It was almost nine in the morning and Hank found himself holding a mug of coffee and standing outside Connor's bedroom door watching the deviant sleeping peacefully on his side with Sumo cuddled up at the foot of the bed with him. Connor's left shoulder, arm and entire hand had been heavily bandaged the night before by Hank himself after the duo returned home the previous night, and the limb was now outstretched away from the rest of his body as if the limb was still too sore to be touched. The only reason Connor hadn't been taken to a facility for treatment was because Hank didn't want to make Connor do something he didn't want to do, especially on his birthday. Besides, Connor wasn't in critical condition and could easily heal on his own.

Content that Connor wasn't hiding any pain as he slept and wasn't in any danger, Hank quietly walked away from the bedroom and sat down on the couch in the livingroom to turn on the television. As Hank found the morning news talking about the weather forecast his phone began to 'buzz' on the small table next to the couch. With a heavy sigh Hank picked up the phone and quickly answered the intrusive call as soon as he saw the caller I.D. on the display.

"Yeah, Jeffrey, what's up?" Hank listened for a few seconds as he sipped his coffee then made a grab for the remote. Increasing the volume Hank confirmed his superior's request. "Yeah, I'm watching the news right now."

'This is a special bulletin regarding unscrupulous and illegal underground activities by the perceived bankrupt company CyberLife.' The female news reporter was as indifferent as usual, but her voice carried the severity of the situation with her report as she addressed the public. 'Last night two local police detectives uncovered a plot by former CyberLife employees and technicians who were attempting to unleash an E.M.P. - that is an electromagnetic pulse - over the city of Detroit and wipe out all electronic devices within the city limits.'

"Son of a- Jeffrey, what did Markus tell you? No, wait, I'll ask him myself."

Without even a 'goodbye' Hank ended the call and casually tossed the phone aside on to the table as he leaned forward with great interest toward the television screen as the report continued.

"We turn our backs for one minute and everything in this city goes bat-shit."

'-the former technicians for the company had been hacking into the processors of prototype androids and instructing them against their own programming to engage in illegal activities to plant electronic devices designed to focus the E.M.P. throughout the immediate area. Authorities speculate that the goal of the company was to eradicate electronic devices and androids alike to rebuild the company from the ground up using the sudden increase of supply and demand to fund their research and to eliminate androids rights as sentience has been legally confirmed as a necessity for the rights in general.'

"They make it sound like a simple money-making scheme or an attempt to erase their past mistakes. The fuckers were trying to kill deviants."

'-all suspected personnel have been detained by the F.B.I. and are awaiting charges. Meanwhile the two detectives who uncovered the activity, Lieutenant Hank Anderson and his partner, who is also the first android detective permitted to the police force, Detective Connor Anderson, have been praised as heroes for their hard work, and will be recognized appropriately for their actions.'

"Heroes? More like we got fuckin' lucky."

Disgusted by the report Hank turned off the television and leaned back against the couch only to have Sumo pop up from behind the furniture and lick the side of his face to give him a slobbery kiss.

"Gross..." Hank tilted his head back to look at Sumo and noticed that Connor was standing at the end of the hallway with a somewhat puzzled look on his face. "Hey, kid. When'd you wake up?"

"Two minutes, seven seconds ago. My processor cybernetically alerted me to the phone call from Captain Fowler. Also," pointing to Sumo as the massive dog continued to wag his tail and seek Hank's approval. "Sumo found you again. He's getting quite good at identifying unique scents."

"Yeah, I guess." Hank used the hem of his t-shirt to wipe off his cheek. "And sorry for waking you up, I was hoping you'd get to sleep in a little more."

"It's fine." Walking more into the livingroom and away from the hallway Connor inquired about the news report with a slightly perplexed stare. "Are we really being praised as heroes?"

"Yeah, looks like it. Jeffrey didn't say anything when he called, he just wanted me to turn on the news and see the report."

"I don't want to be recognized as such." The deviant admitted in a shy tone. "It feels like a superfluous title that will only put an uncomfortable amount of attention on the entire precinct."

"Son, you have no idea how right you are." Hank slowly stood up from the couch and ran his hand through his messy gray hair in deep thought. "Anyway, happy birthday. How's your arm?"

"Sore." The deviant admitted as he moved his left arm and flexed his left palm a little. The burns were already much lighter and his artificial skin had been regenerating steadily over his plastimetal frames. "It's still healing."

"Did you sleep okay? No nightmares or anything weird?"

"No. It was a normal rest mode. It somehow seemed more restful than usual though."

"And, uh," Hank motioned to own right temple before pointing toward Connor's right temple. "what about that?"

"It's an interesting sensation." Lightly Connor's fingertips traced over the perfectly smooth artificial skin where the L.E.D. had been his entire life until just the night before. "I don't miss it or regret having it removed."

"I'm glad. So, what should we-"

A knock at the front door stopped Hank mid sentence and made Sumo bark once as he raced up to the door and sat down excitedly.

"Now what?" The senior detective grumbled as he approached the door but peered out discreetly through the front window behind the curtain first before he answered. "If that's a news reporter looking for an interview I'm shoving his camera right up his ass."

"Wouldn't such an event be physically impossible and uncomfortable for both parties involved?"

Hank let out a deep laugh at Connor's question before he stepped around Sumo to put his hand on the doorknob.

"It's just Joel." Opening the door Hank let the technician inside and quickly shut the door behind him. "Hey, Joel."

"Hank." Joel had his emergency technician's satchel over his shoulder and looked over at Connor, immediately honing in on his bandaged up left arm. "Connor. I wanted to check in on you, but I figured that you two were going to use your day off to lay low until the press finds a new story to report."

"You figured right." With a breathy sigh Hank confirmed the suspicion as he returned to the couch and laid down over the expanse of the furniture. "Just so you know, Connor's okay, aside from his arm getting banged up anyway."

"I'm just happy to see him at all." The technician smirked as walked up to Connor and pulled a small penlight from his satchel and shined the light into Connor's soulful brown eyes. "Visual sensors are normal. Any issues with your auditory or vocal processors?"

"No." Connor confirmed as he rolled up the short sleeve of his black t-shirt to reveal the full extent of the white gauze wrapped around his entire left arm. "I suffered a bullet wound to the left shoulder and severe electrical burns that originated at the palm of my hand and radiated up my arm to said shoulder. The shock was severe enough to cause my pump to seize resulting in temporary Thirial arrest."

"Uh..." Joel's shoulders slouched with disbelief at Connor's completely casual response to his own near-lethal injuries. "Do you want to go to a facility and get your heart checked out?"

"No. My self-diagnostic has found my Thirium pump to be functioning at one-hundred percent capacity."

"Good, that's... good." Joel still couldn't get over how easily Connor was able to move on after enduring such catastrophic damage. "Let me at least check your arm and listen to your chest, and then I'll head back to the precinct and let Captain Fowler know that you're okay."

"That's acceptable." Connor agreed and allowed Joel to unwrap the gauze from around his arm very carefully. "There's plenty of clean gauze in the android first aid kit we keep in the bathroom."

Carefully Joel began unwrapping the bandages as he extended Connor's arm straight outward in front of the deviant. The remaining damage was enough to make Joel wince sympathetically as he could only imagine how the damage looked when it was fresh.

"How's your current range of motion?"

"Normal." The deviant replied honestly as he slowly flexed his fingers. "Aside from a mild ache in my shoulder, my arm, hand and fingers are all responding without any form of hindrance or limitations."

With the gauze removed Joel was able to see the few remaining flaws in the artificial flesh that Connor's self-healing program was working to regenerate. A few imperfections in the partially charred skin outlined the exposed white plastimetal frame over the entirety of his palm and along his fingertips, but the skin had fully regenerated over his arm and shoulder while his hand and fingers were still exposed.

"I don't see any sign of fractures in your plastimetal frame, so I doubt you'll develop any form of infection. You may want to consider dousing your hand in some decontaminating chrism and apply a regenerative increment before you replace the bandages."

"I will consider it. Thank you, Joel."

"One more thing." Pulling out his audioscope from his satchel Joel slipped the earbuds into place and pressed the bell over Connor's chest to listen to the deviant's heartbeat. Listening closely Joel paid attention to Connor's heart to ensure there wasn't an underlying issue. "Normal pump rhythm and pump rate. You're fine. Unless you guys need anything from me," Joel volunteered as he replaced the audioscope into his satchel and closed it back up. "I'll be on my way."

"I appreciate your help." Connor thanked sincerely as looked down at his exposed left hand and flexed his fingers once more. "I will manage just fine from here."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll see you back at the precinct whenever you're ready to return."

"Huh..." Hank didn't like the way Joel said that and sat upright on the couch. "Joel, is there something going on at the precinct we should know about?"

"Just swarms of reporters circling the precinct like vultures."

"Ah, cripes. If they aren't gone by tomorrow, I'm calling off sick!" Without hesitation Hank pointed at Connor quickly as Joel reached the front door. "You too! We don't get paid enough as it is to deal with criminals, there's no way we're getting enough compensation to handle the media."

"I'll make sure Captain Fowler knows how you feel." Joel shook his head at the odd joke as he stepped around Sumo and left the house with the intent of remaining as discreet as possible upon his exit. "See ya' guys around."

"Interesting..." Connor gave Hank an odd look as he walked over to the bathroom and almost laughed as he picked up the properly packed android first aid kit from beneath the sink. "Joel didn't notice my L.E.D. had been removed."

"I think you telling him about the electrocution and cardiac arrest distracted him a little. Okay, as I was saying earlier," Hank continued on casually as Connor opened the kit after he placed it atop the stereo system and began to carefully re-bandage his left hand. "it's your birthday so what do you want to do?"

"I'd like to avoid becoming a recognized face on the news." Connor replied sharply as he finished his task and joined Hank on the couch as the senior detective moved his legs aside. "That'd be a good start."

"That's already a given." The man confirmed as he watched Connor's move like a hawk. "What else?"

"I honestly don't know." Sumo walked over to the couch and dropped his green fetch ball expectantly onto Connor's lap as he wagged his massive tail back and forth. As he picked up the ball an interesting idea popped into Connor's head regarding something he'd like to do that day. "Basketball?"

"You wanna' play basketball as a birthday gift?" Hank's eyes drifted to the window looking out to the backyard and to the garage at the end of the side driveway with an almost stunned glance. "Really?"

"Yes. I rather enjoyed the activity, though it originated from less-than-ideal circumstances."

"All right. You wanna' play basketball?" Clapping his hand down on Connor's good shoulder Hank agreed to the gift. "Then we'll play basketball. I'll even tie one arm behind my back so it's a fair match."

"That won't be necessary." Connor tossed Sumo's green ball into the kitchen to placate the massive dog as he rose from the couch to get ready for the game. "I'll change my clothes and meet you outside."

Wearing a black t-shirt, ragged torn up jeans and a pair of worn-out sneakers Connor busied himself with playing fetch with Sumo in the backyard near the fence until Hank finally joined the deviant outside. The massive puppy, a teenager who'd be an adult in just a few more months, was already getting tired from the hot summer day. However, Sumo was too energetic and playful to stop the game on his own and insisted on continuing to fetch the ball no matter how many times Connor tossed it or how far it soared through the air. Fortunately, Connor saw how much Sumo was panting and decided to take the initiative on the matter and take the shaggy dog back inside to cool down.

"Okay, boy. Let's get you inside and get you some water."

Connor took the drool covered ball back from the dog and casually tossed it up into the air to catch it with his good hand and repeat the process until he reached the back deck and let Sumo back inside. Pouring some cold water into Sumo's bowl Connor watched as the large pup quickly emptied the bowl and wagged his tail happily once more as the cool water helped him to cool down and slake his thirst.

"Good boy."

"Hey, put this on your hand." Hank stated as he tossed a black leather glove over to Connor who easily caught it without dropping the green fetch ball. "I used to wear that when I played baseball in high school. It protected my left hand whenever I swung the bat, it should keep your hand from getting banged up during the game."

"Thanks." Connor easily slipped the black glove over his sore hand. The leather glove wrapped around his bandaged palm and partially up his wrist, but it didn't cover his fingers. "You should keep some water outside with you to prevent dehydration as we play."

"Already on it." Without breaking stride Hank pulled open the refrigerator door and pulled out two bottles of water before gesturing toward the backdoor. "All right, let's play."

Dressed for the game Hank was wearing an old gray t-shirt and a worn-out pair of black shorts over his even more worn-out tennis shoes. As the duo stepped down the back deck steps and reached the driveway beside the house, Connor grabbed the basketball resting on the ground next to the garage door and dribbled it twice before holding it in his hands. The glove was able to keep the pain at bay as he gripped the large orange ball.

"Ready, kid?"

"Absolutely." Connor stood under the hoop hanging over the garage door and gave Hank a single nod. "Play to ten?"

"Sure. Best of three?"

"Sounds fair." Casually Connor bounced the ball to Hank and noticed someone walking up the driveway from behind the parked car. "...A visitor?"

"Hm? Now what?" A little annoyed at the unexpected visitor Hank turned around quickly as he tossed his bottles of water up to the side of the house and into the shade to keep them cool. "Oh, it's Markus."

"Am I intruding?" Markus asked as he joined his friends in the driveway with a sheepish smirk on his face. "I tried the front door but obviously no one heard me."

"No intrusion." Connor replied quickly as he approached his friend just Markus reached the center of the driveway. "Is something wrong?"

"No, actually everything is going right." There was a noted gleam of hope in Markus's mismatched eyes and his voice as he spoke. "We figured out the connection between you and the other deviants who had been corrupted by CyberLife, and like you, they're all behaving normally again."

"What was the error?"

"Connor, the other deviants are like us." Markus seemed to be almost amazed by the discovery that had been made during the night. "They were all prototype 'RK' models."

"They were 'RK' models?" The revelation made Connor's brow arch inquisitively. "All of them?"

"Yeah. They lied about their model numbers after they arrived at the tower, which is why Cassandra was trying so hard to disable Skye's security program during their mission. We would've put the pieces together quicker if she hadn't interfered and allowed us to see their true model numbers."

"Weird." Hank tucked the basketball under his arm as he listened in on the bizarre conversation. "Why lie about the model numbers to begin with? It would've been easier to just keep a low profile than keep up a lie."

"CyberLife needed to hide their tracks." One piece at a time, Markus began solving the puzzle with his own collection of evidence. "If we pieced together the model numbers as soon as the rogue deviants began to show erratic behavior, then their scheme could've been revealed sooner. The lie kept us from trying to find a single model to investigate rather than a software malfunction."

"Why weren't you affected?" Connor asked somewhat skeptically as he noted the details. "You never lost control of your programming."

"I'm the only 'RK-200' model ever created, and I wasn't created by CyberLife." Shame marked Markus's face as he reminded his two friends of his entirely unique background and creation. "Kamski himself designed me to be given to Carl and live as his son. I didn't have the same default program hidden in my software as you and the other 'RK' models."

"I see. Cassandra was the most advanced of the 'RK' models in the group, wasn't she?"

"Actually, no. She is the only remaining 'RK-500' model, her entire line had been designed to be flawless with security, but humans didn't trust an android to watch their every move, so the line was discontinued before their final designs were finished and put onto mass market."

"And the other 'RK' models?"

"Well, as it turns out Eddie and George were both 'RK-600' models, along with Audrey - who also took part in your assault - and were designed as engineers. Tyrone, who attacked you outside the tower, used the fake name 'Tyson' to avoid anyone identifying him properly and is the only 'RK-100' model in existence. Galen and Aiden were respectively the only 'RK-300' and 'RK-400' models in existence and helped Tyrone with his attack on you and Skye. They were all affected by the same program that CyberLife used to regain control over you."

"Why wasn't I affected until so much later on?"

"Somehow your programming was shielded from external influences and kept you from being compromised. Simon suspects you having a part of Lucas's programming uploaded into your memory made their remote hacking program less effective against his superior design."

"...Even in death, Lucas is still looking out for me." Connor smirked a little at the thought of Lucas being the reason he held out for so long and that it was Hank who helped him to remember who he really was and saved his life before it was too late. Another curious thought popped into Connor's head. "What of the 'RK-700' model? I doubt the prototypes skipped over designing Eddie, George and Audrey to begin work on the Connor line of androids."

"There is one more prototype model that hasn't been accounted for. According to Cassandra, who is being cooperative with us, that android is currently residing out in the refugee camp outside the city. Since there was no report of a disturbance out that way, I believe it's safe to assume that they were either unaffected because they were too far away from the city, or they were restrained at the camp itself. We don't know their name or their original purpose."

That answer made Connor's proud smirk return. "I suppose we should consider that to be a type of small victory in our favor."

"I think you're right." Markus gave a small smile in return and noticed something peculiar about the way Connor looked. "Something's... different about you. And I don't just mean the way you're finally happy. What am I missing?"

Without letting his grin fade Connor lifted his hand and pointed to his right temple casually.

"You look better without it." The deviant leader joked as he finally isolated the difference with Connor's less than subtle hint. "Well, whenever you're up to it, I'd like to check in with you at the tower. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done but at least now we won't have to deal with CyberLife anymore."

"That's right. CyberLife is truly gone." Watching as Markus turned to leave Connor motioned for Hank to toss him the basketball, which the senior detective did quickly, and Connor readily held the ball between his hands. "Markus?"

Stopping quickly Markus turned on his heels to look at his friend behind him. "Yeah?"

Connor bounced the basketball over to Markus and watched as he caught it easily in both hands. "Care to join us?"

Though unexpected Markus greatly appreciated the offer. Turning the ball over in his hands a few times he thought back to all the afternoons he spent playing chess with Carl and missed having a few carefree hours to do whatever he wanted. Playing a game and hanging out with good friends was truly tempting.

"I know you haven't had much time to enjoy other activities beyond your responsibilities at the tower." Connor empathized sincerely as he tried to convince his friend to stick around for a while. "And I know for a fact that you and Carl made time for one another and played games. I understand it was mostly chess or philosophical discussion, but I doubt Carl would let his physical impairments slow him down too much."

"I'd love to stick around and play a game for a while, but I shouldn't."

"Why?"

"There's still a lot of work that needs to be done at the tower."

"It doesn't mean you have to do it all at once." The deviant detective countered sharply as he watched Markus fidgeting with the basketball. "It's taken me some time, but I've finally come to learn to not obsess over everything and to be patient."

"Carl... He, uh, he taught me the same thing." Admitting the mutual lessons and understanding, Markus let sentimental emotions fill his mismatched irises as he looked his dear friend in the eyes. "He said the Devil was in the details, but that doesn't mean I have to be afraid to look a little deeper. Carl was a great dad. Hell, he even encouraged me to think of him as such. I only wish I could've spent more time with him."

Connor thoughtfully took Markus's words to heart when regarding Carl as his 'dad'. It seemed like a true sign of love and respect.

"Do you think Carl would want to watch you work yourself into the ground?" Connor gave Hank a knowing glance as he sensed that Hank was entirely on his side without needing to say a word. "He'd be proud of you regardless of how many responsibilities you've taken on as the leader of the deviants or how many hours you've spent painting."

"He's right, son." Hank knew where Connor was heading and approved wholeheartedly at the offer. "One game isn't going to hurt ya', Markus."

"...All right." Relenting to the 'peer pressure' from his friends Markus gave in and accepted the request. "One game."

"Hey, two against one?" Playfully Hank didn't like the change in the number of players and wasn't afraid to call them out on it. "It isn't going to be a human against two deviants, is it?"

Connor laughed a little as he and Markus gave the senior detective amused glances. Markus bounced the ball back over to Hank who caught it without any problems and proceeded to make the first successful shot from the middle of the driveway leaving the two deviants in stunned silence at the flawless execution of the toss.

"If that's how we're going to play then you two may want to add another member to your team." Expectedly Hank's taunt didn't escape the two deviants who silently gave each other very impressed looks. "One to nothing. Let's go, boys!"

The sun was only beginning to set when the trio decided they had enough of playing basketball for the day. Hank was exhausted and drenched in sweat while Connor and Markus were only mildly overheated from the strenuous physical activity in the summer sun. Markus thanked both Connor and Hank for their help and for the fun game, making sure to wish Connor a happy birthday in the process, before he finally returned to the tower to deal with the aftermath of CyberLife's final destruction due to their own arrogance. It was seemingly symbolic that CyberLife's demise would fall on the same anniversary of Connor's initial activation date, and Connor couldn't have asked for anything better on his special day.

As the two detectives remained at the house the unorthodox father and son duo set about celebrating the rest of Connor's birthday in a subtle manner. It was all Connor wanted, and Hank was more than willing to oblige in his son's simple request.

"Hey, Connor, could you do me a favor?" Hank asked as pulled up the hem of his gray t-shirt and wiped off his sweaty face. "Pull the Pace back up the drive and then check the Corvette to make sure the registration is still there. I think I put it back after I cleaned out the glovebox, but I just want to be sure."

"Okay, I'll just need a minute."

Hiding a smug grin on his face Hank made his way to the house with the empty water bottles in his hands and feigning innocence while Connor set about taking care of the two cars as requested. As Hank walked slowly into the kitchen Sumo pushed him aside to get back out into the backyard for a few minutes. Reaching for the Corvette's key tucked away on the bookshelf Hank looked down at the key in his palm with pride and it wasn't too long before Connor followed after Hank with the restored Corvette's registration in his hand and the basketball tucked under his arm.

"Was the registration in the glovebox?"

"Yes, it was, but there appears to be an error."

"Error?" Turning to face Connor directly Hank continued to play dumb. "What kind of error are we dealing with?"

"Under the name identifying ownership of the Corvette." The confused deviant explained with an arched brow. "It has my name, not yours."

"That's not an error, son." Finally owning up to his little ploy Hank was rewarded with a truly puzzled look from Connor and the deviant reacted quickly as Hank tossed him the key to the Corvette in question. "After all, it's your car."

Staring at the key he had caught as it rested atop the registration Connor's brow arched inquisitively. "...My car?"

"Happy birthday, son."

"You're giving me- This is incredibly generous." Connor held the key tightly as his confusion faded into unprecedented gratitude. Having something as amazing as a restored car gifted to him left Connor awestruck. "I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, but 'thanks' is always acceptable."

"Thank you! Why- I mean..." The gift was more than anything Connor could've ever expected from anyone for any reason, especially since restoring the vehicle had been Hank's passion project and he was just there to help. "I'm very appreciative of the gift and I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I don't understand why you'd just give it to me after all the work, money and time you put into restoring it."

"Well," clearing his throat a little Hank answered the question honestly. "when I was fourteen my dad bought a car, and we worked our butts off for two years to fix it up. Once it was done my dad gave me the keys to the car on my sixteenth birthday. My grandfather had done the same with him when he turned sixteen and I had planned on keeping up the tradition going with Cole, but... Things didn't work out as I planned. That doesn't mean the tradition had to end though."

Connor remained respectfully quiet as he now understood Hank's mindset.

"So, when I saw the Corvette when we went to out replace the Oldsmobile, I decided that I'd keep the family tradition alive through you."

"Hank... This is just-" Being a part of a family tradition felt incredibly grounding. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'll take care of it, I swear!"

"Damn right you will." Hank joked as he patted Connor on his good shoulder once, then let his arm drape around the deviant's shoulders. "We put a lot of work into her, I don't want to have to do it again."

"Nor would I." Smiling a truly happy grin Connor decided it was his turn to do something nice for Hank. "It wouldn't be as rewarding to repair a car due to needless recklessness as opposed to maintaining one that had been properly restored."

"Finishing her off was perfect timing, too." The proud father continued on as he made it clear he was just as happy to give Connor the car as Connor was to receive it for his birthday." I wouldn't be able to work on the car in that hot garage for the rest of the summer. I'd sweat even worse than I already am!"

"Too bad you didn't have one of those sports drinks leftover to consume." Connor observed casually as he walked over to the refrigerator and handed Hank another bottle of water. "I hope today wasn't too physically taxing for you."

"Nah, I'm good." The senior detective happily accepted the water and downed half the bottle quickly. "It's been a while since I played for so long, but I can take it. I am starving though."

"You should shower off and I'll order you a pizza for dinner."

"Pizza? I thought I was supposed to stop eating all that greasy shit."

"True, but you've lost twenty pounds since the winter, and you have greatly reduced your sugar consumption while maintaining a healthier diet. I believe one greasy meal wouldn't harm you."

"You're a good kid." Giving Connor an appreciative grin of his own Hank walked out of the kitchen to head down the hallway and into the bathroom for a relaxing shower. "Don't let anyone tell you anything different ever."

Connor smiled at the kind comment as he dropped the basketball on the kitchen floor and rolled it into the livingroom to rest next to the couch. Using a cybernetic connection and sitting down on the couch, Connor ordered the pizza then proceeded to lean back against the couch and run his fingertips over his now blank temple where his L.E.D. had been removed. Where there was once a hollow circle of light was now a patch of smooth artificial skin and with it came newly developed external sensors. He could now feel his fingertips touching his temple, not just be aware of where his hand was in proximity to his temple.

He could really feel his fingertips.

After placing the order Connor stared at the key to the Corvette, his car, and smiled again before tucking it into his pants pocket for safekeeping. The notion of being able to freely drive around, travel and see the world whenever he wished gave him a true sense of hope for the future.

The sound of the running shower created a pleasant white noise throughout the otherwise quiet house as Connor let his mind wander and he cybernetically updated himself on the progress of their latest broken case at the precinct. So much had changed since Connor's initial activation, and now he knew for certain that those changes were positive.

"...Three years after the Revolution, CyberLife has finally been eradicated. We're finally free."

There was another knock at the front door that memorable day and Connor casually turned his head over toward the door curiously. Standing up from the couch Connor imitated Hank's behavior from before and peered through the window behind the curtain first before opening the door to the third and fourth unexpected guests of the day.

"Oh..." Connor opened the door quickly and invited the two guests inside. "Skye. Abby. Nice to see you."

"Hi." Abby stepped inside the house first and handed Connor a transparent plastic bottle that was only one third filled with the neon green tinted medicine inside and took his left hand in her own hands to examine. "Markus told us what happened, and I decided to make a 'house-call' since you're way too stubborn for your own good. Glad to see you're still alive."

"And I just wanted to see you again." Skye smiled coyly at Connor and watched Abby slip off his black leather glove and remove the bandages before she began checking over Connor's healing hand, arm and shoulder. "For the record, I told you so!"

Connor's brow furrowed with confusion as he looked past Abby to Skye standing beside the technician. "Told me what?"

"You're a hero."

"O-Oh." Almost instantaneously Connor blushed a dark blue at the compliment and waited for Abby to finish tending to his hand. "I'm not a hero."

"She's right." Abby immediately disagreed with Connor and sided with Skye. "You are too!"

"No." Again Connor humbly insisted he wasn't a hero as he waited for the examination to be finished. "I was merely fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, and I had a father to look after me."

The comment about having a father made Skye smile. "You're too modest to admit it, but you ARE a hero. And I think Hank and Abby are the first humans I've met that truly care about us deviants. I'm glad I got to see it for myself, but I wish it could've been under different circumstances."

"Yes. I do, too." Connor cleared his throat nervously as he forced himself to ask an uncomfortable question. "How is Cassandra?"

"...She's upset about what happened." Skye admitted with a faint grimace. Having her own apprentice being a saboteur had left a righteously sour taste in Skye's mouth. "And she doesn't want to stay in the tower. We don't fault her for such a decision."

"Where is she going to go after the investigation had been completed?"

"Cassandra and the other rogues are going to help Lucy with her refugee camp outside of the city. They don't want to be around the deviants that CyberLife made them betray, but they still want to keep helping their fellow deviants. Isolation will help them sort through their feelings." Despite her sense of betrayal Skye didn't wish any harm on the rogue deviants. "I think Cassandra wants to go and be with Cassie, too. Cassie didn't feel comfortable in the city, and they'll find comfort with each other. They sort of grew really close to one another, which is why I let Cassandra be my apprentice to begin with."

"For what it's worth," ignoring the discomfort in his fingers Connor maintained an honest communication with Skye. "I don't blame them for anything that had happened."

"Neither do I. Unfortunately, it doesn't help ease their guilt. Hopefully time will help."

Abby replaced the bandages on Connor's left hand and gave him a light pat on the side of his left arm.

"Well, it's official. You're still alive." She craned her neck a little then ran her hand over Connor's right temple gently. "Hey! It's gone."

"Yes." Connor acknowledged Abby's observation with a small smirk as he gingerly pushed her hand away. "I no longer wanted my L.E.D. and I had it removed last night with Hank's assistance."

"Too bad. I kinda' liked it."

"That's interesting." The deviant detective tilted his head a little as he offered an unorthodox suggestion. "Perhaps you can have one of your own implanted."

"Nah, I don't really care for jewelry. Anyway," Abby pointed to the medicine in Connor's hand with a somewhat amused look. "I spoke to Joel and we both think you should drink that as a precaution against any possible infections that may develop after being electrocuted, burned, and suffering Thirial arrest. And yes, this one also has a different flavor, so there's no excuse for you to not drink it."

"I see." The notion wasn't nearly as comforting as Connor had hoped. "...Thank you?"

"No problem. I have a date in less than twenty minutes and Skye is going to be my emergency back-up via text message in case this guy's a jerk, and she's going to check over the security at my facility until I get back. Happy birthday, Connor." Abby kissed Connor on his cheek before she opened up the front door again to head out. "I'm glad you're safe. Drink your single dose of medicine and let me know what you think of the new flavor."

"All right." Feeling himself blush a little after being kissed Connor cleared his throat and stared at the medicine bottle in his hand. "...Thank you. Again."

"I'll be in touch, Abby." Skye flashed Abby a small grin as she took a step toward Connor to speak with him for a little while longer. "Did you decide what you want for your birthday?"

"Yeah." Finding a sense of peace within himself Connor nodded his head a little as he thought about what Markus said earlier about his relationship with Carl. "I think I know what I want to ask for."

"That's good to hear." Skye stepped even closer and stood up on her tiptoes as she kissed Connor on his lips. "Happy birthday. I'll see you soon. Tomorrow night?"

"Yes. Tomorrow." Connor promised sincerely to see Skye again. "Goodnight, Skye." He smiled brightly as he watched the two women leave the house for the evening, his hand patting the car key in his pants pocket. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too. Goodnight!"

Closing the door Connor looked down at his re-bandaged left hand and flexed it once before he reluctantly looked at the bottle of medicine in his other hand. Returning to the couch he opened the lid of the bottle and dared to take a partial dose of the medicine, unsure of what to expect, and curiously found the new taste to be more pleasant than the last. It was sweeter than blueberries, but it wasn't as potent and seemed to have a smoother aftertaste that was very pleasant to savor.

The shower turned off and shortly thereafter Hank emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes, and with his gray hair damp from the shower.

"Thought I heard you talking to someone." Hank stated as he joined Connor in the livingroom and sat down next to him on the couch. Noticing the bottle of medicine Hank asked about it and gave the deviant an odd look. "Where'd you get that green shit?"

"Skye and Abby stopped by for a moment. Abby wanted to check my hand and gave me the medicine as well." Handing the bottle over to Hank curiously he waited for the senior detective to tell him what the new flavor was. "It does not taste like blueberries this time."

"All right..." Hank accepted the bottle and wafted it under his nose until he caught the scent. Giving Connor an amused grin he handed him back the bottle of medicine. "That smells like vanilla birthday cake."

"Oh. Now I understand why a vast majority humans celebrate their birthdays with cake."

"You said Skye was here, too?"

"Yes. She wanted to see me and asked me to join her tomorrow night."

"That's good. I'm glad you're socializing more. Maybe I'll go see Rose while you're out with Skye." The idea of spending the night with Rose was almost too enticing to resist. "We both need some time away from assholes and crazy company conspiracies for a while."

"I imagine Rose would enjoy your company as well." For the first time in his life Connor happily finished off the medicine and put the empty bottle down on the coffee table in front of him. "I'll let Sumo back inside."

"Cool." Watching as Connor rose from the couch and made his way to the kitchen to get to the backdoor. "The big furball needs some attention."

Once Connor reached the back deck, he heard the final knock at the front door and shook his head. This time it was the pizza delivery man, but having so many people drop by the house in one day was very unusual, if not comedic. Sumo was rolling about in the cool grass in the shade of the backyard and paused as soon as he saw Connor looking out at him from the deck.

"Come, Sumo."

Sumo got up from where he was rolling and sprinted up the deck and stopped on his hind legs as he put his front paws up on Connor's chest and proceeded to lick the side of Connor's face.

"Down!" Connor laughed a little as he pushed the massive puppy back down onto his four paws. "Please don't kiss me, too... Come on, inside."

Hank had paid the delivery boy - a human delivery driver being a rare sight - and carried the pizza into the kitchen just as Connor led Sumo over to his bowls and proceeded to fill them both with food and cool water. The large pup proceeded to make another mess on the floor as he gobbled up his food and spilled half of the water that he drank all around him.

"Man, you have no idea how much I've wanted pizza in the past ten months." Hank was more than happy to pay the delivery boy and give him a generous tip in the process. "You'd think it was my birthday or something."

"Your own birthday is next month." Connor reminded Hank kindly in a somewhat mischievous voice. "Would you like me to throw you a surprise party?"

"If you throw me a surprise party, you're sleeping on the couch again and I'm giving your bedroom to Sumo."

"So, is that a 'no'?"

"When'd you turn into such a smartass?" The father proudly laughed as he picked up a slice of pizza and returned to the livingroom. "Was there a sarcasm program being suppressed by that damn light or something?"

"No. I just feel more confident in myself, that's all."

"Even better. Come on, it's Wednesday night and I know for sure there's a movie marathon on since summer vacation turns everyone in Detroit into couch-potatoes."

"Is it another series of poorly made films that gets humorously mocked by commenters in the faux theater of the satellite caught in the Earth's orbit?"

"Yeah, that's the one." Plopping down on the couch Hank kicked his feet up on the coffee table and took a bite out of the pizza. "Gotta' problem with that?"

"No. I find it rather enjoyable that artificial robotic lifeforms mock human 'creativity' with such witty retorts and observations."

"The robots, of course." Shaking his head a little Hank turned on the television and gave Connor an amused grin. "Not surprised you'd side with the smartass robots driving their human friend crazy."

It was nearing midnight yet again and the summer movie marathon was coming to an end. Feeling a little anxious Connor leaned forward on the couch with his hands folded neatly on his lap although his left hand was still bandaged up but no longer hurting him in the slightest. Hank was sitting next to Connor and beginning to drift off to sleep after all the pizza and basketball wore him down, but was determined to see the last of the 'B' list horror film before going to bed. Sumo was already asleep and passed out in the middle of his large fluffy pillow in the corner of the livingroom. It seemed as if the big dog was exhausted from all the running and the intense summer heat from the day.

As the credits began to roll on the forgettable, yet entertaining movie Hank let out a yawn and turned his attention over to Connor for his opinion on the day's events. After all, it wasn't every day that someone got to celebrate their own birthday for the very first time.

"What do you think, son?"

"About what?"

"Having a birthday." Hank continued on as Connor slowly turned his head and locked eyes with him. "Think you want to continue to celebrate them, or is this a 'one and done' type of deal?"

"I found the experience to be rather... pleasant." Connor confirmed honestly with a small smile. "I believe another birthday celebration wouldn't be terrible as long as it remains small and discreet."

"Cool. Just do me a favor, next year ask for something more than just a game of basketball, all right? I don't think I could ever top giving you that Corvette."

"Is it too late to ask for one more thing?"

"Uh, no... I guess not." Hank gave the deviant an odd look but was too curious to not hear him out. "What's on your mind?"

"Well, I've been thinking for some time about the way you've continually referred to us as 'family', and you've very frequently referred to me as 'son' as either a term of endearment or to emphasize a point to someone else when they question my validity as a person."

"Yeah." The observations weren't a request as he had been expecting. "What about it?"

"And I've come to know you as my father and I have acknowledged you as such to others, as well. So..."

"Connor, stop dancing around and just ask the question already." Needing to know what the deviant had in mind as a gift Hank pressed Connor to finally tell him the truth. "What do you want for your birthday?"

"From this day on, can I- " There was a brief pause as Connor leveled his voice before finally asking his question. It seemed to be too much to ask for, but there was only one way to find out for certain. "Can I call you... 'dad'?"

The unexpected question stole Hank's voice as he felt an odd sense of flattery well up inside of himself and warm his stunned heart. As he repeated the question over in his mind the senior detective couldn't stop himself from grinning, especially when Connor blushed a little in response to such a sweet request.

"I mean," Connor was feeling a little embarrassed and was willing to negotiate on the request, but he wasn't going to change his mind after asking. "I'd only do so around the house when we're not at work, of course. I'd never address you as such when we're-"

"Connor." Quickly Hank leaned over and wrapped both arms around the deviant to give him a tight hug and to hold on to him for a moment. The gesture was one of a paternal instinct that somehow made the hug feel warmer than should be possible. "You didn't have to ask for that. You can call me 'dad' whenever you feel like."

As if stunned by the revelation Connor slowly wrapped his own arms around Hank and reciprocated the reassuring hug just as tightly. Like the night before, tears of joy formed in Connor's eyes and rolled down his face staining the shoulder of Hank's shirt in the process.

"Happy birthday, son."

"It really was a happy birthday." Connor discreetly reached up his bandaged hand and wiped away his joyous tears before he responded with utter gratitude shaking in his voice. Having a good day spent with his father and his best friend was all Connor could've wanted. "Thank you... dad."

-next chapter-