Life continued. Although he wasn't quite one-hundred percent recovered from his unfortunate encounter with a disgruntled deviant from his rather colorful past, Connor had decided the best way for him to feel as normal as soon as possible was to return to the precinct and resume work. Hank was still benched with his minor concussion which meant that Connor had to return to work alone as he didn't currently have his partner at the precinct to go into the field. Wisely Captain Fowler decided to keep Connor on desk duty until Hank returned seeing as the two were an excellent team, and he didn't want Connor getting pushed too much after surviving what surely should've been his death. A gradual return to normalcy was the best for everyone involved.

It was an unusual sight to see the desk across from his own unoccupied as he sat down at his own terminal to clock-in, but Connor was able to adjust to the change and easily catch up on his case files. Paperwork was a deviant's specialty and Connor had no problem getting everything caught up while he took it easy and eased himself back into his routine.

"Here's six more files regarding suspicious deviant behavior." Captain Fowler placed the U.S.B. drive containing the information down on Connor's desk and slid it toward his healed right hand to take. "Go ahead and log them with the rest."

"I will do so, Captain."

"No time limit." The seasoned Captain stated as he walked by the desk to return to his office to handle his own tasks. "Finish it whenever you can. And it's good to have you back where you belong, Connor."

"Thank you, Captain. I'll take care of everything."

At first Connor thought it was an odd comment on the Captain's part, but he didn't focus too long on it as he picked up the U.S.B. and placed it in his terminal to begin uploading and chronicling the new data. The case files were full of details that were unusual, but it wasn't anything that Connor couldn't handle and sort through alone during his shift.

Outside in the reception area of the precinct, a small group of human witnesses had come forward regarding human on android crimes and were waiting to make their statements. Since Connor was already handling deviant case files Captain Fowler assigned the interviews to Chris to make it easier for Connor to work. One by one Chris led each witness into an interview room for questioning until the final witness had left the precinct a little after four in the afternoon. The receptionist area became quiet while the other officers in the bullpen fell into a steady rhythmic lull of work.

However, one moment of particular curiosity and mystery disturbed the otherwise calm air of the precinct. Despite the lack of occupants in the reception area and despite no one calling to report a missing personal item, a large gym bag had been left unattended in the receptionist area atop of a chair. Gavin, more headstrong than wise, noticed the bag first and grabbed it by its handle with a firm grip. Carrying it over to his own desk, just two desks away from Connor, the abrasive Detective began checking it over for a name tag or other way to identify the original owner, but nothing presented itself immediately.

"Hey, anyone see who left this bag?" Gavin shouted out loudly enough to catch everyone's attention. "Found it in reception."

Connor turned his head to look at the bag; his brown irises focusing on the parcel as he cybernetically scanned it quickly. The deviant instantly detected an electronic signature, as well as trace amounts of an explosive compound within the bag. There was a timer and a pressure trigger attached to a metallic canister containing the strange explosive and it was designed specifically to release the contents in the event the trigger was tampered with or once its countdown clock reached zero.

"Gavin, get away from the bag." Connor warned as he rose from his desk and made his way toward the enigmatic parcel on the desk. "Do not touch it again."

"What's your problem, 'Tinman'?" Gavin challenged as Connor tried to make a grab for the bag and pulled it away from the deviant with a single jerk. "Don't tell me what-"

An audible 'hiss' suddenly erupted from the bag as a plume of white colored smoke seeped through the closed zipper that lined the top of the parcel and wafted into the air. It was like a fog from a swamp escaping into the summertime heat.

"Oh, shit..." As the unknown contents escape from the mysterious bag Gavin wisely backed away and his face paled with immediate regret as he let Connor take control. "Fuck!"

While Gavin stepped away from the bag while Connor threw off his gray blazer and used it to try and smother the smoke.

"Gavin, go!"

Connor shouted loudly as he cybernetically activated the emergency alarm inside the precinct to warn of the potential biohazard and get everyone to evacuate the entire building in a timely manner. It was important to get the entire building clear before doing anything else regarding the bag and its mysterious contents.

"Get away from the bag!"

As the alarm sounded off throughout the building Captain Fowler looked about in confusion and saw what was happening through the large transparent walls of his office. The sight of the growing white cloud expanding in the middle of his bullpen caused the experienced Captain to spring in to action on pure adrenaline and trained instinct. Grabbing the phone from the corner of his desk Captain Fowler sent out a station wide broadcast over the speakers in the building alerting all officers to the danger and demanding that the building to evacuate, while confirming that it was NOT a drill.

Precinct protocol demanded that once a person exited the building during an emergency they could not reenter until the building had been cleared. It was a safety measure to ensure everyone was properly accounted for.

While the bullpen was quickly vacated of personnel retreating to designated safe areas outside the precinct Captain Fowler opened his office door and yelled to both Connor and Gavin who were still in the closest proximity to the danger. "Reed! Connor! Get in here, now!"

In response to the order Connor immediately grabbed Gavin by his upper arm and pulled him toward Captain Fowler's office as instructed. Gavin of course tried to resist, but Connor wouldn't give him the chance to break free of his grip. Pressing his hand against the middle of Gavin's back Connor pushed the bullheaded detective into the office out of harm's way as Captain Fowler pulled the door shut behind them to keep the smoke at bay.

"Don't touch me!" Gavin griped as he tore his arm from Connor's hand with disgust at being shoved around. "Don't EVER touch me!"

"Shut up, Reed." Captain Fowler looked at his two detectives for any immediate sign of physical distress after being so close to the unidentified smoke. "Are you two okay? What the hell is happening out there?"

Through the transparent office wall Connor watched as the white smoke filled the entire bullpen and scanned the air through the glass barrier to get a reading on the unknown substance. Without a direct sample Connor couldn't give a definitive answer.

"Possible airborne biohazard. I've already contacted the Center for Disease Control and informed them of the contamination." Looking down at the office door Connor noted the modest gap between the floor and the bottom of the door and thought of a quick solution as the smoke continued to build and fill the exterior area of the private office. "Gavin, give me your jacket."

"Fuck you!"

"Do it!" Captain Fowler commanded at the stubborn Detective with irritation behind his words. "NOW."

Gavin grumbled under his breath as he slipped off his leather jacket and begrudgingly handed it over to Connor as requested. "...Fine."

With the jacket in his hands Connor fell to his knees and tucked the garment up against the bottom of the door to keep the smoke from entering the office as it continued to pour through the air and completely contaminate the bullpen. Everything in the bullpen had been smothered out by an opaque white cloud that obstructed the entire view from the office under a dense fog of the unknown toxin.

"That should prevent the contaminant from entering the office, but we still need to identify what the contaminant is to ensure proper decontamination." Connor tried to run another scan on the air from within Captain Fowler's office but he still couldn't isolate and identify the foreign material in the air. Connor's L.E.D. blinked in yellow then cycled to red, then back to yellow as his failed scan completed its run. "...I need a direct sample of the smoke to analyze before I can properly identify the toxic substance."

Captain Fowler crossed his arms over his chest and approached Connor warily as he pointed toward the area outside through the window. "You mean go back out there and into that shit? No way."

"Captain, it's the only way to know for sure what kind of substance we're dealing with."

"No, Connor." The commanding officer refused to let Connor put himself at risk just to identify the substance. "We wait until the C.D.C. gets here and clears the building. That's their job, not yours."

"But I-"

"NO. End of discussion." Captain Fowler stated again in a disciplinary manner. "In fact, you two take a seat and wait quietly by my desk. I need to make a call to make sure everyone got out of the building safely and that everyone has been accounted for."

Feeling like a scolded child Connor bowed his head slightly as he walked over to one of the two empty chairs sitting opposite side of Captain Fowler's desk and sat down quietly. Sitting upright with perfect posture Connor folded his hands in his lap and remained silent while Gavin unceremoniously plopped down in the chair next to him with his arms folded defensively over his chest.

Captain Fowler picked up his phone again and called Chris's personal cell phone knowing that he'd be outside waiting for his next order. "Chris, can you tell me what's going on out there? We have a possible airborne biohazard in the heart of the precinct."

Connor's L.E.D. blinked yellow as he cybernetically tapped in on the phone call, not as an invasion of privacy but out of profession curiosity. 'The building has been successfully evacuated except for you, Gavin and Connor. Are they with you?'

"Yeah, we're good. We're all in my office out of danger." Glancing at the foggy air in the bullpen Captain Fowler shook his head with mild trepidation. "For now..."

'The C.D.C. is on their way inside, where's the contaminant?'

"Gavin's desk. Look for the black duffel bag left by an unknown person on the security footage." Captain Fowler glanced at the bag sitting on Gavin's desk and saw that the white smoke plume had finally stopped erupting from the bag, leaving only a faint blanket of fog that drifted down from the ceiling and covered the floor in a thin layer. "Looks like the dispersal unit inside the bag has stopped."

'Any idea what it could be?'

"Negative. Connor's sensors can't get an accurate scan without getting a direct sample, and I don't have any clue what it could be."

'I'll let everyone know what's going on, just hang tight.'

"Yeah, keep me posted." Captain Fowler hung up the phone and next called Ben to give the experienced investogator a head's up while he was out in the field handling his own case. "Ben, are you still at the homicide at the hotel?"

'Yeah, my team's making progress but it's slow.' The older man relayed without any idea of what he had missed out on at the precinct. 'It's a real mess in here.'

"Take your time. We have a situation at the precinct, and I need you to keep away and take charge of patrol until I can resume control."

'Sure thing, Captain. What can I do from here?'

"Tell your team to look out for any shady characters with access to aerosol dispersal equipment. We have a makeshift bomb spewing some shit in the air in the damn bullpen, and we had to evacuate."

'Will do. Keep me updated.'

Ending the call Captain Fowler looked over at Gavin and easily got the abrasive detective's attention. "Reed, where's Tina right now?"

"Patrolling around Roosevelt Park. There was a lot of reports of possible prostitution in the area and she's handling it."

"Good. Then that means everyone who's clocked-in for the day shift has been accounted for." Only mildly relieved Captain Fowler sat behind his desk with a heavy sigh as he processed what he was currently dealing with. "Now, while we're waiting let's try to figure out what the hell happened out there, why it happened, and who let it happen. All right?"

"I can try to assess the situation despite any lack of physical evidence to my disposal." Connor's yellow L.E.D. turned blue as he cooperatively decided to offer his theory on the situation. "The bag was brought into the bullpen by Gavin after he had located it. It had been abandoned in the receptionist area out front. Without provocation, the containment unit inside the bag released the unknown toxin into the air which means it was set with a timed-release trigger. The person, or persons, who left it behind couldn't have gotten very far."

"Okay, good." Captain Fowler agreed with the assessment as he followed Connor's logic. "Reed, was there anyone around the bag when you found it?"

"No, the receptionist area was completely empty." Sinking down in his seat Gavin looked more uncomfortable than annoyed by the entire situation. "That's why I grabbed it."

"Okay." Captain Fowler leaned back in his chair a little causing it to 'creak'. "Our tech department will get a hold of the security footage and look for anyone carrying the bag. Hopefully they didn't hide their face from the cameras when the dropped off the back. What else can you tell me about the incident in question?"

"I may have a theory." Contemplating the question Connor's brow furrowed as an interesting theory popped into his head. "We had a sudden surge in humans coming forward as witnesses to crimes being committed against androids. Perhaps an anti-android fanatic rigged the bomb as a form of protest against the police for aiding androids and filed a false report to gain access to the precinct."

"Makes sense. But if the fanatic hates androids, then wouldn't it make more sense to release a toxin that harms androids and not people?"

"Yes, but since we cannot actively identify the toxin in the air we cannot confirm or deny this theory just yet or assume that the toxin is only harmful to humans or to androids." Arguing his point professionally and logically Connor managed to remain entirely unbiased during the discussion. "It could be dangerous to both parties as a means of harming androids out of hatred, and harming humans out of spite."

Pressing his hand to his chin thoughtfully Captain Fowler decided to trust Connor's assessment. "Once the C.D.C. begins their investigation we'll know for sure. Until then, all we can do is sit tight."

Gavin looked tense and was beginning to sweat where he sat. "You mean we have to sit here in this locked room and just wait?"

"Yeah, Reed. That's what we're going to do."

At such a confirmation Gavin became unusually silent as his face grew a shade paler than it already was. It was as if he were becoming ill or experiencing intense fear.

"Gavin? Captain Fowler noticed his detective was looking unwell and responded accordingly. Dropping the surname in favor of the first name, Captain Fowler made it clear that he was speaking to Gavin as a colleague and not his superior officer. "You okay?"

"Fine! I'm fine..." Gavin defensively answered without looking Captain Fowler in the eyes. Sinking down into his chair he wrapped his arms around himself and put up a guarded front. "I'm good."

Immediately Connor knew that Gavin was lying. A quick biometric scan over Gavin's vitals indicated that his heart rate had elevated, his blood pressure was unusually high, and his body temperature had also increased to a notable degree. "Gavin, did you breathe in any of the contaminant?"

"How the fuck should I know?" The hostility in Gavin's voice was biting and guarded which was undoubtedly caused by his stress. "Why do you care?"

"If you've been exposed to the contaminant then you might be ill."

"Like I said, I don't know. Now back the fuck off!"

Captain Fowler didn't appreciate Gavin's poor attitude and let him know it. "Look Gavin, I've had enough of your shit. You may have been exposed to a lethal contaminant and Connor's just trying to help you. The least you can do is stop trying to bite his head off and cooperate for once."

"I don't need help from a piece of plastic!" Gavin shouted bitterly as he refused to change his mind and continued his hostile attitude. "I'll see a damn medic when this shit is over. I don't need its help!"

"Quiet." The seasoned Captain had heard enough of the impatient man's nasty attitude being directed toward one of his fellow detectives. "Now."

Determined to know what was lingering in the air and wanting to know if Gavin was in any immediate danger, Connor squared his jaw as he rose from his seat and approached the barred door of the office. The white smoke had nearly dissipated entirely, and the air was beginning to clear as the fog now hung over the floor like a mist creeping over a small pond. If he didn't act fast, then Connor would lose his chance to run an analysis and identify the unknown substance before the C.D.C. arrived to dispose of the potentially noxious chemical.

"Gavin," Captain Fowler was losing his patience with the snarky detective and decided to set him straight. "you do need help. So why don't you-" From the corner of his eye Captain Fowler caught sight of Connor kicking aside Gavin's jacket and pulling open the office door quickly. "C-Connor?! What the fuck?!"

In just two seconds Connor stepped out of the office and knelt on the floor as he ran his hand through the residual smoke hovering above the floor and quickly placed his fingertips against his tongue. Returning to the office as quickly as he exited Connor's blue L.E.D. flashed to yellow as he finished running his analysis and could now accurately identify the toxin in the air.

"I told you to sit there," Captain Fowler pointed at the empty seat and then to the door as he spoke. "and not go out there. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, Captain." It wasn't in Connor's nature to blatantly disobey a direct order. He was logical and reasonable at all times. "If Gavin had been infected with a potentially lethal toxin, then time was of the essence. It was entirely necessary to take the risk."

"Fuck..." Captain Fowler ran his hand over his face as took in a deep breath to keep himself from snapping. He had not just one, but two, very stubborn detectives trapped in his office at the moment, and those two particular detectives did not get along very well with one another. "All right, what's done is done. You got your sample. What did you find?"

"The contaminant is NOT a biological toxin, and humans will not be affected." Connor explained coolly with a confident tone as he looked to Gavin to ensure that the man had heard the comment. "However, the toxin is still destructive, and I can confirm that the attack was aimed at androids and not the human police officers."

"Wait, so Gavin and I aren't going to be affected by that stuff?"

"Correct."

"What about you?"

"It is possible." Connor confirmed as he went into a more lengthy explanation of his findings. "The bomb was laced with an abundance of aerosolized Magnesium particles that can cause Galvanic Corrosion to the metallic surfaces of components affected within a heavily oxygenated environment. This occurs when in the presence of an electrolyte causing an electrochemical reaction, and that-"

"Connor. Please." Captain Fowler stared at Connor blankly for a second before he asked for an easier to understand response. "High school chemistry was over twenty-five years ago. Can you please simplify that for me?"

"Yes, Captain. Of course." As he spoke Connor's L.E.D. began to fluctuate between yellow and red as a dull ache settled in his chest. The ache was promptly ignored as Connor refused to acknowledge his own current plight. "The airborne contaminant won't hurt organic material; only ignoble metals."

"Such as?"

Before Connor could answer he suddenly coughed and his L.E.D. remained red in color. "...S-Such as the internal biocomponents of androids."

"Shit." Captain Fowler immediately took notice of Connor's reaction and knew the deviant was in trouble. He knew from personal experience that Connor was just as mortal and fragile as any other living being. "You were affected, weren't you?"

Apologetically Connor nodded his head weakly as he performed a self-diagnostic on his system. "Correct. I a-apologize Captain for my earlier d-disregard of your order."

Gavin scoffed at the deviant smugly as he heard Connor stammering and apologizing. "Feeling regret there, plastic-wonder?"

"Gavin," Captain Fowler snarled at the stubborn detective like a father scolding a child as he picked up his phone from his desk again. "shut up. I'm going to call Chris again and let him know what's happening. Maybe he can find Dr. Forrest and patch him through for me so I can try to help."

Unable to keep his fit contained Connor coughed and felt the ache in his chest beginning to burn with a sharp pain. Standing by the office door Connor finished his self-diagnostic that confirmed his ventilation biocomponents had been affected by the airborne attack. The biocomponents' functionality had reduced to eighty-seven percent and was declining quickly. Having had recently recovered from serious damage to his ventilation biocomponents meant that his coughing could prove to be truly problematic and could potentially stall his overall recovery.

"Chris," Captain Fowler managed to reconnect with the officer outside the precinct. "Connor managed to get a sample. It isn't lethal to humans." There was a brief pause as Captain Fowler listened to Chris on the other end of the line and the Captain's shoulders sagged with disappointment. "You're shittin' me! So even though the C.D.C. knows that the attack can't hurt any person inside the building, they still won't lift the lockdown? Damn it, I have an officer-"

Despite his best efforts to keep himself from showing any signs of distress Connor suddenly let out a deep painful cough that caused blue blood to splatter all over the floor and over Connor's now trembling hands as he tried and failed to contain the cough. The burst of coughs and subsequent Thirium splatter was enough to indicate that the deviant detective was in serious trouble.

"Ah, great!" As the affected deviant began choking and gasping for air Captain Fowler quickly corrected his previous statement. "I have TWO officers in distress here! We need a medic and a technician in here, A.S.A.P., I don't care who or how you find them."

Giving his orders Captain Fowler slammed the phone down on the receiver before he approached Connor and helped guide the struggling deviant to the floor to ensure he didn't collapse. Once on the floor Connor rested on his hands and knees while gasping and choking for air as his ventilation biocomponents continued to fail on him.

"Take it easy."

Putting his hand on Connor's back as the deviant coughed and sputtered weakly, Captain Fowler could feel the Thirium pump hammering away in Connor's chest as the afflicted deviant fought to catch his breath. The seasoned Captain could also feel that Connor was beginning to radiate an intense heat from his body.

"Shit..." Curiously he pressed the back of his free hand to the side of Connor's neck. "You're sick. I had no idea that androids could even get sick like this. I mean, I know you had the android-flu a while back, but I didn't know androids reacted to this type of shit so... humanly."

Gavin cruelly laughed again with a smug smile on his face from where he sat. "A sick android? More like a piece of junk."

"Reed, one more word and I'm suspending you for the rest of the year." Captain Fowler put his free hand against the center of Connor's chest and turned the deviant over so that he was resting on his hip instead of his hands and knees. "Lay down and breathe slowly, Connor. I'm right here."

In response Connor nodded weakly as drops of blue blood dripped from his bottom lip and ran down his chin.

Carefully Captain Fowler put both of his hands under Connor's shoulders and head as the deviant laid flat on the floor on his back. Remembering that androids had a heartbeat that responded in a similar manner to human pulses Captain Fowler pressed his hand down to the center of Connor's chest and held it there for a moment as he counted the deviant's frantic pulse.

"If you can survive bullets, high speed traffic, storms, hostage situations and Revolutions, then you can survive this." Responding to Connor's plight as he would any other human officer Captain Fowler slipped off his own black blazer to wad it up and place it under Connor's head. Loosening Connor's black tie and popping open the top two buttons of the deviant's white dress shirt, Captain Fowler did his best to keep the suddenly and dangerously sick detective comfortable. "Chris knows that you and Gavin need help. Someone should be here soon."

"...Th-Thank you, Captain." Connor wheezed as he tried to breathe through his still failing ventilation biocomponents. "...I'll b-be okay. T-Tend to Gavin first."

Captain Fowler stood up slowly and approached Gavin with an unsteady gaze in his dark brown eyes. "How about you? You okay?"

"I'm not sick." The abrasive detective snapped as if offended by the question. He hated being seen as weak no matter what happened to him. "I'm not a plastic freak."

"Then why do you look like shit?" Captain Fowler pressed as he saw the telltale signs of distress on Gavin's pale face. The man knew that Gavin was trying to hide something and didn't appreciate it. "Talk."

"I... It's nothing."

"Gavin, I'm your commanding officer. Do not lie to me."

"I... All right, fine. I'm claustrophobic." Gavin admitted with a faint red blush on his face as he owned up to the fact that he wasn't entirely fine at the moment. Being locked in a small space and being unable to leave was making his particular phobia act up. "I hate being trapped, and right now that's what we are, trapped! I don't do well in small and enclosed spaces. Never have, never will."

"Okay then. Why didn't you say that before?"

"Because it's stupid! I know I'm not trapped forever, and I know I can leave soon enough, but right now it feels like I can't go anywhere and I never will be able to go anywhere, even though I KNOW I can. It's just..." Trailing off with needless embarrassment Gavin looked away from Captain Fowler as if ashamed. "It's fucking dumb."

"Easy, I get it. My wife's claustrophobic too." Sympathetic and patient Captain Fowler did his best to not let Gavin panic. "Just try not to think about it."

The phone on Captain Fowler's desk began to ring and he had no choice but to turn his attention from his detectives and to the incoming call. He didn't want to take his attention away from either of his detectives, but duty called. In this case, literally.

"Good timing..." Snatching the phone from the receiver Captain Fowler answered the call and sighed a little as Chris began speaking quickly. "Shit, how long?" A brief pause filled with a lot of details helped the Captain to feel in the blanks. "I think so but try to get those technicians in here as fast as possible." A slightly longer and more detailed pause only made the situation feel all the more tense. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt humans but it's doing a number on Connor. He can't breathe very well."

Connor began to wheeze even harder as he coughed up more blue blood from where he was laying on the floor. Gavin turned his head away from Connor in disgust at the sight while Captain Fowler retained his composure from the other side of his desk. The seasoned detective wasn't about to shy away from a little blood.

"Yeah, let them know that stuff is making him cough up blood. Yes, I'm serious. Get on it!" Hanging up the phone Captain Fowler sat down the floor beside Connor and put his hand down on the deviant's shoulder. "It'll take them another ten minutes to get inside. You were right about the corrosion. The emergency vents in the ceiling are having a hard time removing whatever's left of the toxin from the building since it's jamming up their components."

Through half-lidded eyes Connor looked up at his Captain and nodded to acknowledge the update. Any attempt to talk would result in more coughing and more blood loss for the already downed deviant detective.

"Is there any way you can think of for us to track down the person who did this?" The question was meant to help distract Connor and Gavin while they waited for help to reach them. "Chris and the tech department are still looking at the surveillance footage but the person who dropped off the bag was under a heavy hood and wore gloves. We can't even tell if it was a man or a woman, human or android."

In response Connor slowly shook his head 'no' at the question. He didn't dare to even attempt to speak just yet.

"Gavin?" Turning to look at the detective over his shoulder Captain Fowler tried to keep the current frame of mind on the case and away from the trio being currently trapped inside the office. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Sure, I got one."

"Spill it."

"The cocky bastard attacked a police precinct in broad daylight, so he's gonna' be confident about his ability to get away with it. And he used a duffel bag to carry his little toy around. So I say we check the gym down the block for any witnesses who saw the weirdo in the hoodie." Shifting his chair around Gavin stared at his Captain kneeling beside Connor on the floor. "I guarantee that our suspect is an arrogant muscle-head who hates plastic."

"Sounds good, Gavin. As soon as we're cleared you lead the search."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you found the bag and brought it in from reception where it went off and poisoned the precinct. AND you're the one who thought of looking at the gym, so it's your case now."

A weak smirk appeared on Connor's face as his eyes began to fully close and he softly coughed again.

"Hey, hey. Eyes on me." Captain Fowler demanded as he shook Connor's shoulder lightly. "I'm not going to tell Hank that you got hurt your first day back on the job."

"...P-Poisoned." Connor weakly corrected while he wheezed again as the pain in his chest persisted. "...I was ex-exposed to poison."

"That sounds even worse."

Gavin stared at the deviant on the floor with unspoken disdain. As Connor wheezed and coughed a few more times the resentment that Gavin felt toward all androids began to lessen to a degree for a few minutes. "...It doesn't sound as bad as that coughing that he keeps doing."

"M-My self-healing program has identified the t-toxin... and has begun ex-expelling it from my systems." Connor coughed again and clutched at his sore chest with a shaking hand. "...It's un-unpleasant, but e-effective."

"Try disgusting!"

Captain Fowler just shook his head as he focused solely on Connor. "Anything I can do to help?"

Again Connor shook his head 'no' to reply. "I j-just need... time."

"Yeah," Gavin snarked from his chair as he stared through the office wall at the dissipating white fog in the bullpen. "and an inhaler!"

Suddenly a team wearing bright yellow hazmat suits swarmed the office with various meters and sensors in their hands as they began scanning the air and then focused on the duffel bag on Gavin's desk. A few minutes passed before the leader of the team gave the other members a thumbs up and removed his yellow hood to signal that the situation was under control.

"Clear." The team leader announced loudly to the entire team and to the detectives sheltered in the office. "The technician can enter now."

Captain Fowler motioned for Gavin to open the office door while he stayed with Connor on the floor. "You're going to be okay, help's here."

With his emergency satchel slung over his shoulder Joel entered the precinct calmly and looked about for the deviant that he was sent to take care of. After Gavin opened the door to the office, he waved Joel over and held the door open wide as he took in some deep breaths to settle his still shaking nerves. He'd rather breathe contaminated air than stagnant air any day of the week.

"I'm stepping out." Gavin announced rudely as he reclaimed his jacket from the floor and huffed away quickly to disappear from sight out the front doors of the precinct. He had enough of being stuck indoors for a while. "I need to get some fresh air before I start coughing like the plastic-freak."

"How long's he been like this?" Joel asked as he put his satchel down on the floor next to Connor and retrieved his audioscope from the bag. The skilled technician didn't even hesitate to begin checking over his current patient. "I just need an estimate."

"About fifteen, maybe twenty minutes." Captain Fowler answered honestly as he watched the technician set to work. "He's coughed up some Thirium, too."

Connor swallowed once and answered more accurately on Captain Fowler's behalf. "...Sixteen minutes, forty-three seconds."

"Okay." Joel finished listening to Connor's chest before he rolled up Connor's left sleeve and wrapped a Thirium pressure cuff around his bicep. "Both ventilation biocomponents are still functioning. Capacity has reduced by approximately fifteen percent, but the self-healing program is repairing the damage. Core temperature had elevated due to the malfunctioning biocomponents." Joel stated calmly as he turned Connor's head slightly to the left look at his red cycling L.E.D. glowing in his temple. "Temperature is below one-hundred degrees and dipping down to a nominal degree. All systems still online."

"F-Feeling better." Connor managed to croak out through his blue blood stained lips. "P-Pain has lessened."

"That's good. You're already healing." Checking the cuff around Connor's bicep Joel confirmed the number on the small display. "Thirium levels down to ninety-five percent. I can replenish what he's lost right here, Captain."

"Okay, go for it." Captain Fowler watched as the technician pulled a pouch of Thirium from the satchel and opened the lid on the pouch for Connor to drink. "Hey, here." Putting his arm under Connor's shoulders he helped the deviant to sit upright on the floor. "There, ya' go."

Connor nodded appreciatively as he took the offered pouch with his left hand and drank the contents slowly.

"Is the Thirium helping?" Captain Fowler asked as he watched Connor's face for any further sign of distress. "You sound better."

"...M-Mildly." Connor admitted as his red L.E.D. briefly flashed to yellow then back to red as he coughed. "M-My chest is still physically strained but the p-pain has diminished."

Keeping up with his examination Joel took a plastic tube that had a small vial of blue liquid attached to the side from his satchel and placed it before Connor's mouth.

"Breathe this in." The technician instructed as he explained to Connor what the device was for. "It'll clear up most of the toxin in your ventilation system and stop that nasty cough. It should reduce the sense of congestion in your vents too."

Captain Fowler stared at the offered item with an obvious confusion. "That looks like the nebulizer that my son had as an infant."

"It's similar in design," Joel confirmed in a laidback tone. "but this will put aerosolized Thirium directly into his ventilation biocomponents to help his recovery program undo the damage from the inhalation of the toxic air."

Connor nodded and took the offered item from Joel's hand. He breathed in twice before he started coughing again, only this time there was no blood with the rough physical reaction, and instead it felt like he was finally able to take in a nice deep breath without any pain or pressure in his chest.

"Keep using that until your ventilation biocomponents are back to one-hundred percent capacity." The compassionate technician casually instructed as he packed up his satchel and rose from the floor. "It'll help your system clear up."

Captain Fowler gave the technician an incredulous glance. "That's it?"

"That's it. Androids heal remarkably fast, and his exposure must've been extremely limited, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." Ever laidback and calm, Joel made sure Captain Fowler knew that Connor was very hearty and strong. "Not to mention he wasn't too unstable when I arrived." He looked down at Connor and smirked as he began packing up his satchel. "You'll make a full recovery in twenty-four hours, Connor. Just go home with that nebulizer and take it easy. If your coughing returns, then use the nebulizer again."

Connor's L.E.D. cycled from red to yellow and he cleared his throat and took in a deep breath without any issue. "...Thank you."

As the technician took his leave of the office Captain Fowler patted Connor's shoulder approvingly and let out a sigh of relief.

"Good work." As Captain Fowler stood up, he respectfully offered Connor his hand. As he pulled the deviant up to his feet the seasoned Captain decided to see him out of the precinct and hailed an autonomous cab on Connor's behalf with his cell phone. "Come back to work in two days. It'll give Gavin adequate time to find the suspect, and if he can't do it in that time frame, then the case is all yours."

"I'll inform Hank of this once I've returned home." Taking one final breath from the nebulizer Connor nodded his head and agreed as they passed through the bullpen and gave the duffel bag sitting on Gavin's desk a side-eyed glance. "I'm looking forward to catching the bastard."

"Watch it." A proud grin graced the Captain's lips as he escorted Connor outside. "You're beginning to sound like Hank the days."

"Sorry." Connor apologized sincerely as he coughed weakly once more and breathed in the medication again. Slipping the device into his blazer pocket Connor did his best to regain his composure by rebuttoning his shirt and straightening his tie around his collar. "I'll attempt to refrain from adopting anymore of his colorful speech patterns."

"To be honest, I think it's a little too late for that." The Captain remarked as he patted Connor's shoulder and made sure he was really okay. While he trusted Joel's expertise the man always liked to be thorough in everything he did. "You've been friends with him for far too long at this point."

Passing through the front doors Connor looked to his Captain as they stood on the somewhat crowded sidewalk together. "Will that be considered a problem in the future?"

"No, it's fine." As the autonomous cab pulled up in front of the precinct, Captain Fowler gave Connor's more deviant behavior a nod of approval. "In fact, it makes you sound more human."

-next chapter-