked down at Connor on the opposite side of the table. He was laying on his left side in a small puddle of his own blood and his eyes were shut tight. "It'll put too much strain on your own body."
"Well, I'm not going to just let him lay there." Using the table and chair to balance, Abby slowly knelt on the floor beside Connor and proceeded to grab on to his left arm and seal off the line before he lost any more blood. As she manually closed the panel in his arm Connor's paled artificial skin regenerated over the limb, but Connor himself didn't react. "Connor? Can you hear me?"
Unresponsive to Abby's voice Connor was completely lost to his emergency stasis mode courtesy of his low power mode initiating against his will. Abby's soft hand wrapping around his left wrist to check his pulse once more had also gone unnoticed.
"Shit." Without pushing her limits Abby managed to roll Connor from his side and onto his back before she checked the deviant's head to make sure he hadn't injured himself when he passed out. Keeping her right hand on Connor's wrist she continued to monitor his pulse and waited for any sign of the deviant regaining consciousness. "His heart's racing and his pulse is weak. He has a small bruise on the left side of his head from where he impacted against the floor."
"I'll check for a concussion in a moment. The filter has been repaired." Simon announced as he slipped the vital biocomponent back into Markus's abdomen and refastened the metal couplings to hold it in place. One by one Simon reconnected the newly repaired Thirium lines to the biocomponent and removed the clamps allowing the blue blood to resume cycling through Markus's system as his Thirium pump functioned without any hindrance. "I'll begin work on Markus's leg. You keep an eye on Connor."
"Right. Connor's stable and can wait a moment longer."
"That's good." Reaching up the to Thirium pouches on the I.V. stand Simon attached the first pouch to the still exposed, but closed off line in Markus's arm, and the new blood quickly began replacing what Markus had lost without needing to rely on Connor donating blood anymore. "You stay with Connor."
"Yeah, I couldn't go anywhere even if I wanted to." Abby muttered under her breath as she pressed her left hand to the side of her cumbersome and large pregnant belly as if she needed to remind people of her condition. Lightly she began to comb her fingers through Connor's dark and unruly hair as she eyed the painful bruise forming on the left side of his head near his temple. "Gravity sucks for both of us right now, huh, Connor?"
Another hour passed and activity in Skye Tower continued to function at a hectic yet controlled pace.
A cold pressure against his left temple was enough to gently rouse Connor from his stasis mode after being given the hour to rest and have his replenished Thirium cycle through his system properly. As he opened his tired brown eyes he lifted his head slightly up from the soft pillow he was resting against, and found himself laying on a bed in the recovery room of the emergency repair bay with a pack of ice against the left side of his head. With no memory of entering the recovery room, let alone leaving the emergency repair bay, Connor was truly perplexed and tried to determine what had happened to himself prior to waking up.
"...What happened?" Looking down at himself Connor eyed the purple tinted scrubs and Thirium stains on the clothing suspiciously. Turning his head slightly to the right he saw Markus unconscious on the bed next to him with North protectively holding his right hand. Instinctively he tried to get up to go to his friend while ignoring his own lingering weakness in the process. "Markus?"
"Hold it." Hank's strong hand reached out and grabbed onto Connor's shoulder to keep him from getting up. Taking hold of the ice pack that was resting against Connor's head before it could fall, he tried to press it back against the swelling bruise on his temple and keep Connor as still as possible. "You still need to rest, son."
"...Hank?" Connor suddenly remembered everything that had happened as his senses returned, and with it came his memories before he passed out. "I... I fainted." With his brow knit with concern he turned to look at Hank and began asking important questions. "How long was I unconscious?"
"Four hours. It's late, kid." Motioning toward Markus with his right hand he tried to calm Connor's understandable worries. "He's going to be okay. All of the damage was repaired and he's resting now."
"Has he woken up since the repairs?"
"No. He's been out longer than you."
Taking hold of the ice pack and holding it against his own sore temple, Connor ran a self diagnostic and found his Thirium volume to now be up to one-hundred percent capacity. "...Once Markus regains consciousness I would like to speak with him and then go home to rest."
Smirking a little Hank recognized the telltale signs of a headache and the urge to curl up in a ball and sleep through the pain. "Your head really hurts, huh?"
"Undeniably, yes."
"Abby said you went down in a dead faint. Good thing you weren't standing when you fell otherwise it could've been a lot worse."
"Abby..." Remembering that the heavily pregnant technician had been at the tower all morning and afternoon his concern shifted from one friend to another. "Is she still here?"
"No. I called Gavin and had him take Abby home to rest after you and Markus were patched up and were both stable."
"Is she all right?"
"Just tired as hell. All of us are." Checking the bruise under Connor's ice pack Hank shook his head a little. "Simon is going to stay at the tower until Dr. Wilson arrives for his night shift, he'll be all right."
"...This was not how I was expecting this day to go." Connor confessed with a slight hiss as Hank's fingertips lightly brushed against his bruise. "...Ow."
"Yeah?" Hank chuckled as Connor leaned forward and kept the ice against his sore left temple. "I don't think of any of us did."
"Do you think this is a good start for Skye Tower?"
"Saving the life of the deviant leader? Yeah, I think that's a great start for the tower."
From the neighboring bed Markus's voice cracked and barely released a whisper as his mismatched eyes slowly opened up for the first time since he was brought to Skye Tower for treatment. "...N-North?"
"Markus!" Tightening her hand around his hand North leaned down and kissed Markus on his lips as he regained consciousness. "You're going to be just fine. Your right leg had to be replaced below the knee, but your Thirium filter was repaired. Connor and Hank are here, too."
"...Are you hurt?"
Smiling with relief North just kissed Markus's knuckles with great affection as she spoke to her beloved bondmate. "Just a couple of scratches." She didn't even address her right arm in a sling to keep the strain off her shoulder. "I'm fine and you will be fine, too."
With the ice still in his hand Connor slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up carefully with Hank keeping his hand on his shoulder to make sure he didn't collapse a second time. Walking slowly over to the neighboring bed Connor looked down at Markus with utter relief in his eyes and contentedness on his face. "How do you feel, Markus?"
"...Like I was smashed up in a car accident."
"Well, I suppose that's normal considering the circumstances."
Smirking a little Markus glanced about the room curiously as he failed to recognize his surroundings. "Where am I?"
"Skye Tower." Motioning toward North with a subtle nod of his head Connor went into more detail. "She brought you here because it was closer than New Jericho Tower and any other facility in the area. Fortunately the emergency repair bay was fully stocked and Abby was already here." The details were as comforting as they were bizarre. "...Simon showed up an hour later to assist in your repair procedure as well."
"...Thank you." Extending his right hand weakly Markus waited until Connor took a hold before he shook once with gratitude. "You saved my life."
"Technically, North did when she reacted so quickly. Not to mention Abby and Simon doing most of the repairs."
"I'm glad you were here for me when I needed help."
"Of course. We're friends, that's what we do."
"Tomorrow I'll see if I can get more deviants from New Jericho Tower to volunteer their time out here." Markus managed a weak grin to his bruised face as he spoke to Connor. He knew how important the tower was and wanted everyone else to know it, too. "I'd hate to think of something like this happening to someone else and having help so sparse."
"Thank you. I appreciate your support."
"Any time."
Hank lightly patted Connor's shoulder to get his attention in a subtle manner. "Come on, kid. You both need to rest."
"...Right." Acknowledging Hank standing behind him Connor returned his attention to Markus one last time before he took his leave of the tower for the rest of the night. "I'll see you off tomorrow morning."
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow."
Showing his own support toward the deviant leader Hank put his right hand on Markus's shoulder and patted him once. "Glad to see you're still with us, son."
"The feeling's mutual. Thank you for being here for us all today."
As Connor and Hank took their leave of the recovery room, Connor walking slowly with Hank keeping pace at his side to make sure he didn't stumble, the two detectives set about returning home to rest in the privacy of the modest house.
The duo were barely through the doors of the repair bay when North suddenly ran after them and grabbed onto Connor's hand. "Connor, wait a second..." Stopping as North requested Connor turned to face her and was promptly met with a light kiss on his right cheek. "...Thank you. For everything!"
Feeling himself blush faintly Connor put his right hand to his right cheek where he could still feel North's kiss. "...You're welcome."
Hank smirked as he watched North disappear back into the repair bay while Connor rubbed at his cheek bashfully. Though it was meant as a gesture of appreciation Connor felt a little uncomfortable having the bondmate of one of his best friends kiss him, and having anyone who wasn't Skye kissing him just felt wrong in general.
"All right, son. You need to get home, get some rest and get into some normal clothes." Playfully Hank pushed the deviant forward toward the elevator with a slight shove of his hand against Connor's shoulder. After they resumed walking Hank used his right fingers to pinch at the purple tinted scrub top Connor was still wearing around the collar and tugged the material a little. "Purple just isn't your color."
Stepping into the elevator with Hank at his side Connor pulled at the purple scrub top with own hands and sighed. "...I think you're right. I prefer green, gray or black. They're more neutral and easier to match."
"How's your head?"
"Terrible." Pressing his hand over his bruised temple Connor was grateful for the ice pack. "I'd even be willing to try aspirin to make it stop sooner."
-next chapter-
