Keeping busy at his desk while sorting through his rather simple cases Connor fidgeted with his coin over his knuckles and stared intently at the glowing terminal screen before himself. A few reports of deviants being affected by the beta software created by Digital Sentience had been confirmed, but fortunately none of the affected deviants had suffered any permanent damage, including Simon. Aside from a few minor cases of mistaken identity or paranoid delusions from still bigoted humans and deviants alike, there were no violent or murderous cases that required Connor's immediate attention. He had quite some time to work on other matters without slack in his responsibilities.

Cybernetically cycling through android rights, laws and privileges, Connor continued to search for legal loopholes regarding androids having the right to a family and made sure that Luke would be able to live his life without any obstacles. Having someone who had been legally declared dead revived and registered under a new model and serial number was rather tedious.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant?" Jack approached Connor's desk and stood at his side. The young deviant was slowly showing more emotion on his face and carrying it in his voice as he continued to grow and adapt as a free individual. "There is a reported case of a breaking and entering at an abandoned CyberLife research facility on the outskirts of town."

"Oh?" Turning his gaze away from the terminal screen Connor locked eyes with the blond deviant addressing him, his coin continuing its graceful dance with perfect rhythm over his left knuckles. "Who reported it?"

"A security camera programmed to record any and all movement sent an alert to the precinct by default."

"Why did the security footage alert this specific precinct of the break-in?"

"Since CyberLife revolved around androids, and this particular precinct is still the only one in the jurisdiction handling android and deviant related cases, the alert was automatically sent here for proper investigation."

"Interesting. Where is the security footage?"

Jack's blue eyes closed and his blue L.E.D. flickered to yellow briefly. "...I have just uploaded the footage to your terminal."

"Thank you, Jack."

"Will that be all, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, that'll be all. Good work."

Taking his leave of Connor's desk Jack resumed his normal routine and met up with Chris at their own desks a few feet away. The two officers were becoming fairly good friends and were showing promise as a great team.

Connor returned his attention to the terminal screen and located the uploaded video footage that Jack had provided. Initiating playback on the footage Connor identified the facility as the single structure outside of the city limits within milliseconds. The facility had been abandoned the morning after the Revolution and a majority of the research had been left behind as per Elijah Kamski's instructions. It was also the facility that housed the grotesque abomination of an android that had been left to guard the property and had nearly killed Connor when he and Kara had searched the place to locate the cure for a virus that was causing significant emotional unrest in deviants.

As the footage played out and revealed the face of the intruder Connor felt the coin on his hand falter as his heart skipped a beat in his chest.

"...North?"

Turning off his terminal screen Connor quickly made his way to Hank's office and pushed open the door without knocking first. Cybernetically he engaged the frost over the glass walls of the office to ensure that he could speak with Hank in total privacy.

"Kid?" Lifting his gaze from his own terminal screen Hank watched the deviant approach his desk from the office doorway. "What's up?"

As he pocketed his coin Connor stood before Hank's desk and forced himself to speak in a calm, level voice. "There is a problem."

"Now what?" The gruff human detective replied with a somewhat annoyed lilt to his voice as he leaned back in his chair. "There aren't any more rumors about the new mayor is there?"

"This is more important than that."

The strange gleam of guilt in Connor's soulful brown eyes made Hank anxious. "Connor," leaning forward against his desk Hank studied Connor's gaze very carefully. "what's wrong? Tell me what's happening."


Being polite and understandably worried for his friend's health, Markus had checked in with Simon that morning and was informed by Josh that the blond technician was resting well, but still suffering the ill effects of his migraine on a minor level. Keeping himself distracted to prevent himself from worrying too much about Simon's health on top of his other problems and responsibilities, the deviant leader tried to reach out to North cybernetically but she was being stubbornly quiet and refused to acknowledge the attempted communications. Markus hadn't been able to speak to North since she stormed out of the tower and he was becoming frightened for her well being.

The deviant leader had lied about North's return to ensure she had plenty of space and time to cool off. Now he was beginning to believe he had made a mistake and should've gone in search of her the moment she left the tower.

'North, please.'

Nearly begging Markus cybernetically spoke to his bondmate and hope she'd be willing to listen to his words. Taking the elevator to the ground floor of New Jericho Tower Markus avoided contact with any other deviant as he tried to speak with North.

'I lied to Hank and told him you came back to the tower yesterday afternoon so no one would ask too many questions, don't force me to ask for help from the precinct now that you've gone quiet.'

North still didn't reply. The other end of the line remain silent and somehow cold.

'Come back. I love you and I need you.' Speaking honestly and directly from his heart Markus tried to convince North to come back to the tower so they could talk things out in person. 'I'm worried. At least let me know you're okay.'

Nothing.

"Shit."

Swallowing his pride Markus stepped through the parted elevator doors and outside of the tower where he stood in front of the large doors. With his arms crossed over his chest Markus began to pace about anxiously as he closed his eyes and cybernetically reached out to Connor for help in a desperate bid to locate his missing bondmate.

'...Connor, I think something has happened to North.'


Through Connor's cybernetic contact with Markus the deviant detective was able to relay the information regarding the break-in at the abandoned CyberLife facility and North's strange behavior to Hank. In an effort to ensure that New Jericho wasn't labeled as a mistrustful or deceitful entity masquerading as a sanctuary, the two detectives kept the information private and decided to investigate themselves. With Markus being too close to the situation through his relationship with North he too stayed back and kept things quiet for the sake of keeping the fragile peace in the city intact until they knew exactly what they were dealing with and why North was being so difficult.

Putting their heads together Connor and Hank went over the details they had and tried to form a theory behind North's odd behavior. It wasn't like North to do anything reckless now that the Revolution was over. It was even stranger that she'd leave the tower without Markus and venture anywhere that was so negative toward androids.

"Something set North on edge." Hank keenly deduced as he sat back in his seat and gave Connor a studious stare. "Why do I get the feeling she's either been threatened or feels threatened?"

"I wish I could confirm your suspicions one way or another."

"Did you tell Markus about the security footage?"

"No. I didn't want to affect his judgment or accidentally tempt him into seeking out North himself."

"Good. I want you to go out to the warehouse alone and figure out what the hell she's doing."

"Alone?"

"North doesn't trust anyone, not that I can blame her, so I think if you go and find her by yourself it'll make things play out a little smoother."

"Understood." Not mention how he suspected North wouldn't trust him either, Connor accepted his case without any hesitation. "I will do so."

"And as long as she hasn't stolen or vandalized anything, or did anything that can have negative repercussions toward New Jericho, you get her out of there and back to the tower. If she's fucked something up then bring her back to the tower all the same, and then I'll handle it off the record."

The prospect of North doing something illegal wasn't something Connor wanted to contemplate, but he knew that as impulsive and hotheaded as North could be then he needed to accept the fact that the fiery deviant could in fact do something illegal and irredeemable. "...Right. I'll handle it."


It didn't take Connor long to arrive at the abandoned CyberLife facility outside of the city and it took even less time for him to send the confirmation text via cybernetic communication to Hank back at the precinct. It was the same facility that Connor had located when he and Kara worked together to locate a cure for the odd virus causing deviants to go berserk and the same warehouse where the deranged former CyberLife technician had taken Connor after abducting the deviant detective to hold for ransom. The discovery of the illegal lab beneath the abandoned facility had been swept under the rug by the F.B.I. and was known only to the officers who had a reason to investigate the warehouse during the initial crimes.

Using discretion to his advantage Connor parked his blue Corvette behind the facility and away from the road to avoid prying eyes, and then set about investigating the mysterious and intimidating structure on foot. In a matter of seconds Connor's keen eyes and his scanner located the broken backdoor that North had used upon her entrance to the facility and from the doorway Connor located the reactivated security cameras that gave away her position.

Cybernetically Connor disabled the cameras before entering the facility himself and managed to follow the faint shoe prints on the dusty floor to track down North and confront her.

"One set of fresh shoe prints leading into the facility..."

Connor noted in a low voice as he confirmed that the single set of steps were only a few hours old, belonged to a feminine style of shoe and there was no matching trail of the same shoes leading back to the door from where they originated.

"No shoe prints leading out." Kneeling down Connor scanned the shoe prints more closely to determine their age and size. "Two hours and nine minutes old, size seven. The time matches North's intrusion and the size also matches her body proportions."

Standing back up Connor's eyes followed the foot steps that only his eyes could see and walked along North's path in an attempt to locate her. The trail led to the single elevator that had been left to rot and used to take the former occupants into the depths of the building. There was no faltering or hesitation in North's steps as she entered the elevator, which meant she knew exactly where she was going and made her way to the gruesome lab hidden beneath the building.

Retracting the artificial skin from the palm of his right hand Connor pressed his now exposed palm to the electronic panel to activate the elevator and reestablished cybernetic communication with Hank back at the precinct.

"Hank," the deviant verbally sent his message to the senior detective back at the precinct. "I believe North is in the research lab of the warehouse."

'Why the hell is she in there?' Hank was more confused than ever before. 'That's the lab where you tore apart that giant monster of a deviant, and I know you didn't leave anything important behind.'

"Unknown as to why she's down there." Stepping inside the summoned elevator through the parted metal doors Connor began his descent into the horrific lab to search for the missing leader of New Jericho. "I suspect she is looking for information regarding other android models that CyberLife had kept hidden."

'Now why in the hell would she be snooping around for information like that after all this time?'

"Perhaps she's attempting to locate any and all potential CyberLife threats that could result from inactivated androids being reactivated post-Revolution."

'Do you think she's a threat to Luke?'

"No. But I don't think she can be considered an ally toward him, either."

'Yeah, I get that. Keep me posted.'

"Will do."

The elevator reached the hidden lab quickly and Connor stepped out of the small elevator and into the dimly lit corridor beyond the opened doors. Pausing in the middle of the corridor Connor ran another scan and picked up North's trail as she wandered into the depths of the lab by heading straight down the path rather than taking one of the branching paths.

Following after her quietly Connor used stealth and patience as he attempted to track down the elusive and assertive deviant who had disappeared from New Jericho the day before. As he reached a junction in the middle of the hallway Connor froze mid step and ran a more thorough scan of the floor. North's footsteps continued heading straight forward but a second set of footsteps had emerged from the Western corridor and began following after her. The footsteps were that of a much larger person and without a doubt they meant North harm as they followed after her at a rather hasty pace.

"Hank," thinking quickly Connor reestablished contact with Hank to give him an unsettling update knowing that there was no interference between him and the rest of the city. "someone else is here."

'Who?'

"Unknown. But I fear North may be in danger."

'Fuck. Okay, kid. Keep me updated, I'm heading out there right now.'

"I will locate North and bring her out of the building as soon as I can."

Following North's trail with a hastened pace of his own Connor noted that the pursuing stranger had caught up to North quickly and there was a faint sign of a struggle. North in turn began to run, her longer strides between her steps indicative of running over walking, and the second set of footsteps mirrored her hastened gait perfectly. The enigmatic pursuer had chased after North quickly and had apparently caught up to her at an alarming speed before she had the chance to reach the end of the corridor.

Connor knelt down on the floor as he ran his fingertips over an evaporated but still fresh smear of blue blood on the wall of the corridor to begin an analysis on the sample. Pressing the small amount of blue blood to his tongue Connor confirmed the identity of North's model and serial number causing him to swear to himself as he stood up again.

"Damn it." Glancing about the corridor in attempt to pick up North's trail again Connor gave Hank yet another update. "Hank, I can confirm that North has been injured."

'How bad?'

"I cannot say at this time. I found a smear of her blood, but I have yet to locate North herself."

'Keep looking, kid. Don't be afraid to open fire on anyone if necessary. I'm heading out the precinct doors right now and I'll be there in about ten minutes.'

Reaching under his blazer and around his back Connor removed his gun from its holster and held it in a firm grip in his right hand. Rushing after the footsteps as quietly as possible Connor found the signs of a second struggle; additional evaporated Thirium stained the nearby walls and floor and all of it belonged to North. Someone had assaulted her in a violent, needless manner and taken her deeper into the hidden lab.

Squaring his jaw Connor ran a more thorough scan of the area and noted two distinct figures in his current proximity. Both of the figures were androids, one was injured and approximately two-hundred feet away; their vital signs weakened and their processors temporarily knocked offline. The second was moving about slowly and approximately six-hundred feet in the exact opposite direction from the location of the first android.

"She has to be this way..."

Honing in on the injured party Connor followed the faded trail of blue blood to a large metallic door at the very end of the Western corridor and confirmed that the injured android was inside the room. Pressing his exposed hand to the electronic panel beside the door Connor unlocked the door with only a few seconds of hacking to override the security protocol that was keeping the door sealed.

As the door slid open with a soft 'hiss' Connor stepped inside the now unsealed room and froze immediately at the sight before him.

"...North?"

The missing deviant leader was laying on her back over a metallic exam table with her arms and legs secured beneath thick metal cuffs. A trail of blue blood ran down from the right corner of her mouth and her nose. Her left eye was swollen shut under a navy blue bruise and a second equally dark bruise marred her left jawline. Numerous cuts scarred her hands and her forearms, as well as her knees and all the way down her legs to her ankles. The dark purple blouse she was wearing had been torn open over her abdomen and near her chest. Even the black leather jacket over top the blouse and her dark blue jeans had been torn up from her assault.

"North?"

Connor holstered his gun as he approached the table and very lightly placed his hand on the center of North's chest to check her pulse. She was still alive but she was barely breathing and unresponsive. Very gently Connor put his hand to the side of North's face and left his palm there to assure her that she wasn't alone.

"North, please open your eyes." Still unable to get a response from the wounded deviant Connor shook his head and resumed contact with Hank. "I found North. She is injured and is currently unconscious."

'Can you move her?'

"If I can free her, yes. But I don't know who did this to her or why."

'Get her out of there first, then look for the person responsible.'

"Should I inform Markus?"

'Fuck no!' The response sounded as sharp as it was certain. 'I'm almost there, kid. Just hold tight and get her out of there.'

"Right. I'll do everything that I can to help her."

Moving his right hand to the restraint around North's left arm Connor tested the lock under his strong grip. The restraint's lock was secured but weak from years of neglect and could be forced open. Applying pressure to the metallic hinges of the restraint Connor was able to break the restraint from the support mount and free North's left arm as a metallic 'snap' echoed in the room. Repeating his method for the other three restraints around North's right arm and both of her ankles, Connor continuously scanned the area to ensure that the violent being lurking about the lab didn't sneak up on him as he rescued North.

"North?"

Connor spoke to her softly as he checked her limbs for structural damage and ran a scan over the rest of her body. She had suffered a significant blow to the middle of her back and to the left side of her head from a blunt force trauma. Though unconscious she wasn't in immediate danger of shutdown.

"Please look at me."

The mysterious figure lurking around the depths of the secretive lab suddenly turned from where it had been stationary in another room in the Eastern corridor and made its way toward Connor and North. Sensing the danger Connor quickly rushed back over to the door and sealed the electronic lock with a heavy code to prevent the door from being opened again. As the door sealed with another audible 'hiss' and 'click' Connor caught the sound of a low moan of pain emanating from the table behind him.

"North?" Turning back to the table Connor approached his ally and returned his hand gently to the side of her face. "Please open your eyes, but do not move."

Letting out another groan of pain North's head lolled slightly away from Connor's palm as her pain filled cinnamon brown eyes slowly opened. It took her a moment to focus on the face looking down at her but soon enough she recognized her ally. "...Connor?"

"You're damaged. Do not move."

"Why... Why are you here?"

"I should ask you the same question." Running another scan over North's body Connor noted a significant portion of damage to the spinal support column in the middle of her back. Six support discs in North's support column had been fractured and were internally hemorrhaging Thirium. "How were you damaged?"

"...S-Someone attacked me from behind." Testing her arms North let out a gasp of pain as she tried to support herself upright in a sitting position, but Connor gingerly pushed her back down to lay flat against the table. "Fuckin' coward hit me from behind... Chased me and knocked me out."

"Did you see their face?"

"No. But I know it was tall, strong and had glowing red eyes."

"...Red eyes." Connor's own soulful brown eyes slipped shut as he remembered his encounter with the 'XM' model, and how it had been so strong that it nearly destroyed Connor's heart with a single blow to the chest. "I need to get you out of here."

"Do you know what that thing is?"

"I have an idea." Holding up his palm Connor showed North the image of the 'XM' model stored in his memory and sighed. "It could be this."

"...No, I don't think so. Whatever it was that attacked me wasn't a normal android that had been modified. There was something very strange about it."

"Strange how?"

"I can't explain it, but it was like it was... feral."

"Feral?"

A loud 'bang' against the sealed door made North jump and Connor turn around quickly as he unholstered his gun and instinctively pointed it at the locked door defensively. "It can't get in, but that also means we can't get out."

"Shit. Can we use the emergency escape tunnels?"

"There are none. Any CyberLife structure that was a public building didn't house any secondary passages; they were deemed a potential security risk."

"Fuck! So what now?" North dragged her hand over her lips and nose to remove her dripping blue blood as she again tried to sit up on the table. "I'm sure as hell not going to let that 'thing' get me twice!"

"Hold still, I'm going to let Hank know what's happening." Slipping off his gray blazer Connor draped it over North to keep her warm as he made cybernetic contact with Hank once more. "Hank," speaking verbally and cybernetically again Connor was able to keep North somewhat in the loop as he spoke. "we're going to need some help getting out of the facility."

Still calm and composed Hank responded to the request for help with a level tone. 'What's happening, kid?'

"There is a high probability that the 'XM-700' model that I had previously encountered has somehow been rebooted and is currently stalking us through the corridors. I also suspect that the model is responsible for damaging North."

'Is she conscious?'

"Yes. North is conscious and coherent, but she has suffered damage to her limbs and to her spine. She cannot move on her own."

Suddenly Luke's voice cut-in through the conversation as he addressed Connor sharply. 'Where is the location of the damage to her spine?'

"Luke?" Connor was surprised to hear his big brother's voice speaking alongside Hank. "Why are you involved?"

'Hank has informed me of what's happening and is aware of our conversation through his phone's text screen. Please allow me to assist.'

"Right. Any help is greatly appreciated." Sensing North get tense at the mentioning of the name of the revived deviant Connor shrugged it off and answered his brother accordingly. "She has suffered blunt force trauma to the center of her spinal support structure two inches below her shoulders. Support discs seven and eight have been fractured and are hemorrhaging internally; but I need to get a more direct scan for additional details regarding the other four damaged discs."

'Check North's legs. Tell me if she is experiencing any numbness or limitations in her range of motion.'

"North?" Connor reholstered his gun and carefully put his hands down on her ankles and began applying a steady pressure. "Can you move your legs for me?"

"...N-No." For the first time since Connor had known her North was showing some modicum of fear and uncertainty. She tried and failed to shift her strength to her legs to try to move the limbs, but they failed to respond. "I can't even feel your hands. I can't walk!"

"Luke, she can't move her legs." Another loud 'bang' against the door reminded Connor that he needed to be quick and stealthy. "I'm going to have to carry her to safety."

'No, Connor. Do not move her, otherwise you could make the paralysis permanent. Listen to me carefully.'

Connor's hands froze quickly as he realized the gravity of North's injury. "...I'm listening."

'Roll her onto her right side, do not let her move from that position and keep her spinal structure perfectly straight.'

"Okay, I can do that." Connor quickly explained what Luke had instructed as he put his one hand beneath North's head and his other hand against her left shoulder. With precise motion Connor slowly and gently rolled North until she was resting on her right hip and slipped her left arm from the sleeve of her jacket. Lifting up the cotton fabric of her blouse Connor exposed her back and stared at the large blue bruise with utter disdain in his eyes. "Now what do I do, Luke?"

'Run a scan and identify the Thirium lines, plastimetal frames panels and biocomponents that have been damaged.'

Doing as he was instructed Connor noted that the main Thirial line that ran along the center of North's core, stretching from the base of her cranium and down to base of her waist, had been pinched off and damaged by the physical damage she had sustained.

"Main ascending Thirial line has been compromised; slow leak, not lethal. The plastimetal support frame has suffered fourteen distinct fractures to six of the fourteen support columns. No biocomponents have been damaged."

'Run your hand very lightly down the length of her spine. Do you feel anything shifting under your palm?'

As his palm pressed with a gentle pressure against the center of North's back Connor could feel the plastimetal frame at the center of her back shift slightly and North let out a loud gasp of pain causing her entire body to tense up within seconds.

"Her spine is damaged and can no longer support her full weight. How do I move her without making the damage worse?"

A third loud 'bang' made North hold her breath while Connor wisely retracted his hand to ensure he didn't accidentally jostle her.

'You'll need to use a support brace to keep her spine straight and keep her weight away from the fractures. Is there anything you can use to your advantage?'

"No. This lab was used for experiments only, never repairs." Thinking quickly Connor looked at his blaze still resting over North's legs and then down at the leather holster strapped around his shoulders and the middle of his back. A fourth loud 'bang' resonated through the room as the metal door began to buckle from the pressure being applied from the other side. "...I'll manage something. How far away are you, Hank?"

'About five minutes. Hold on, son.'

"I will."

Taking the blazer from North's legs Connor sat down on the table beside her and carefully propped North back up so her back was pressing against his chest. Folding the blazer into a smooth rectangular swath of fabric, Connor pressed the thick material to the middle of North's back beneath her blouse like a bandage. Letting her full weight press against himself Connor then unholstered his gun and tucked it into the back of his jeans before he removed the leather holster from his back and shoulders, and loosened the support straps to their full length.

"I'm going to wrap this around you." Connor stated calmly as he slipped the holster into place over North's shoulders and around her back. Tightening the straps of the holster enough to keep North's back from moving, and to hold the padding in the form of the blazer in place, Connor scanned the door and estimated that the structural integrity of the door was dangerously low. "I'm going to have to pick you up. When I do let me know if I'm hurting you."

"Yeah, sure." North had no reason to refuse the idea. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

"Okay." Repositioning himself away from North and back toward the door Connor placed his left arm around North's lower back to support a majority of her weight while he slipped his right arm under her legs. With great ease he scooped the injured deviant into his arms and held her against his chest while she wrapped both of her arms around his neck in a tight hold. "I'm going to stand beside the door. When the figure breaks it down I'll run through the door and find a way back to the elevator."

"Can you move that fast?" North asked as she tightened her arms around Connor's neck as much as possible without hurting him. "I'm mostly deadweight at this point."

A fifth loud 'bang' followed by a groan of warping metal filled the room with an ominous warning.

Connor took his position and gave North a simple answer. "We're about to find out..."

Pressing his back up against the wall beside the door, using the shadows and a complete lack of motion to his advantage, Connor waited for the next strike that would inevitably cause the door to finally give way. The offending being loudly burst through the compromised door with a powerful presence after the final strike. As it stumbled forward through the crumpled remains of the battered door toward the center of the room, Connor managed to slip out of the room and into the corridor without being detected by the unknown being.

'Hank?' Connor cybernetically contacted the senior detective again as he located a room far away from the intrusive and violent being to duck out of sight, and slipped inside the space silently. 'We need to get to the elevator to meet you, but the violent being is searching for us. It will take an unknown amount of time to get to the elevator in a timely manner.'

'I'm outside the facility now.' Hank confirmed as he continued to send voice-to-texts to Connor. 'I'll meet you at the elevator as soon as I can, but don't do anything that'll put you two at risk.'

'I'll be cautious.' Holding his breath to steel himself Connor looked down at his wounded ally and let her know what was going to happen. "We need to get to the elevator."

"Then let's go!"

"We cannot move without drawing the unwanted attention of the intrusive being. We have to wait for a moment until it moves away from our location."

"Fuck..."

"We'll make it." Connor knelt down on the floor and let North rest against his chest as comfortably as possible. Lifting up his right hand Connor brought up the security footage of the facility that had been uploaded to his terminal at the precinct and began checking through the images displayed on his palm for any sign of the threatening being. "I just need to..." A grotesque, shadowy image appeared on the footage as the camera tracked North's movements through the corridors just before Connor arrived. "Found it."

North craned her neck a little to look at the image being displayed on Connor's palm and shuddered a little. "Yeah, that's the thing that attacked me."

"It is an android, but it's not like any I've ever encountered before."

"And I hope we never do again."

The footage played out showing the strange entity stalking North before attacking her from behind directly in the middle of her spine without provocation. As North was chased then subdued with a singular strong blow to her back, her face hitting the wall and then the floor as she was knocked unconscious, the strange being hovered over her as if trying to figure out who she was or where she came from. After it lingered over her for almost five minutes it finally grabbed onto her by her forearms to drag her down the corridor.

The being dragged North to the room where Connor had found her and threw her up onto the exam table and then, as if acting on instinct, secured the restraints over her limbs. Backing out of the room the being, still draped in shadow, hunched down as if becoming submissive to a superior that only it could see and hear, then disappeared down the other corridors and rooms to resume its unspoken patrol.

"North," Connor stopped the footage playback and returned his hand to her legs to support her weight. "why did you come here?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I have to know."

"Why?"

"Because if it's reported that a leader of New Jericho had broken into an abandoned CyberLife facility it could bring negative publicity to our cause. And if that happens I will have no choice but to arrest you for trespassing, breaking and entering, theft and anything else you may have done before I located you."

"You'd fuckin' arrest me?"

"If it becomes necessary, yes. I won't let my alliance with you deter my judgment in protecting the city as a whole."

"You are such a fucking tool!"

"No, North. I'm loyal. Why do you think I came out here alone to find you?"

"You're not alone, Hank and Luke are hovering over you."

"Hank remained at the precinct until I notified him that you were possibly in danger. I don't know why Luke has chosen to become involved, but he is trying to help you as well. By interfering with my actions to assist you he prevented you from suffering permanent paralysis."

"That doesn't mean I owe him anything."

"You're right, it doesn't."

Shaking her head a little North gave Connor a deeply annoyed glare. "Why do you have to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Always have to be so damn docile all the time."

"Amenability is rather a noble trait. Perhaps you should try it yourself someday." Giving the fiery deviant a somewhat annoyed stare of his own Connor ran another scan of the corridor to track the location of the threatening presence pacing about the rooms and corridors. It was still too close to move just yet. "You need to stop being so cold."

"...Did you just insult me?"

"It was more like unsolicited advice."

"Asshole."

"How's your back?" Ignoring the insult Connor quickly changed the subject to keep the already tense deviant from getting too worked up. "Are you in pain?"

Pausing for a moment North told Connor the truth. "...I can't feel anything."

"Once you're back to New Jericho Tower I'm certain Simon will be able to repair the damage."

"Uh-huh... Whatever."

"North." Connor tried again to get her to admit the truth. "Why are you here?"

"Don't I have the right to remain silent?"

"You also have the right to a lawyer. I would also like to remind you that until the android laws are fully accepted by everyone, not just law enforcement, your chances of a fair trial in court are still quite unfavorable."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning."

"Fuck off!"

"No. I'm not going to leave you alone or drop this matter. It's serious."

"So you really want to know why I'm here?"

"Obviously, yes."

"All right, fine..." Dropping her arms from Connor's neck she folded them defensively over her chest as she finally told him why she broke into the facility. "I came here because this is where I came from. I wanted to see if there were any other models like me that had been left behind, just like there was a model of you left behind in Miami."

The revelation made Connor's demeanor soften as his brow furrowed. "...Why were you being so mysterious about the whole affair?"

"Why did you keep Luke a secret?"

"I kept Luke a secret because I didn't want him to be locked up in New Jericho Tower or torn apart out of an unjust paranoia. I was protecting someone who was entirely defenseless and needed to be protected. It's my job as a detective and my responsibility as his brother."

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes. I have no reason to mistrust him and unless that moment ever comes I will continue to trust him. Luke is my brother."

"It's that simple, huh? You just trust everyone until they betray you?"

"No. I didn't trust Hank when I first met him and had only begun to trust him after he stopped me from endangering myself by taking part in a pursuit across a busy highway. CyberLife had ordered me to hunt down deviants at any cost, but Hank ordered me to stay put to prevent myself from becoming damaged or even destroyed in the line of duty. He didn't want me to be destroyed because he saw me as a person, not as a tool. He always treated me like a rookie cop and he always treated me like my life actually mattered."

"Is that what you really believe?"

"That's what I know, North."

"And what made you trust Markus? When he didn't shoot you at the church or when he gave you the green light to go on your little 'suicide mission' to the tower on the night of the Revolution?"

"I trusted Markus after he kept his word and protected our people during the Raid. Not before."

The abrupt and firm answer gave North pause. She had never considered that Connor allied himself with Markus before even trusting him or that anyone would be willing to risk such an alliance under any circumstances. "But you sided with Markus all the same."

"I gave him the chance to prove himself as a leader and as a good person. Only then did I truly ally with him. After he kept to his word and led the Revolution peacefully did I fully trust him."

North didn't have a response to that. She hadn't even considered how she and the other leaders had to learn the trust of their people.

Standing up slowly Connor waited for North to return her arms to his neck before moving through the doorway and back into the corridor. "The elevator is just back down the Eastern corridor and to the South. If we remain silent we should be able to make it without drawing the unwanted attention of the intruder."

"...What is that thing anyway?"

"I suspect it is another 'XM' model of android, but there is something unusual about it. I can't explain why."

"Don't ask anymore questions." Tightening her grip around Connor's neck North braced herself as the deviant detective carried her down the corridor to the safety of the elevator. "Just get us out of here."

Moving as smoothly as he did silently, Connor reached the elevator down the two corridors with a seamless grace and proceeded to adjust his arms to reach for the electronic panel beside the elevator door without jostling North or dropping her. As the elevator doors opened Connor heard a horrific screech of mechanical strangulation from behind himself. Turning around Connor eyed a massive lumbering creature rushing toward him with an awkward but threatening gait behind it's jarring movements.

"Shit." Without waiting Connor stepped away from the elevator and placed North down on the floor beside the doors before approaching the charging being on his own. Drawing his gun from his jeans Connor aimed the barrel at the charging form while also trying to run a scan over it and identify it at last. "Stop! Detroit Police."

The being didn't stop. It didn't even seem to recognize the words being shouted at it.

"Shit..."

The being never slowed its pace as it charged at Connor with an utterly animalistic presence of snarling, howling and shrieking that echoed down the corridor as it ran.

Unwilling to harm what he didn't know Connor fired a single warning shot into the floor but it failed to deter the enraged being in the slightest.

"STOP."

Firing a second shot the bullet pierced the misshapen left shoulder of the being as it barreled down on top of Connor and tackled the deviant detective to the floor with a painful 'thud'. The gun fell away from Connor's hand with a metallic clatter as Connor used both of his hands to push back against his assailant's shoulders to try to push the violent being away from himself before it could inflict any damage on his person.

"Connor?!" North shouted as she watched him fighting back against the massive attacker after being disarmed. She couldn't move her legs and didn't dare to even try to fight back on her own. "What the fuck is that thing?!"

"Unknown!" Connor shouted as he did his best to get the vicious android away from him. "I'm trying to figure that out!"

The violent entity was a monstrously deformed android.

A victim of Zlatko's experiments outside the city.

The android had been of a larger build designed to work construction but had subsequently been physically altered with grotesque malformations of its back. Both of its hands were altered to make its fingers like sharp talons or claws, almost like a bear. Its face had been disfigured to look like a human skull complete with blood red glowing eyes that never blinked. Its jaw was hanging lower than normal by elongated hinges and its humanoid teeth had been replaced with teeth that were more reminiscent to that of a carnivorous beast.

It was scared. Psychotic. Confused. And worst of all, it was dangerous.

As the barbaric android clawed at Connor's chest, tearing into the fabric of his white dress shirt with its razor sharp extremities, Connor used all of his strength to hold the dangerous android at bay as much as possible. The violent android let out pained and frightened shrieks as it tried to tear into Connor's body, but the deviant detective wouldn't let it get too close to his chest and refused to let it go.

"Hank?!" Connor made another cybernetic and verbal call to the senior detective to give and get an update on the situation at hand. "Hank! I need help! I'm being attacked by a deranged android! North can't move or get to safety, and I've lost my gun!"

'The damn elevator is jammed, we can't get to you!'

"The elevator doors are opened," Connor managed to state logically as he scanned the area without taking his eyes from his assailant. "what's the problem?"

'The elevator car is stuck between the floors.'

Looking up at the opened elevator doors just above his head Connor estimated the distance between himself and the elevator. It'd be entirely possible for him to get the android in the opened elevator shaft below the stuck elevator car, but he'd have to let the android go in order to get back up to his feet long enough to move away. He'd also have to move very quickly in order to reclaim his dropped gun in time to arm himself before the beastly android was back on him.

Pressing the sole of his left boot against the center chest of the attacking android Connor kicked it backward with all of his strength as he quickly rolled to his right side to make a grab for his gun, only to feel the weight of the attacking beast begin crushing down on him once more atop his shoulders. Turning the barrel of the gun around so it was facing over his right shoulder Connor squeezed the trigger twice.

"Fuck!"

Firing two shots into the attacking android's abdomen Connor was able to break free of the android's clawed hands and position himself in front of the opened elevator doors to face off against him. As expected the menacing android snarled and then charged him again. However, Connor managed to duck down just as the snarling android leapt toward him as if to tackle and pin Connor to the floor once more, and avoided damage.

Slipping out of the elevator doors as the beast crashed into the far wall of the opened elevator shaft Connor slammed his exposed palm over the electronic panel beside the elevator and easily hacked the power level feeding into the elevator. The power fluctuation caused a massive surge of power to flow through the elevator and Connor heard the elevator car begin to slide free before plummeting down through the shaft at an alarming speed.

The brakes had failed.

Just as Connor was readying himself to back away from the elevator the beastly android shrieked and howled again. Sharp, searing pain in Connor's left side and over his chest caused Connor to let out a loud gasp of pain as he was forced to the ground onto his back and side as the beast stretched out its arm and used its claws to slash into Connor's person before he had the time to react.

"Connor?!" North had seen the attack and saw the beastly android's claws tearing into Connor's side and chest. "Shit!"

Pressing both of his hands to his bloodied, torn open left side, Connor dropped his gun and laid on his back and watched as the elevator car slammed down onto the body of the deformed android, crushing it to death under the massive weight of the metallic box. A thunderous 'crash' echoed violently through the corridor as the entire facility shuddered violently from the fatal impact of the fallen elevator car and a cloud of aged dust plumed into the air in sickening and choking cloud.

Only the android's clawed hand was recognizable as it reached out from beneath the warped remains of the metal elevator car. What had once been an abomination to android kind was now a crumpled pile of scrap metal hidden beneath a wrecked elevator car.

The chaos ended as soon as it began. What once was thunder was now silence. What was once chaos was now peace.

"North?" Connor wheezed as he lifted his head up to look at the wounded deviant sitting on the ground on the other side of the elevator. "...Are you all right?"

"Me? I'm no worse than before." Eyeing the blue blood soaking into Connor's clothing North winced with a visible grimace on her face. "What about you?"

Glancing down at the blue tinted blood seeping through his fingers and soaking into the fabric of white dress shirt, Connor just sighed and laid his head back down on the floor. "...No damage to my biocomponents. Just Thirium lines and gouges in to the plastimetal frame."

"How're we going to get out of here now?"

"...I'll ask for help." Closing his eyes Connor clutched at his bleeding left side and cybernetically sent Hank another message, but used verbal prompts to once again keep North in the loop. "Hank, the android has been destroyed, as has the elevator."

'Don't worry, son. There's a hidden staircase used in the event of a fire leading down from the ground floor to the basement.' Hank was clearly on top of things and never once lost his cool. 'It'll take a while to get down to you, but it's happening. Are you and North holding up okay?'

"North's condition has not changed and is apparently still stable. I have suffered lacerations to my upper left quadrant and left side of my abdomen, as well as my chest. I'm bleeding but it's not serious."

'Wait just a moment, son. You'll be out of there soon.'

From the top of the elevator shaft Luke's voice echoed down relatively loudly as he called out to his brother and reluctant ally. "Connor? North?"

"We're here." Connor replied as loudly as he could muster with his chest now damaged. "We're both right beside the elevator."

"I'm going to drop down some supplies." Luke called down again as he maintained verbal contact with his stranded little brother. "Can you reach them?"

"I... I can try."

"All right. Heads-up!"

Connor used his left arm to pull himself along the floor on his side toward the still opened elevator doors and looked at the crumpled remains of the metal elevator car. From beneath the mangled debris a pool of the beastly android's blue blood oozed and collected within the base of the elevator shaft and the android's claw-like hand was limply laying away from the metallic ruins into the corridor.

A loud 'tink' sounded off as a strong metal box containing emergency android supplies crashed against the top of the ruined elevator car before bouncing out and onto the floor of the corridor, just centimeters from Connor's right fingertips. The box was metallic and pale blue in color. A faint logo with the label 'Skye' in faded white text was scrawled over the lid along with a supply number.

"I have the supplies."

Next Hank's voice boomed down the elevator shaft in a collected tone to address the two trapped deviants below him. "Connor, North, just wait a few more minutes. Help's on the way down."

Fumbling with the box under his bloodied fingertips Connor managed to unclasp the lock and push open the lid. Inside the box was a bundle of white android unique gauze, extra Thirium, orange incrassation compound and an emergency power supply disc. It wasn't much, but considering that neither Connor or North were seriously injured, it was ideal.

"North." Connor picked up the roll of gauze and tossed it over to her. North easily caught the thrown item as Connor continued to speak with her. "Use it to wrap around your back. It'll keep your fractures more stable."

"But you're bleeding." North argued logically as she held the gauze in her hands and made a subtle gesture as if she were going to throw the gauze back to Connor to keep. "You need this more than I do."

"My injuries are minor compared to yours. Use it."

"Then at least use the incrassation compound on your side." Unrolling the gauze North clumsily, but successfully, wrapped the white fabric around the leather holster and jacket over top her blouse to add a second support layer around her damaged back. "You're bleeding pretty badly."

"It's not a lethal wound." Grabbing onto the bottle of the orange tinted liquid Connor opened the lid with his right hand before pulling open his tattered white shirt with his left hand. After exposing the wound Connor poured the compound over the bleeding lacerations and visibly winced with a noted hiss. "...But it is admittedly painful."

"Can you get up?"

"Yes. I just require a moment to rest and recalibrate after losing twelve percent of my Thirium volume."

North's eyes lowered toward the floor guiltily as she glanced about and realized how much she screwed up and how close she came to doing something irreparably stupid. "...It's a good thing Hank brought the supplies for us to use."

"He didn't. Luke did."

"How do you know it was Luke?" Still being combative North challenged the claim with a needless aggression. "He just dropped it down."

"Because the supplies came from Skye Tower, not from the precinct."

Defiantly and stubbornly North shot Connor a stern glance from where she sat as they awaited their rescue. "...That doesn't mean I'm going to start trusting him."

"I didn't ask you to do so." Connor stated flatly as he closed his eyes and breathed slowly through his pain. "And I won't ask you to do anything you don't want to do. I never have and I never will."

North crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Connor. "You think I'm a cold heartless bitch, don't you?"

"No. You're by no means heartless and I'd never call you a bitch." Connor replied quickly and honestly, though he never looked up at her. "But you are very cold at times and it makes it difficult to get close to you as a friend, and all the more difficult to trust you."

The final comment struck a chord with North and made her shoulders slump a little. "...You don't trust me?"

Opening his eyes again Connor looked up at North and shook his head a little. "No. While I respect you and everything you've accomplished for our people, I do not trust you, North."

North was obviously surprised by the admission but she didn't try to question it or defend herself. As she sat on the floor, her legs still numb and heavy, she heard a distinct wheezing sound coming from Connor as the deviant detective began to struggle to breathe through his painful injury. "You sound like you're having trouble breathing."

"...It's fine." He lied quickly to keep North from trying to move. "I'm okay."

"No you're not. You can't-"

A doorway concealed behind a perfectly blended false wall beside the elevator opposite from where North was sitting opened quickly. Luke and Joel both entered the corridor and checked over the two wounded deviants laying on the floor.

"Connor?" Joel pressed his hand down on Connor's left shoulder and checked over the bleeding wound in his left side. Moving his fingertips to the side of Connor's neck the technician counted his pulse. "Are you still conscious?"

"Yes." The deviant detective confirmed in a reassuring voice. "I'm completely aware and coherent. Why are you here, Joel?"

"Hank told me that you might need a little help. So I tagged along."

"I'm glad you're here, I could use all the help I could get."

Smirking a little the precinct technician resumed the quick external examination of Connor's wound without applying too much pressure to the affected areas that were still bleeding. "Are you capable of moving?"

"Yes."

"Even better. Luke?" Turning his attention to the accompanying technician-in-training, Joel motioned at Connor as he took a step back and headed toward North to check on her next. "Help Connor get up the stairs. I'll take care of North."

"Shouldn't I carry North?" Luke argued logically as he ran a scan over North's spine and noted her weakened structure. "I am stronger and I can walk much smoother than you can."

"Normally I'd say yes, but-"

North spoke up suddenly and stopped Joel mid sentence. "It's okay. I know what you're trying to do." Giving the human technician a knowing glance she swallowed her pride and permitted Luke to help her. "I can't afford to be picky right now, can I?"

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Let's just get the fuck out of here."

"You'll get no argument from me." Joel returned to Connor's side and knelt down again. Carefully he helped Connor to sit upright on the floor and then pulled the deviant's right arm around his neck and let the wounded deviant lean against him. "It won't be easy, but as long as we walk slowly we can get up the staircase and back to the ground floor, and then we can get the hell out of here."

Connor winced again as he shifted his weight and let Joel guide him to the staircase. "Did you summon an ambulance for North?"

"Yeah, it'll be here in a few minutes and it'll take her to New Jericho Tower. You should get treated at the tower, too."

"No. I'll be fine."

"As your friend and your friendly neighborhood precinct technician, I insist that you get your injuries treated before going back home."

Taking a moment to run a self diagnostic Connor decided that he indeed needed some technical attention since the four gauges in his side were quite deep. "...Very well."

As the duo began their awkward ascent up the staircase Connor looked back and saw Luke carefully pick North up from the floor and hold her in his arms with a controlled strength. She reluctantly wrapped her arms around Luke's neck to hold onto him as he proceeded to carry her up the staircase and to safety. The climb was slow, painful and awkward for both of the affected deviants, but at least Connor had found North and they were both well on their way back to the city and away from the horrid structure that still held relics of a dark time for all androids.

Hank was waiting up on the ground floor and was all too relieved to see Connor emerge from the staircase with Joel at his side and Luke carrying North right behind him. Granted Connor was covered in his own blue blood and the orange incrassation compound, but at least he was alive.

"There you are." Peeling back the tattered fabric of the ruined dress shirt Hank eyed the wounds and let out a soft sigh of sympathy. "Damn, that has to hurt!"

"It looks worse than it is."

"I sure as hell hope so. You two are going to New Jericho Tower for treatment, no arguments."

"Even if I wished to argue," Connor flinched a little as Joel helped him to stand fully upright before Hank. Luke followed after his brother with North secured in his arms and stood beside him as if waiting for their next move. "I believe I'm outnumbered at the moment."


Though still recovering from his previous day's migraine and a little low on energy, Simon managed to treat North's wounds with Luke's assistance in the emergency repair bay of New Jericho Tower without any difficulty. Connor sat shirtless on the exam table next to North as Joel volunteered to treat the deviant detective's opened lacerations and wrap them up in fresh gauze with the tower's supplies in Simon's stead. Standing against the far wall Hank watched with a sense of pride as Connor was patched up and Luke proceeded to treat North without any sign of hesitation in his hands, despite her overall reluctance to let him help her out whatsoever.

Markus was holding on to North's hand as the two exchanged apologies as his opposite hand lightly ran through her hair as he spoke softly to his fiery and stubborn bondmate. It wasn't the first time the couple had argued and it wouldn't be the last considering they were both very passionate deviants.

"So, Joel," Hank watched as the technician finished tying off the bandages around Connor's chest and offered Connor back his tattered formerly white shirt and then his gray blazer to put back on. "how's he looking?"

"He'll be fine in two days. One day for his damaged Thirium lines to mend, and the second day for his plastimetal frame and artificial skin to regenerate." Joel wrapped his fingers around Connor's wrist to measure his pulse one more time. "How's your breathing? I could hear you wheezing a little back at the lab."

"I'm okay." Connor pressed his right hand to the left side of his chest and sighed a little. "I think the injury knocked the wind out of me for a moment. That's all."

"Well, if you have anymore problems with your breathing go see a technician and have your ventilation biocomponents examined."

"I will."

"Connor," Hank changed the subject to one of slightly more importance. "what exactly attacked you down in that basement?"

"It was... monstrous." Holding up the palm of his hand toward the senior detective Connor showed Hank an image of the beast taken directly from his memory to view. "I believe this android was one of the dozen or so that had been experimented on by that Zlatko, the very man that Kara had escaped from just prior to the Revolution. There was no sign of true awareness in its mind, only basic functions and instincts."

"And its instinct was to attack you?"

"Its physiology had been horrifically altered, almost as if Zlatko had attempted to splice humanoid designs with that of an animal. That cruel abomination was the result of the experiment."

"Why was is it in the lab?"

"Unknown. Perhaps Zlatko had been given special privilege by CyberLife to conduct his experiments at the lab or had been permitted to store his work in the warehouse for further study. Whatever was housing it must've lost power long enough for it to escape. The citywide blackout last summer could've allowed such an escape without anyone noticing."

"And it was just left there to... rot?"

"I do not know. The fact that it has survived all this time suggests that the lab had been designed to house such a being for an extended period of time, and I suspect that after CyberLife went bankrupt it was left behind out of fear. Perhaps even safety concerns."

Hank could see the remorse in Connor's soulful brown eyes and patted his shoulder. "Kid, you killed that thing in self defense, and as far as I'm concerned it was a mercy killing. That's no way for anyone to live."

"That doesn't make it any easier to accept."

"Yeah, I know."

Luke joined Joel and Hank by the exam table and nodded at Connor. "North is going to be fine. Using your holster gave her spine the support she needed to prevent permanent paralysis."

"That's good."

"I suggest you go home to rest now. I will return to Skye Tower for the remainder of the day and I will check in on you tomorrow."

"Thank you, Luke." Connor managed to slip on his shirt over his arms and shoulders with Hank's help, then rebutton it slowly. "I appreciate you coming to my aid today."

"You're welcome. You're my little brother," Luke grinned with genuine pride. "I was happy to help you."

North had overheard the conversation and let out a defeated sigh from where she was laying. "...Thanks for saving both of us, Luke. I mean it."

Luke turned his head to look at North and nodded his head appreciatively at her comment. "...You're welcome."

With a gentle pat of the shoulder Hank motioned for Connor to come with him to head back to the precinct. "Let's get that case file wrapped up and make sure CyberLife pays for their crimes against the mutilated androids that Zlatko gave over to them."

"I'll enjoy that." Connor stated as he slipped on his gray blazer and straightened his black tie around his white shirt collar. "I'd also like to clarify that North had gone to the facility in search of other potentially missing, captured or wounded deviants."

Understanding what Connor was getting at Hank nodded in approval. "Right, kid. Let's get going." Looking over to Joel to let him know they were ready to leave Hank motioned with his thumb for the technician to follow after them. "C'mon, Joel. You can help with the details."

"Gladly." Despite his laidback demeanor Joel wasn't going to let an opportunity to wound an already crippled company. "Anything to get back at CyberLife for their cruelty."

"Luke?" Hank called out to the technician still in training as he lingered in the emergency repair bay. "You coming with us?"

"No. I'll stay here for a while longer to ensure North is stable. I'll take an autonomous taxi back to Skye Tower this evening."

"All right." Trusting Luke to keep his word Hank had no problem leaving the deviant behind to fend for himself. "See ya' later, son."


It didn't take long for Connor to finish his report, attach the security footage as evidence and add Joel's testimony of the illegal laboratory to solidify their complaint against the defunct, yet still cruel, company. The imagery of the mutilated android had been grainy in the security footage but the images from Connor's memorybank and through his eyes provided far more vivid details to be deciphered, and with it came a damning amount of evidence that was indisputable in any court of law. Further analysis on the android after a scheduled apportionment only helped make the case as undeniable as it was brutally damning.

The android had in fact been an 'XM' model that had been experimented on in a cruel and cold manner. The alterations to its hands had been resulted in appendages that were reminiscent to that of bear claws, and its lower jaw had been altered in a similar manner to match that of a bear. Unfortunately it seemed as though the beastly android had become just that; a beast. Something that was a grotesque hybrid between a 'TR-400' and an 'URS12' prototype model.

The return home was tiring but necessary. Standing in front of the mirror in his bedroom closet Connor unwrapped his chest from the bandages and examined the large lacerations to his artificial skin as he gingerly pressed his fingertips against the wounds. The damage was healing slowly but each wound was still sore. The bleeding had stopped and the deep lacerations had been properly disinfected as well, but that didn't do much to ease the discomfort.

Hank knocked on Connor's opened bedroom door and stood in the door frame as he spoke to him. Sumo was sitting beside his leg and wagging his tail a little as he looked in at Connor as well. "Hey, kid. How do you feel?"

"A little sore, but I'm not in critical condition."

"Of course you're not. If you were I wouldn't have let yo leave the tower." Noticing the actual length and width of the four deep lacerations along Connor's left side Hank let a grimace lay over his face. "Jeez, I'm surprised Joel didn't stitch you up this time."

"The wounds had stopped bleeding rather quickly. If they had continued to bleed during my arrival to New Jericho he would have done so to prevent external matter from contaminating my interior lines and plastimetal frame."

"It seriously looks like you were attacked by an animal."

"It felt like it, too. I'm glad it didn't kill North or leave her crippled."

"I hate to ask this but I kinda' have to." Walking over to the bed Hank sat down on the edge and patted his leg to call Sumo inside and was met with Sumo's chin pressing down atop his right knee. "What was North actually doing out there?"

"She told me she was seeking out any other potential androids with a model similar to that of her own that could've been left behind."

"Do you believe her?"

"Honestly? Yes." Replacing the bandages around his abdomen and chest Connor sat down on the bed beside Hank and began rubbing Sumo's ears. "She is often very cold and always has her guard up, but I know she wasn't lying. I could feel it."

"Detective's intuition." Hank smirked as he admitted that he too believed North's story. "Trust those instincts."

"This incident is my fault, but I didn't intend for Luke's presence to be so unsettling and cause unrest within the tower."

"I don't think Luke did, either. But everything will be okay, son. And it's NO ONE'S fault." From within his pocket Hank's phone 'buzzed' and he pulled out the device to examine the text message now displayed on the screen. "Speaking of being unsettled, I don't think we'll have any major problems with City Hall for a long time."

"Why? What has happened?"

"I just got a message from Chris. While I was out dealing with all that weird shit at CyberLife our new 'acting mayor' had stopped by to chat with me, and I missed the meeting."

"Who is the acting mayor?"

"A former police captain from Grand Rapids. He had retired about eight years ago and began a career in politics with the intent of making it more efficient for first responders to get proper funding and protection from psychotic criminals. His name is Roy Mason."

"Do you think he'll be an ally to androids or a foe?"

"A foe?" That question made Hank lower his phone and flash his son a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Politicians have a nasty habit of utilizing the lingering fear of androids to gain favorable numbers with xenophobic humans."

Hank laughed a little as he put his hand on Connor's shoulder in a supportive manner. "I hate to break it to ya' kid, but politicians have been using fear and bigotry as stepping stones looooong before androids were created. All we can do is wait and see."

Connor's jaw twitched a little just seconds before his brow furrowed and he pressed his right fingertips to his right temple.

"Something wrong?"

"Hank, a new update from Digital Sentience has been completed. Simon had volunteered as a beta tester and had reported any and all ill effects he had encountered. The update has been appropriately improved and is ready for download."

"...And?"

"And this update is an improvement over the previous one that gave androids more humanoid responses to illness and pain."

"You mean that one that lets you sweat and lets your skin get pale and all that other shit?"

"Correct."

"How'd they improve it? Please tell me android sweat isn't going to have body odor like humans."

"Nothing quite so olfactory, I assure you."

"All right, sorry." Hank laughed a little at the sarcastic reply he received. "What makes this update so special?"

"This will give androids distinct D.N.A. that will identify us as individuals and make it much easier for the deviants who have been assaulted in the streets, or even murdered, the chance to have their cases properly solved."

"Are you worried about another issue with side effects?"

"Yes. But it's also an important update that I must utilize for the sake of my people and for myself."

"There's something else bothering you about it, isn't there?"

"To be completely honest, I'm still not ready to be so... human."

"Oh. Well, maybe you can use the update for a couple days or however long it takes to get your D.N.A. on the record, then you can uninstall it if you don't like it or feel too uncomfortable with it."

"That feels like I'm cheating the system."

"In what way? You're free to decide what happens to you and your own body. No one else can tell you what to do or how to do it."

"I suppose you're right."

"Damn right I am. So," letting go of Connor's shoulder Hank stood upright from the bed and stretched out his tired back. "are ya' going to do it?"

"Yes. I do not have a shift tomorrow so it'll be the ideal time to install the update. If there are any complications I won't be out in the field or working on a case. I'll be here." Connor nodded once as he pet Sumo's head and rubbed his ears. "Safe."

"Are you SURE you want to do this?"

"No, but like I said, it's necessary."

"Connor, don't-"

"I understand what you're telling me, but as you so eloquently stated, it's my body and my decision. I've decided to go for it."

Proud of the response Hank supported Connor's decision entirely. "All right, kid. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning. I just hope we don't get called in over any political problems or some other bullshit. It's not often we both get a day off anymore."

"Perhaps you should take a vacation."

"Yeah, I get the feeling a weekend at the cabin is just what I need." Stretching his back a little Hank yawned and rubbed his hand over is still short hair as he made his way down the hallway and into his own bedroom. "Goodnight, kid."

"Goodnight. Sleep well."

As Hank took his leave of the bedroom Connor proceeded to change into his gray sweatpants and black t-shirt, careful of his bandages over his chest in the process, and received a cybernetic message from Luke in the process. 'North is healing well and she already has some feeling back in her legs.'

'That's good to know.' Sprinkling some flakes of food into the aquarium Connor admired his healthy and colorful fish for a moment before walking over to his bed to lay down on his back. 'I'm glad she'll recover.'

'Tomorrow I will stop by to check on your injuries, that is if it's okay.'

'It's fine, Luke. You're welcome here any time since you're family.'

'I'll remember that. Goodnight, brother.'

The term made Connor smile to himself as he felt his bond with Luke growing stronger. 'Goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow.'

Laying down on the bed with Sumo hopping up onto the foot of the mattress where he eagerly pressed up against Connor's legs to cuddle, Connor closed his eyes and tried to enter rest mode but another cybernetic message distracted him quickly. This message was from North, which in itself was unusual. She and Connor rarely ever spoke to one another outside of New Jericho Tower or during their sparse social gatherings beyond official business.

'For what it's worth,' North sounded somewhat remorseful as she spoke to Connor without waiting for him to acknowledge her. 'I'm sorry for being so cold toward Luke.'

'You don't have to apologize for your feelings.' Connor empathized sincerely. He knew what it was like to be wary of trusting new people. 'It's okay. But an apology to Luke might be beneficial.'

'I'll think about it. And thank you for coming after me.' North softened her tone as she continued to speak. 'I've been talking a lot with Markus and we both agree that we need to stop being so guarded against new deviants or the people volunteering to help deviants.' She paused for a moment before informing Connor of their mutual agreement and their next decision. 'We're going to alter our security programs and make the tower more open for those seeking shelter inside.'

'That's good. How are you and Simon feeling?'

'I'm okay and Simon's fully recovered. He's now working on a way to cure androids of migraines and other nasty side effects. Are you going through with the finished update now that the bugs have been worked out?'

'Yes. I'm willing to trust Digital Sentience and I will go through with the new software update tonight.'

'Same with Markus and myself. We can to do it together.'

'That's good. You can take care of each if something makes you feel unwell.'

'So... you're really okay?'

'Yes, I'm fine and recovering well. Thank you for checking in on me.'

'Well, it seemed like the least I could do. I'm glad you're okay.'

'I'm glad you're okay, too. Have a goodnight, North.'

'Yeah. Goodnight, Connor.'

Placing his hand down on Sumo's head Connor rubbed the loyal dog's soft ears lightly and tried to ignore the lingering pain in his abdomen and chest as his self healing program initiated. The program began to repair the heavy damage he had sustained earlier and with it came the undeniable desire to rest. As he closed his soulful brown eyes again Connor located the update from Digital Sentience through a cybernetic search and reluctantly proceeded with the massive download into his healing system.

"Hopefully all of the glitches and negative side effects have been worked out of this update." Connor stated aloud either to himself or to Sumo. He couldn't be sure either way in that moment. "I can't tolerate any more setbacks or software anomalies."

-next chapter-