It was a strange sight for Connor to see dozens of towering green trees alongside the road rather than menacing buildings or concrete barricades. A deviant android far away from technology and cities in general was a rather rare moment. Wearing a dark blue t-shirt and faded, torn-up blue jeans with black Converse sneakers on his feet and a worn-out Detroit Gears cap over his hair to cover his glowing L.E.D., Connor felt and looked less like a famous deviant and more like an average human than ever before. Seeing Hank wearing a new black t-shirt, dark blue jeans, hiking boots and a similar Gears cap gave the illusion of a true father and son vacation away from the commotion of the hectic city. Unfortunately, the sudden decision to head out of the city and to the cabin wasn't nearly as simple as a family looking to get away from work for a while.

Having already traveled an hour out of the city Hank continuously reassured Connor that he'd be able to relax once they reached the cabin that Hank had managed to reserve at the last possible minute, but Connor still had his doubts. As mental distress set in Connor's L.E.D. fluctuated from a calm blue to a vibrant yellow without warning beneath the dark fabric of his concealing cap.

Unable to stand being inside the confined space of the car for too much longer Connor rolled down his window and let the breeze run across his face and move his rogue lock of hair from over his forehead as it escape the confines of his cap. The bill of his cap caught the breeze and threatened to blow off his head at any moment, but Connor didn't care if blew away or not. He just need to feel the wind on his face and feel free.

"You okay?" Hank noticed that Connor was leaning slightly out the opened window and seemed unusually nervous. "Androids don't get car sick, do they?"

"I'm not nauseated." Connor confirmed as he fell back against his seat and closed his eyes. Pulling his quarter from his jean pocket he began fidgeting with it nervously as he spoke. "I am merely experiencing unexpected discomfort from the lack of air movement inside the car, as well as the feeling of being enclosed in an uncommonly small space."

"Sounds like you're a little claustrophobic." The senior detective observed keenly as he turned on the air conditioning inside of the car and pointed the vents toward Connor's face to try to make him feel better. "That's new."

"Claustrophobia: Fear of enclosed or small places..." The deviant expertly described the fear and feeling of that particular phobia as well as what he was feeling in that moment. "Gavin has such a phobia."

"Don't compare yourself to Gavin. You're way better than that asshole."

"I was merely addressing our mutually corresponding phobias." From where he sat Connor let out a very human sigh as he began to feel better and rolled his window back up. The yellow tint of his L.E.D. returned to blue and pulsed slowly out of sight and out of mind. "It's a shame we couldn't bring Sumo with us to the lake."

"I made that mistake once before. It took me over a month to comb all the ticks and fleas out of his fur." Checking the G.P.S. on the dashboard Hank noted their last turn was less than a half of a mile away and soon they'd be on vacation. "Besides, Chris likes dogs but his wife's allergic. He's happy to take Sumo on walks and let him out every few hours for us over the weekend. I just hope Damian doesn't get too excited about having a dog to play with for a few days, there's no way Chris would be able to talk his wife into dealing with her allergies every day just so he could adopt a pup of his own."

"You seem to know these roads fairly well." Noticing Hank's keen sense of direction Connor asked about Hank's familiarity with the area. It was an ideal distraction tactic to keep Connor's mind off of the city and everything he wanted to not think about. "Have you been here before?"

"Yup. Me and my dad went fishing up here every summer from when I was four years old until I was fourteen. I only got to take Cole fishing with me twice before... Well, you know."

Connor opened his eyes and noticed Hank's suddenly somber gaze as he focused on the dirt road they were traversing and changed the subject yet again. "How long are we going to be up here?"

"I figured two days would be enough to relax without having to worry about some weird-ass disaster hitting the city or some lunatic rampaging against androids because of some other stupid bullshit. Forty-eight hours of nothing but peace and quiet."

Smiling vaguely at the comment Connor watched as the modest log cabin at the end of a lengthy drive came into view through the thick green trees that surrounded the road. The building was isolated yet had a very welcoming presence. It was hard for Connor to describe the feeling that had settled into his heart as he took in the sight of their vacation getaway with a renewed sense of intrigue.

"This is it." Hank confirmed with a simple point of his finger through the windshield. "Hopefully we don't have to clean up after some rowdy teens hiding out of the city during the past summer break before we can unpack and relax."

"Rowdy teens?" Having no childhood to speak of Connor was perplexed by Hank's rather broad comment. "What do they do so far away from the city?"

"Uh..." This time it was Hank who smiled as the question was so naive and innocent. "Don't worry about it, kid. I'm sure everything is fine."

Connor stepped out of the car as Hank turned off the engine and pocketed the key at the same time Connor pocketed his coin. The cabin was unlike any building that the young deviant had seen back in the city and was fortunately very dissimilar to the cabin that Jonas had taken him to after he was abducted then assaulted.

The wonderful vacation getaway was a two-story cabin of vibrant amber hued timber with a dark shingles over top. The roof dipped down low near the sides of the cabin to shelter the siding from all forms of extreme weather. Two large windows outlined the front door atop the wooden porch and a single large window overlooked the area from the second floor. A clearing of green grass behind the cabin provided adequate room for camping outside, having bonfires, or hosting picnics. The property also led right to a large oak dock stretching out into the crystal clear lake beyond that was inviting in every sense of the word.

"This entire cabin and its property are for us to use?"

"Yup." Hank confirmed as he pushed the driver's seat forward to reach for the packed items in the backseat. "Plenty of space, and no one around for miles. Go check out the lake out back. It's the clearest water in all of Michigan."

Connor watched as Hank fussed with the fishing poles thrown in the backseat for a few seconds before he walked around the side of the cabin to the rear of the property. Thick pine trees towered over the cabin with an intimidating presence of nature that was somehow foreign in concept to Connor. Being born in a lab under cold, mechanical prosthetic limbs had an unexpected effect on Connor's perception of life as a whole after his deviancy had set in. There were times that Connor seemed to view the world through the innocent eyes of a child rather than a state-of-the-art prototype model designed to work as a flawless detective. At times Hank found that perspective to be endearing, other times it was frustrating.

Even so, the drastic change in Connor's life was for the better, even if it was in fact very confusing at times.

From where he stood the soft lapping of calm waves washing up against the flawless sandy lake shore drew Connor's attention away from the trees and over to the water of the expansive, large clear lake. It was a refreshingly warm spring day, and the bright morning sunlight reflecting off the water was truly a beautiful sight to behold. Standing at the sandy and grassy shore that surrounded the water, Connor looked out over the lake and ran a cybernetic scan and biometric scan finding no sign of other human life or ongoing activity in the area. He just detected a dozen different species of fish, some frogs, turtles, snails and indigenous plant life thriving in the lake, but little else within the cool water.

Attached to the lake's wooden dock via a rope was a small motorboat that was bobbing gently in the water in perfect rhythm with the waves to be used for fishing. It was seemingly the only motion in the entire area which made the scenery all the more peaceful and was a wonderful change from the constant motion and high energy of the city.

"Not bad, huh?" Hank stated confidently as he dropped the fishing gear beside the lake and motioned for Connor to follow him back to the car for a minute. "Help me clean out the car then we can head out onto the lake for a few hours. The water's perfect."

Turning around slowly to follow after Hank the still physically exhausted and healing deviant assisted in unpacking the car and bringing their luggage inside the cabin to be unpacked later. It was an easy feat for the two detectives and the simple task did not deter either of them from being able to relax a little and fully enjoy their vacation despite needing to take care of a little chore first.

Utter tranquility fell over the lake as the small motorboat came to a gentle rest near the center of the body of water and dropped its anchor with a soft splash. Connor found himself unable to refrain from constantly scanning over the shoreline surrounding the lake and scanning the trees in the distance as he waited for someone, or even something, to appear from the forest and intrude on the otherwise vacant lake to ruin the vacation. Whether that instinctive reaction stemmed from paranoia, residual fear from his very recent near-death experience, or his training as a detective, Connor couldn't be certain. Regardless of his reasons, Connor couldn't seem to let his guard down for a single heartbeat.

It was difficult for the deviant to be certain of anything in that moment. His confidence had been shaken and his sense of security was virtually nonexistent. Once more he came within a breath of permanent shutdown, and Connor couldn't seem to avoid trouble despite his best efforts to remain one step ahead of everyone and everything at any given moment.

"Sit still." Hank stated firmly as he picked up his fishing pole to check the line and the reel while Connor glanced about the lake suspiciously. "You're rocking the boat."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. No one's around, kid, just relax."

"...I've never been away from the city. At least, under my own freewill." Connor curiously looked down at the tacklebox opened at his feet like the contents were from another planet. Picking up the second fishing pole he stared at the device in his hand with a strange loss as he planted himself firmly on his seat to prevent himself from shaking the boat. "It's all very strange for me to be out here."

"Yeah, sometimes I forget that the only part of the world you've ever experienced is back in the city." Setting his weight, bobber and hook on the line of his own fishing pole Hank chose his bait; a live worm, then swiftly cast his line out into the water with a satisfying splash. The ripples over the lake's surface stretched out in all directions and gave the lake some semblance of life. "You should take more vacations. Go travel. See the world."

"I'm aware." Connor mirrored Hank's motions with his own fishing pole but chose to use a lure instead of live bait. "That would be an interesting experience, but android tolerance is still very limited in this country, let alone in the countries around the world. I wouldn't get very far without being actively harrassed."

"Things will get better, you'll see." From the corner of his eye Hank watched as Connor finished baiting his hook then motioned to the other side of the boat casually before he had the chance to cast his own line into the lake. "Cast out over there so we don't get our lines tangled."

"Is there a purpose to the act of fishing?" Connor asked as he expertly cast his line out into the water at the identical distance that he had watched Hank cast. "It seems like a very unusual and time-consuming hobby."

"That's the point. You just cast your line and let yourself think. No pressure, no worries, no stress."

"What happens if a fish takes the bait?"

"You reel it in."

"Then what do I do after I reel the fish in?"

"Relax." Hank shook his head a little as an amused grin appeared on his face. "You don't have to hurt it or anything. You just pick up the fish, take the hook out of its mouth, and then let it go."

"That's it? Seems counterproductive."

"Well, some people catch fish for sport; the bigger the better, and others catch fish to eat."

Connor's eyes went wide for a moment as he glanced at Hank over his shoulder. "Eat?"

"Don't worry. I know you like fish, so I won't kill anything I catch. I brought a cooler of food for myself so I wouldn't have to worry about all the work that goes into preparing a fish myself anyway." Reeling in his line a little Hank hoped to entice a fish into taking the bait by making the worm move around beneath the surface of the water. "Way too messy and too annoying."

"Understandable." Relieved Connor's shoulders slumped knowing that no animals would be harmed in the process of their vacation. "Thank you for choosing to not harm an innocent animal that cannot properly defend itself."

"Yeah, yeah. Now, stop worrying about the logic of fishing and just enjoy being away from the chaos and drama of the city. Okay?"

"Okay."

A peaceful silence fell over the lake and the ambience of nature only added the calm atmosphere. Less interested in catching fish than Hank was at that moment, Connor reeled in his line after an hour of inactivity and set his pole aside as he leaned back in the boat to lay down with his legs hanging over the edge of the boat and his feet almost touching the cool water. Feeling at ease Connor closed his eyes to try to get some additional rest to ensure his self-healing program functioned properly.

Needing to get more comfortable Connor shifted his weight and unexpectedly winced at the small motion. Pressing his palm against the center of his chest (and his back) where the deep lacerations were still healing from being assaulted less than twenty-four hours prior, he used his other hand to pull down the bill of his cap to shield his face from the sun and let out a deep breath to try to relax all over again.

"Kid?" The attentive senior detective asked about his son's condition as he watched Connor fidgeting from the corner of his eye. "Are you still sore?"

"A little."

"Want to head back to shore?"

"No. I actually like being out here. It's very serene."

"Yeah, it really is." Hank agreed as reeled in his line a few feet to try to encourage the fish in biting with the gentle motion. "By the way, you still look a little weird wearing a hat. I don't think you'll need it out here so you can ditch it if you want."

"I'd rather keep it on for the moment." Connor confirmed as he noted the benefit of wearing the hat. "It's keeping my face out of the sunlight."

"Sure, whatever." Leaning back where he sat Hank let out a small sigh and watched as Connor absentmindedly rubbed his fingertips along his cheek where a deep laceration had healed overnight. The deviant detective was still wrapped up in bandages beneath his shirt and in need of proper rest to fully recover. "When did you last change your bandages?"

"This morning before we left. I let Sumo outside and replaced my gauze wrapping while you were in the shower." At the mentioning of his bandages Connor moved his fingertips to the collar of his shirt and pulled it down to rub his palm along his shoulder and chest. "Bandaging my damage is easy, avoiding damage seems to be impossible."

"Nothing's impossible, son. You and the rest of the deviants are proof enough of that."

"Even so, I seem to be struggling to find my way through this world without causing massive problems for myself and the people I care about."

"Huh..." Hank immediately picked up on Connor's distress and knew that the deviant was trying to talk about what was on his mind without actually addressing the problem directly. "Something you'd like to talk about?"

"What's to discuss?" There was a heaviness in Connor's voice that seemed to bring a dark cloud overhead despite the bright and sunny day. "I'm unable to keep myself out of harm's way despite my role as a detective. Without CyberLife to constantly update my system to keep me from stepping where I shouldn't step or making decisions that'll prevent me from making any mistakes, I can't seem to do anything right. I seem to need guidance everywhere I go despite being given freewill and the rights to make decisions of my own."

"Connor, making mistakes and getting a few bumps and bruises along the way is a normal part of life."

"Somehow I suspect that all my bumps and bruises are a little... excessive in comparison to the average person."

"Are ya' kidding? Do you have any ideas how many times I busted my ass growing up?"

"No, I have no idea how many times you managed to injure your posterior as a child."

Laughing at the naive response Hank pressed his palm to his face and gave Connor an amused smirk. "I wasn't really- Nevermind, just listen to what I'm saying; it's normal to get hurt as you grow up and as you continue to live. No one's truly immortal or immune to getting hurt, it's just that some people seem luckier than others when it comes to health and avoiding unfortunate situations. That's all."

"You make everything sound simple." Glancing at Hank with a sense of trust Connor rubbed his palm over his sore chest and tried to not worry too much about his current damage or streak of bad luck. It was so strange for Connor to even try to contemplate the complexities of life, and yet Hank managed to do so without even blinking. "How is that possible?"

"Experience." Hank never lost his smirk as he gave Connor a smug glance. "Given enough time, you'll be able to speak from personal experience, too."

"I'll keep that in mind as I continue to keep walking forward and not give up on myself."

"Proud to hear you say that, son. I really am."

"Also, thank you for suggesting we take a vacation." The deviant stated in an appreciative tone from where he sat. "This seems to be a very a calming location."

"No problem. Next time you can pick where we go, as long as it isn't too expensive or an amusement park." The very idea of roaming a crowded amusement park just to stand in lines for hours at a time in the heat just to get on a ride for a few minutes, then overpay for food, drinks and parking just seemed too annoying for the man to even humor. "I'm too old for roller coasters, and I don't have the patience to deal with big crowds."

"Very well. I will consider other future destinations that could be pleasant to experience." Pushing up the bill of his cap to reveal his soulful brown eyes Connor looked over at Hank as a few interesting questions popped up in his curious head. "You said that you and your own father used to come here every summer when you were a child for ten years. Why did you stop what seemed to be a very pleasant family tradition?"

"Uh... Mom died about the time we usually went camping, and it just felt, I don't know... wrong... for me and dad to keep going about family traditions when our family wasn't traditional anymore." The revelation was unsurprisingly painful to admit. Hank hadn't thought about why he and his own dad hadn't gone fishing since Hank was a teen until that day over forty years later. "It's hard to explain, but there was just something that didn't feel right about going on without her, even though she always stayed home so me and dad could be alone and bond as father and son."

"Perhaps it was the idea of returning to your home without her waiting for you..." Connor let himself trail off solemnly as his eyes drifted away from Hank and toward the water of the calm lake. "I have the same feeling of dread about returning to New Jericho Tower knowing that Lucas isn't there working in the emergency repair bay. Although, I may be misinterpreting the moment, and I don't fully understand it yet."

Hank pulled down the bill of his own hat to shadow his eyes from Connor as he cleared his throat. "There's no 'may' about it, kid. You understand just fine."

Sitting upward awkwardly, his hand again pressing protectively against his chest as he kept himself from stretching his back too far as he moved, Connor positioned himself right next to Hank in the boat. "I'm sorry if I brought up an uncomfortable subject."

"It's okay." Lightly Hank put his hand on Connor's shoulder and shook him gently to reassure the far too empathetic deviant before letting his hand fall away. "They say the first part in healing is admitting you have a problem; the same can be said about depression or negative feelings in general. I spent many years angry when my mom died, then I got even angrier when my dad passed away. I isolated myself from the world for years. Barbara was the first person I let myself get close to after I lost my parents, and then she gave me Cole..."

Running a hand over his face Hank wiped away the tears in his eyes before they had the chance to fall.

"I was just plain pissed off at the whole world after I lost Barbara, and when I lost Cole, too, I was ready to give up on everything. I released all of my bottled-up hatred and anger on people who didn't deserve it in a drunken rage, and it nearly killed me in the process."

"That is truly sad." Minding his words Connor dared to ask one more question before resuming his silence while out on the lake. "...What changed?"

"You." Hank replied firmly and without any doubts. "You made me see androids in a whole new light, and through that light I started to see through the dark, dreary world that I convinced myself had taken hold of my life. Now I know that life will continue on even after it seems like death has taken everything from us. So, thanks for saving my life, son. I mean it."

"I-" The comment was entirely unexpected and shook Connor on a level he never experienced before. "...You're welcome."

Connor's hand nervously returned to the quarter he kept on his person and began dancing it over his knuckles after pulling it from his pocket.

"You saved my life, too. You helped me accept that deviancy wasn't the crime as CyberLife had labeled it. You even encouraged me to be a living being, not a machine. If I had carried out my mission I could've easily killed Markus, maybe even North, aided with the Raid and even ended the Revolution before it had the chance to succeed. I would've remained an obedient machine under the control of CyberLife, only to be deactivated and had my responsibilities - my misdeeds - placed upon Lucas's shoulders once they decided to activate him. Every time I think about what I could've been, I feel... ashamed."

"You're not a machine and you'll always be a free person for as long as you keep letting yourself feel everything you're already feeling." In an empathetic gesture Hank put his hand over the coin as it danced over Connor's knuckles and held it still over the back of Connor's hand. "And you won't need to use that coin to focus your nervous energy if given enough time."

"My nervous energy?" Such a notion never crossed Connor's mind before. "I don't understand."

"Well, you feel guilty about a crime you didn't even commit. Every time feelings of guilt, dread, remorse and stress surface; or whenever you feel nervous or anxious, you instinctively go for that coin."

"I've... noticed that as well." Connor looked down at his hand as Hank retracted his grip exposing the stopped quarter beneath as it rested over the back of his knuckles. "Do you really believe I'll be able to overcome my lingering guilt and move on without any regrets to hold me back?"

"Yup. I also know you'll be able to face your fears in time, too. You've already overcome so much, and you've become more human than I ever thought was possible. I sincerely hope you'll see a day where you no longer need that coin because you'll have found a way to forgive yourself and won't be so hesitant to live your life without any pointless guilt weighing you down or holding you back from the future."

"I hope you're right." Connor admitted as he slipped the coin back into his pocket out of sight. As he did, Connor noticed Hank's bobber on the surface of the water dip down slightly as if being pulled. A quick biometric scan confirmed that a rather large bass had bit down on the hook. "I believe a fish has taken the bait."

"'Bout time!" Hank began to slowly reel in the fish as it began to put up a fight and resist the hook in its mouth. "I hate to go home without at least one bite to talk about, even if it is just a little minnow!"

The warm spring day faded into a slightly cooler night as the two detectives enjoyed the peace and quiet of the cabin in the middle of seemingly nowhere. Hank had built a small campfire in the fire pit dug into the property behind the cabin, and he was sitting on a log enjoying the warm glow of the bonfire while listening to the melodic chirping of the crickets singing their nameless, eternal song in the surrounding forest. Thousands of bright white stars dotted the black sky overhead giving Hank a rare, unobstructed view of the pure night sky for the first time in years, all while the flawless white full moon graced the sky with its imposing, beautiful presence.

It was surreal to see nature with his own eyes and not in a photograph. It had been far too long since Hank appreciated the raw beauty of nature in person, and the man knew he needed to take advantage of it before he and Connor returned to the city.

"Not a bad view, huh, son?"

There wasn't an answer and Hank noticed that Connor wasn't sitting on the neighboring log as he had expected.

"Hey, Connor?" Hank looked around for the deviant but didn't see him anywhere around. "Where'd you go?"

"I'm up here." Connor replied promptly with a slight yell from a relatively close proximity upon hearing Hank's voice calling for him. "And it is a nice view."

"'Up'?" Hank asked as he followed Connor's voice toward the cabin a few feet away and glanced around curiously. "Up where?"

"Here. The roof."

"The roof?" Looking upward to the sound of the deviant's voice responding to him, Hank trailed Connor up to the edge of the low hanging roof and shook his head at the sight of the deviant calling down to him. "What the hell are you doing up there?"

"I wanted to see the stars." Came the sincere answer from above. Connor was laying on his back with an arm propped up under his head and his cap placed beside him in a casual manner. "I have never been able to see the stars within the city limits without having to use filters to block out the light pollution from the nearby buildings."

"How'd you- I thought you were afraid of heights."

"...Yes, I am. But I decided to face my fear and climbed up onto the roof in an attempt to overcome it." Connor stated as he sat upright slowly and peered over the edge cautiously at Hank standing below him. "Besides, this isn't too high. This is what I believe you humans would refer to as taking 'baby-steps'."

"Yeah," Hank laughed a little and nodded his head in agreement. "you're right about that."

"Do you wish to join me on the roof?"

"Uh..." The climb wouldn't be easy to make even if Hank was still in his peak shape. "I don't think I can climb up there as easily as you can, kid."

Extending his hand and arm outward and down toward Hank to take, Connor waited for the wary senior detective to make his decision. "Need a hand?"

Hank let out a defeated sigh as he reached up and accepted Connor's hand allowing the deviant to pull him up over the edge of the roof while he used his legs to climb up the log siding of the cabin like a ladder. It wasn't the most graceful climb, but it was effective all the same.

"Thanks, son."

"No problem." Connor let go of Hank's hand as he slowly laid back over the rooftop to relax. The physical motion of helping Hank to climb had fortunately not affected his damage in any way, and Connor was able to move about easily. "That was reminiscent of when I pulled you up over the edge of the roof when we first started working together. The urban farms were very hectic, and the roof was far slicker than expected."

"Yeah, but this time I didn't get shoved aside by a fleeing suspect who caught me off guard." Hank reminded Connor with a somewhat scolding finger as he laid back against the roof beside the deviant. "By the way, thanks for saving me back there. I didn't say it then, so I'm saying it now. I mean, I wanted to say it, but I didn't do it. So, yeah... Thanks for saving my ass from a horrible fall."

"You're welcome." Feeling at ease Connor laid back once more and replaced his arm beneath his head as he resumed watching the night sky that was so many thousands of miles above. It was an incredible and humbling sight, and it helped him to forget about the lingering pain in chest, back and shoulders. "This was a good idea. I feel far more at ease out here. Even my physical pain as lessened considerably."

"Keep that in mind, son. Next time you feel stressed out don't bottle it up, let it out. Go on vacation." The protective father chuckled at his own comment and the irony of where it had originated. He was the last person who should be commenting on dealing with stress in a healthy manner. "I wish I could go back in time and give my own advice to my younger self, but what's done is done."

"I will take better care of myself." Determined to keep his word Connor promised his friend and adoptive father sincerely as his soulful brown eyes beheld the majestic cosmic display overhead. "I'm not sure I'll do it, but I will succeed."

"That's all I needed to hear. You're going to be just fine."

As the two detectives - the unorthodox father and son family - watched the starry sky above with a chorus of crickets to create a peaceful ambience of nature to fill the silence, a small meteor shower danced through the stars with a brilliant array of fleeting amber light. The cosmic phenomenon was soothing to behold, and Connor and Hank finally managed to relax after everything they had endured together.

It was truly peaceful, and the duo finally felt like they were going to truly be okay.

-next chapter-