The activity in the Central Precinct had begun to lull as a temporary replacement for Gavin had finally been located. On top of his needed recovery time after being shot Gavin had also been granted extended time off through paternity leave. Connor and Hank resumed their usual routines as if nothing had happened over the past few weeks, let alone months, and easily handled the few deviant related cases that came their way with great ease and efficiency. Connor sat behind his terminal with his coin slowly dancing gracefully over his knuckles while Hank sipped at the horrible coffee that had been brewed in the breakroom with an outward disgust plastered on his face.

It seemed the more things change the more they stay the same. There were times where a lack of change was truly warranted, and it seemed as if that moment in time was one of them.

"I think the precinct needs to get a new coffee maker." Hank stated as he pushed aside the still partially full mug with disinterest. "Or they need to buy better coffee grounds."

Connor looked up briefly and scanned the contents of the mug. "You haven't applied any sweetener or sugar."

"I didn't want to get another reminder of the dangers of that sugary-shit to my health." The senior detective replied with a stern glance in his blue eyes. "I get enough of that from the doctor after every damn check-up."

"Perhaps you should try to drink tea instead of coffee. It's sweeter in taste and a healthier alternative."

"I hate tea."

"You didn't hate it when Rose made it for you, and she gave me her recipe." Connor sharply argued. "Should I make you some?"

"No thanks, kid. I'd rather drink this shit," Hank picked up the mug and sipped at the horrible brew once more. "than get a damn caffeine-headache."

"Very well. But the offer still stands." A message from Joel suddenly appeared on Connor's terminal screen requesting his presence in the dispensary. "Oh. Joel wants to speak with me." Pocketing his coin Connor rose from his desk and proceeded to walk to the corridor leading to the elevator. "I'll be back in a moment."

"Whatever, I'll be here choking down this mud."

"I'll pray for you."

"Did you-" Hearing Connor making a smart remark reminded Hank that his son was finally healing after his heartache. "Know what? Nevermind. Tell that RA9 or whatever it is that if it'll send me good coffee that I'll start praying to it too."

As the deviant detective walked down the corridor toward the elevator he glanced back at the bullpen and stared at the temporary officer using Gavin's desk for the time being. Though the replacement was a competent detective and very kind, he was an unusual choice to act as Gavin's replacement. It somehow seemed wrong to not have the abrasive detective insulting Connor or throwing paper balls at his back whenever he needed to get the deviant's attention.

"I wonder how Gavin, Abby and Aria are doing at this moment?"

Stepping through the parted doors to the elevator Connor stood inside the vacant car silently and waited for it to reach the designated second floor. Soon Connor found himself inside the dispensary along with Jack who had been summoned to the dispensary as well and he was a little surprised to see him.

Jack's model of android wasn't originally designed for law enforcement, but his deviancy gave him the freedom to attempt to become an officer as he wished, and Captain Fowler was willing to oblige. Jack was an 'AX-700' model who was originally programmed to function as personal assistant. Blond hair, blue eyes and chiseled features made him the ideal aesthetic for the rich and vain, but his ambitions were beyond that of an errand boy.

"Hello, Jack."

"Connor." The second deviant, wearing a standard black police uniform, nodded to Connor as he set foot inside the dispensary. Jack was already sitting on the exam table with a black cable attached to his L.E.D., the optional device was still in his temple by his own choice, and it was fluctuating at a healthy blue. "I see Joel has summoned you as well."

Joel himself was sitting behind his computer terminal typing a few key commands into the modem and gave Connor a passing glance. "Thanks for coming by."

"I presume your request is necessary, but I don't mind all the same." Connor addressed the technician with a curious tone of voice. "May I ask why you've asked me to meet with you?"

"It's kind of a strange request to be honest." The laidback technician admitted from behind his blue glowing screen. "But I was wondering if you'd be willing to download a new software update."

"An update?" Connor's brow arched with confusion as he stood beside the exam table and noted the cable attached to Jack's L.E.D. and running back to the technician's laptop. "What is the purpose of the update?"

"It's been affectionately dubbed as 'Thirium Flux." Joel replied with a casual lilt as he continued to type away on his keyboard. "It's a basic program designed to enhance the overall performance of your Thirium pump and ventilation biocomponents when under emotional distress or physical exertion." Rising from his desk Joel walked over to where Jack was sitting and detached the cable from his L.E.D. with a simple 'click'. "It's essentially like giving androids the equivalent to human adrenal glands."

"Adrenaline." Connor contemplated the possible benefits to having such a feature installed in his base programming and how it could improve his overall abilities in the field. "How does the update allow this function to proceed?"

"It's a unique software that'll trigger your Thirium levels to temporarily concentrate and flow more directly into your mentioned biocomponents to allow them to function anywhere from fifteen to thirty percent higher than their preprogrammed peak limitations. The actions are all based on your own personal observations on a scenario and will give you the appropriate flux accordingly."

"The update will learn from my previous experiences and feelings to determine which moments require a metaphorical 'adrenaline rush' and respond as such?"

"Yeah, you got it."

"Is it dangerous?"

"We don't know yet, that's why I was wondering if you'd be willing to volunteer for the update and allow me to monitor your condition."

"...You'd like me to be a test subject?"

"No, no! Nothing nearly as crude as that." Noting Jack's current vitals on the deviant's electronic chart in his hand Joel patted the blond officer's shoulder as a means of quietly dismissing him. Jack took the hint and promptly took his leave of the dispensary. "It's a solid program that has proven itself useful and reliable, but the androids who have this update were all designed for athleticism or heavy lifting. And..." Approaching Connor with a timid and faint grin as Jack left the room Joel stood before Connor respectfully. "those models are all final designs. We don't know how prototypes will respond."

"I see." Connor felt more like he was being used for an experiment rather than being asked for a favor. "...Interesting."

"I want you know that I didn't select you just because you're a prototype, I selected you because as a detective you'd personally benefit from the update and I'm familiar with your technical history." The reasoning was sound, and Joel was never one to lie to a friend. "It was a logical choice and you're my friend. I wouldn't subject you to anything that I thought might be dangerous to your programming or harm you in anyway."

"I trust you Joel, but I still have my hesitations." Connor was cautious in accepting the update and gave Joel a wary look. "...Who developed this program?"

"NOT CyberLife." Returning to his desk Joel picked up his personal electronic tablet displaying the information on the software and presented it to Connor to read for himself. "I'd never ask you, or anyone else, to use any programs developed by CyberLife. This was created by a group of college technical students looking to pick up where CyberLife left off and give androids new updates and programs without monetary gain being their primary focus."

"A program developed by students. Ambitious." Quickly Connor read over the details and returned his gaze to Joel. "They are being sponsored by the new android product manufacturers who call themselves Digital Sentience. How appropriate in title, though unoriginal."

"These kids have come up with some pretty damn impressive innovations. They're the ones who found the proper software updates to shield android intracranial processors from E.M.P. blasts and sent the programming over to New Jericho for review." Tilting his head a little Joel admitted as to why he was so enthralled with this particular group of students. "If these students can keep up this kind of beneficial progress, then androids won't have to risk updates from possibly compromised servers at facilities or third-party providers and the students will be able to work alongside androids instead of in proximity to them with additional advancements."

"It's important to keep progressing in our own programming rather than rely on CyberLife data. "The Digital Sentience data was thorough, and all of the details were accurate. It was also important to keep deviant-human relations progressing in a mutually beneficial manner. "Have there been any negative reports on the software?"

"No. Not one. At least, not yet. Again," Joel was being entirely honest and wanted Connor to know he had faith in the program. "it's still needs to be tested in a few more models before it'll be commercially distributed."

"That is understandable." Relenting for the sake of the betterment of the other deviants Connor agreed to test the new program. "I am willing to test the software for you, but if I do not like it then I will have it deleted immediately."

"Perfectly understandable, reasonable and acceptable. I wouldn't try to tell you otherwise."

"How long will this procedure take?"

"Two minutes. All I have to do is connect the cable, upload the software and you accept the download." Joel sounded so matter-of-face that one might think he handled that particular procedure every day. "It's not from CyberLife so you'll have to override the 'does not recognize third party' warning, and all that other fun stuff."

"Very well."

"Thanks, I appreciate this. Sit on the table and I'll give you a quick check-up for the sake of technical accuracy."

With a very human sigh Connor loosened his black tie, slipped off his gray blazer and sat down on the exam table as Joel proceeded to run through the usual array of tests to chronicle the deviant's current vital signs and overall health. It wasn't the first time that Connor had endured a technical exam while at the precinct, but it was the first time he was being examined before a new update to be installed in his programs.

"Try not to worry." Joel insisted as he began the examination and prepared the new program for download. "This won't hurt a bit."

Finishing off the rest of his vile coffee for the sake of sparing himself a nasty headache, Hank was still sitting behind his terminal patiently waiting for Connor to return so that they could go take his lunchbreak. As he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes the senior detective was barely aware of Chris and Jack leaving their own desks to go about their afternoon patrol and of the temporary officer sitting behind Gavin's vacated desk across from Tina. It seemed like everyone in the bullpen was a little uncomfortable around the 'new guy', but soon enough Gavin would be back from paternity leave and his physical recovery after being shot and everything would be back tomorrow.

The urge to get out of the precinct and get away from work was growing more persistent. It seemed Hank was becoming less sedentary thanks to all of Connor's good influence on him, but he was just as impatient as ever.

"Come on, kid. How long does it-" A firm hand on Hank's shoulder caused him to open his eyes and look up at Connor standing beside him. "Oh. There you are."

"I apologize." Connor pulled back his hand and watched as Hank sat more upright in his chair. "I was unexpectedly delayed by Joel."

"No problem." Standing up he fished his car keys from his pocket and motioned for Connor to accompany him outside. "What did he want?"

"I was asked to test new software."

"Anything good?"

"I'll tell you about it after you get your lunch. My treat."

"Cool. And remember, it's Friday. I'm allowed to eat whatever I want, and you can't say anything about it."

"Yes, I remember." The deviant replied coolly as he accompanied Hank outside of the precinct to get to the neighboring parking garage. "And also remember that tomorrow you must stick to the dietary instructions that I have planned for you, and it does fluctuate based on what you eat today."

"Yeah, yeah..." Being kept on a diet had done wonders and Hank knew it, he just didn't want to admit it. "Don't ruin this for me, 'kay?"

"Of course." Smirking with mild amusement Connor agreed to let the diet drop from the discussion for the moment. "Enjoy your lunch."

Feeling much better than he had all morning Hank disposed of his garbage properly and thanked Connor for buying him his lunch and not lecturing him about the calories, cholesterol, or any of the other unhealthy portions of the meal. It was a nice peaceful afternoon that the duo sorely needed. The two detectives were on their way back to the precinct after their lunchbreak when an alert came over the radio clipped to the side of Hank's belt. An armed robbery at a jewelry store had resulted in two people being shot and over ten thousand dollars' worth of merchandise being stolen. Reacting quickly Connor cybernetically downloaded the security footage that had been provided by the store owner to the precinct and with the footage he memorized the armed suspect's face.

The details were enough to give Connor a face to look for and isolate in the crowd. He was ready to find the suspect and he was ready to get another thief off the city streets for the safety and security of all of Detroit.

"So," Hank stated somewhat indifferently as he glanced over at Connor in the passenger seat as they continued their patrol and kept a look out for any suspicious behavior. "how do you feel?"

"Feel?"

"The update."

"Optimal." The deviant replied honestly. His self-diagnostics didn't note anything amiss, and the new download seemed to mesh well with his current programming. "I do not feel any different than I normally do."

"That's good. Does Jack have the same update?"

"Correct. He and I are the only androids currently on the police force in the entire city. We're both ideal- Hank!" The deviant stopped mid sentence as he identified the suspect from the robbery hiding in a nearby alleyway. "Stop the car!"

Connor shouted as the Pace passed by said alleyway. The deviant's keen eyes caught sight of the confirmed suspect leaping over a low fence in the alley as he tried to flee from the police.

"I see the suspect. I can catch him."

"Good eyes!"

Slamming hard on the brakes Hank watched as Connor threw open his door and pursued the suspect on foot while Hank himself called in the reported sighting to dispatch via his radio. Speeding up Hank cut around the corner of the block in an attempt to head off the suspect while Connor gave chase on foot.

"Suspect spotted; we're in pursuit. Any available patrol report to my area."

Beginning the pursuit Connor ran as quickly as he could as he chased after the fleeing human as the suspect wove around tipped over garbage and other bits of litter in the alleyways. It didn't take Connor long to catch up to the human as he ran from the narrow alleyway and into the wide open warehouse district along the port, and he was closing in swiftly.

"Stop!" Shouting with pure authority in his voice Connor began to catch up on the human suspect fairly easily. "Detroit Police!"

Gracefully sidestepping uneven pavement and avoiding the various empty containers and crates that had been placed along the storage area Connor was beginning to feel the effects of his newly installed Thirium Flux now coursing through his lines with every pump of his already racing heart. The new update was starting to kick in and give Connor an advantage over the fleeing suspect.

The sight of the suspect pulling out his gun and opening fire at Connor as he gave chase made the deviant slide to the ground on his side and immediately get back up onto his feet to continue the pursuit while remaining out of the suspect's range of fire. The clever deviant was putting concrete barricades between himself and his suspect as the suspect fled to an opened cargo port. Without missing a step Connor began closing the distance between himself and the suspect in record time.

"DROP THE GUN."

Climbing up and on top of the yellow tinted metal cargo containers that lined the drive of the port Connor was able to get out of the armed man's line of sight while being able to resume the chase unscathed. Running faster and faster with each step he took Connor was able to overtake the man by a respectable distance and jumped down from the high containers and down on top of him.

As the deviant tackled the man to the ground Hank pulled into the area just in time to watch as Connor leapt into the air and wrestled the armed man into submission on the ground. It felt like Connor's heart was about to beat out of his chest, but he didn't care. Subduing the suspect and getting him off the street was far more important.

It was easy for Connor to force the suspect to lay on his stomach and pin his arms behind his back. As strong as the deviant already was, it seemed his Thirial Flux was giving him an advantage that he never knew he actually needed.

"Holy shit!" Throwing open his own door Hank drew his gun and aimed it at the man as Connor forcefully pinned the man's arms behind his back. "Don't move! You're under arrest. We don't wanna' have to chase you a second time."

The man had no choice but to comply as Connor cuffed his wrists and held him in place. Connor pressed his knee down against the man's spine to hold him steady until he finally stopped trying to kick his legs and get away. Pulling the man's gun from the back of his waistband Connor placed it on the ground a few feet away from the arrested suspect as a mandatory and professional precaution to ensure no one got hurt during the arrest.

"Stop resisting." Connor ordered as he continued to hold the man down on the hard ground. "You're under arrest for armed robbery, grand theft, destruction of private property, fleeing the scene of a crime, assault, attempted murder as well as a number of other offenses. Do NOT add resisting arrest to your list of charges."

"Nice work, Connor." Holstering his own gun Hank gave the deviant a nod of approval. "That was one hell of a take-down."

"Yeah?" Connor looked up at Hank and took in deep, rapid breaths as he felt the effects of the Thirium Flux were still rampant in his systems. The rush hadn't worn off yet and Connor felt like he run another lap around the entire city without any difficulty. "Thanks."

A patrol car pulled up alongside Hank's car and came to an abrupt stop as their sirens went silent while the red and blue lights continued to flash. Hank calmly stepped aside to allow Tina and the new guy, Brad, to take the captured suspect into custody. It was easier to transport suspects in the back of patrol cars as opposed to the back of a personal vehicle.

On shaky legs Connor stood up and walked away from the man on the ground and continued to breathe deeply. Pressing his palm against a nearby cargo container Connor leaned against his arm and stared down at the pavement under his shoes as he listened to the sound of his own heart thundering away.

"Connor?" Hank approached his partner and put his hand on the deviant's upper back and spoke to him a low voice. "You good?"

"M-My pump is racing." Connor stated between panting breaths as he tried to slow his heart rate back down to a manageable level. "It feels like it's going to... beat out of my chest. I know it can't actually do that, but... that's the only way I can describe it."

"You said that new software is like adrenaline," replying coolly Hank pressed his fingertips to the side of Connor's neck and checked his pulse. "that's what it feels like when get hit by an adrenaline rush. It's pretty wild sometimes."

"My Thirium pump is beating at... uh..." Connor was having a hard time focusing as the concentrated Thirium was collecting in his chest to accommodate his artificial heart and artificial lungs and it was providing less Thirium to his intracranial processor as a result. "I can't... I can't count it. I can't focus."

"Feels like you're over one-hundred and sixty." Hank replied calmly as he counted the deviant's pulse himself. "I think anyway. I can't be sure."

"Is that... normal?"

"Probably." Taking his hand from Connor's neck he patted his shoulder insgtead and held it there for a moment. "I think it's different for everyone depending on how good of shape they're in."

"How do I... make it stop?"

"Just keep breathing." Treating the adrenaline rush like a panic attack, Hank helped Connor to calm down and ease his extreme heart rate. "Slow, deep breaths."

"O-Okay. I'm trying." Nodding a little Connor took his hand away from the container and stared at his shaking palm for a few seconds. "I don't think... I like Thirium Flux."

"Take a moment to calm down and breathe. Nice and slow... You should think it over before you make any drastic decisions."

Doing as Hank had instructed Connor took in deep slow breaths and let them out slowly, but his heart continued to beat frantically in his chest. "It... It's not working."

"It will. Come on, let's get back to the precinct so you can talk to Joel, okay?"

"Y-Yeah... okay."

Hank gave Connor an odd glance as he noted the deviant's unusual and rare use of the term 'yeah' instead of 'yes'. Typically the deviant spoke with near perfect grammar, one of the few machine traits he had left in his being, and only responded with more human vernacular when under duress. Hearing it twice in one moment confirmed how much strain Connor's system was currently under.

While Tina and Brad easily placed the cuffed suspect in the back of the car Hank had a slightly harder time guiding his visibly shaken and confused partner back to the car so that they could return to the precinct. Connor continued to force himself to breathe deeply and slowly as his heart continued to thunder in his chest at an alarming rate. Pressing his hand over his rampantly beating heart Connor leaned back against his seat and counted his breaths as a means of trying to distract himself and find something to focus on.

"Just like that. Slow and deep breaths." Hank encouraged as he turned on the A/C in the car to a low setting and pointed the vents at Connor's face to help him feel cooler and hopefully calmer as well. "Keep breathing and you'll be just fine in a few more minutes."

"I-I'm breathing fine." Connor nodded his head once as he continued to slowly breathe and endure the relentless rapid beating of his own heart pounding against his palm. "...I don't like this. It feels... wrong. V-Very wrong."

"You're going to be okay. Why don't you try to go into a rest mode or something? Maybe that'll slow your heart rate back down."

"Y-Yeah... Good idea." Forcing himself to close his eyes Connor entered rest mode but kept his hand pressed to his chest. "...I'll try."

Watching the deviant from the corner of his eye Hank lightly pressed the back of his hand against the side of Connor's neck and he could feel both the heat radiating from the deviant's skin as well as the thundering pulse that had frightened Connor. The way Connor couldn't slow down his heart and the way he was beginning to overheat helped Hank to understand why the deviant was so frightened.

"Whoa. How much adrenaline can one deviant produce?"

Driving back to the precinct as quickly as he could Hank kept one eye on the road and one eye on Connor as a precaution. Pulling into the parking garage beside the precinct Hank returned the vehicle to his designated parking place and slowly shifted the car into park. After turning off the engine Hank removed his seatbelt and unclipped Connor's seatbelt on the deviant's behalf.

"Connor?"

Hank had to shake Connor's shoulder to pull the deviant back out of his self-induced rest mode and coax him into getting out of the car.

"We're at the precinct. We'll go up and see Joel now."

As Connor opened his wide eyes, he put his trembling hand on the door handle beside him and pushed the door open slowly. Still feeling the effects of his artificial adrenaline rush Connor set a shaking foot on the ground and stood up only to fall back against the side of the car and close his eyes tightly as he swore his heartbeat was somehow getting faster under his palm.

"...S-Something's wrong."

"Son?" Walking around the car Hank stood beside the deviant and studied Connor's face carefully. Reaching out Hank grabbed onto Connor's bicep to lead him away from the car and nearly stumbled back as the deviant reached a panic-stricken hand up to grab onto Hank's arm in the process to keep himself from falling. "You're okay. We'll just have Joel disable that update so that you don't have to deal with this anymore."

"H-Hank... I'm scared."

"Don't be." Moving at a normal pace Hank encouraged Connor to walk with him and to keep breathing slowly. "Adrenaline makes everyone shaky for a while. If you let yourself get used to it then you won't have this little side effect anymore."

"...I d-don't like it."

"You don't have to."

Pulling Connor through the front doors of the precinct Hank guided him through the bullpen toward the corridor to get to the dispensary, but he decided that the breakroom would be better as it would keep Connor from prying eyes. The last thing that Connor needed to endure while he was already scared was an intimidating repair facility or the precinct dispensary to make his adrenaline rush more intense. Leading Connor to the breakroom he motioned to the black leather couch and kept his supportive hand on Connor's arm.

"Sit down and I'll go get Joel."

"Hank?" Connor stopped short as his hand clutched tighter over his heart in his chest. "...I don't... f-feel right."

"Connor?"

"I... Dad?"

The deviant's brown irises suddenly dulled as they rolled up in the back of his head before his eyelids snapped shut. As his shaking legs buckled beneath him Hank managed to reach out and catch the fainted deviant and support Connor's head in his hand. Wrapping his arm around Connor's chest Hank was able to easily support the deviant's lighter weight and keep him from collapsing onto the hard ground entirely.

"Easy! Easy..."

Remaining calm and in control Hank lowered Connor down to the floor and spoke softly to the unconscious deviant in his arms. He didn't have the strength at the minute to put Connor on the couch and was afraid to jostle him about.

"I got you, son."

"Captain Anderson." Jack had noted Connor's distressed demeanor from his own desk and walked up to Hank with sincere concern in his voice. "What has happened?"

"Contact Joel." Hank ordered as he tried to assess Connor's vitals for himself. "Let him know we need a technician in the breakroom."

"I will do so." Jack's L.E.D. flashed from blue to yellow as he made the call and remained yellow as he observed his fallen comrade being tended to by Hank. "I have informed Dr. Forrest of the situation. Can I help any further?"

"No, I got him. You did enough."

Hank pressed his fingertips to the side of Connor's neck and could feel his pulse race at an alarmingly high rate even while he was unconscious. Moving his hand to the center of Connor's chest Hank could feel the drastically beating pump and could even heart a muffled beat resonating from the pump without having to put his ear against the deviant's chest to listen.

"Shit, son. Your heart really does seem like it's going to beat out of your chest."

Lifting his palm back up Hank could even see Connor's heart beating so hard it was causing his chest to shudder.

"No wonder you were getting a little freaked out..."

Resting his palm over Connor's forehead sympathetically Hank also felt that the deviant was still overheating from the exertion and was running a mild fever.

"Hang on, kid. Help's already here and more help is coming."

"Captain?" Joel rushed over to where Hank was kneeling beside Connor and dropped his emergency satchel on the floor. "Oh man, Connor..." Wide eyed and pale from the sight of his friend enduring such an extreme reaction filled Joel's mind with guilt and his heart with his own adrenaline. "What happened?"

"Adrenaline rush." Hank stated firmly as he watched Joel loosen Connor's black tie and pull the white dress shirt open to expose his chest. It wasn't much but hopefully it'd help Connor to feel a little better. "He caught the asshole after a foot pursuit and then he couldn't seem to catch his own breath after the chase was over."

"Shit, I was afraid that this might happen." Joel swore to himself as he pulled the audioscope from his satchel and proceeded to press the bell to Connor's rapidly rising and falling chest. Connor's Thirium pump was beating so fast and so hard that both Joel and Hank could see the motion pulsing against the plastimetal frame that composed his entire chest cavity. "That software didn't agree with his prototype system. It initiated as it should have done, but it doesn't know to switch off. The stress must've overloaded his system."

Jack took a step back from the scene unfolding in the breakroom to give the technician more space to work. "Should I tell Captain Fowler that Connor has been temporarily incapacitated due to a malfunction?"

Hank turned his head and nodded quietly to the helpful blond deviant before looking back down at Connor.

"I need to check his Thirium pressure." Joel announced as he draped his audioscope around his neck and then pulled the Thirium pressure cuff from the satchel. While Hank rolled up Connor's sleeve to expose his bicep Joel wrapped the cuff around the limb and grimaced at the high numbers on display as the wrap automatically tightened. "One-hundred and sixty over one-hundred."

"That's bad, isn't it?"

"Yeah... That's bad." Taking a portable Thirial activity monitor from the satchel, Joel placed the device down on the floor next to Connor and then placed the wireless sensor leads down over the middle of Connor's chest to note his critically rapid heartbeat. "Oh, damn it... His pump is beating at two-hundred and forty beats per minute. That's well beyond the reported parameters even with the Thirium Flux active! He's going enter Thirial arrest and burn out his pump if this keeps up."

"Can you fix it?"

"The only way to fix this glitch is to remove the software." Joel's pale blue eyes were full of regret and utter remorse for what had befallen his friend. "I didn't create it and don't know how to alter the program, so deletion is his only option."

"Go ahead, I don't think he'd mind."

"Right. I'll do it right away." Joel quickly pulled his laptop out of the satchel and reattached the black cable to Connor's right temple where the L.E.D. had once been. Just as easily as he had installed the update Joel deleted the software and detached the cable in a matter of seconds. "It's gone."

Connor took in a weak, shallow breath before taking in a deeper one. As he settled back into a normal breathing rhythm his racing heart began to steadily slow as the effects of the Thirium flux mercifully faded from his system.

"Heartbeat stabilizing. Down to two-hundred, one-eighty four..." Joel counted down the numbers out loud as a means of calming his own racing mind. "One fifty-seven, one-ten, ninety-six, eighty-eight..."

"What about his temperature?" Hank wisely inquired as he could still feel a fever clinging to Connor's system. "He feels like he's running hot."

"Let's see." Noting the thermal readout on the Thirial display courtesy of the sensor pads attached to Connor's too warm artificial skin Joel made his assessment on the elevated temperature. "One-hundred and four point six. That's pretty high."

"No shit." The sarcastic reply was accompanied by Hank slipping his hand under Connor's head to try to rouse the still unconscious deviant. "Connor? Can you hear us? Come on, kid. Talk to us."

There was no verbal response from the deviant, only a deep wet cough that caused spots of dark blue Thirium to speckle his lips.

"What the fuck?" Hank used his hand to gently lower Connor's jaw while Joel shined a penlight into the deviant's blood filled mouth. "Why is he bleeding?"

"Damn it." Joel pocketed the light as he used his audioscope to listen to Connor's rapid breaths again. There was a mild 'crackling' sound indicative of fluid collecting inside his ventilation biocomponents, specifically inside his artificial lungs. "Some of the concentrated Thirium must've pooled inside his lungs after the smaller, more delicate Thirium lines ruptured from his elevated Thirium pressure. He isn't bleeding internally now that the Thirium flux has stopped but he still has fluid in both of ventilation biocomponents that'll he'll need to cough up."

"And why's that? What causes a cough like that?"

"He has developed ventilation profusion."

"He has what?"

"It's like an android having developed human pneumonia. He's... He's sick, Captain." Guilt was thick in Joel's voice as he told Hank the truth. "Really sick."

"Fan-fuckin'-tastic." Dragging his hand over his bearded chin Hank sighed and just gave his adopted son a sympathetic stare. "What else is wrong with him?"

Joel carefully ran his hands alongside Connor's chest and could feel the shuddering breaths under his palms, and what was worse was he could hear the labored breathing from where he knelt. As his hands brushed against Connor's abdomen the deviant's body flinched as an unexpected pain emanated from the center of his torso just above his completely aesthetic naval.

"Damn."

"What's 'damn'?"

"I think his gyroscope has been affected by the Thirium Flux and his overheating core."

"Shit." Taking in all the details as best as he could, Hank tried to figure out what was happening to the deviant. "Is that why he was so shaky?"

"That contributed to it, yes. If anything, we can confidentially state that Connor has developed 'Groupware Blight 2.0' because of that software update."

"...Meaning what, exactly?"

"Remember when he had that bout with the 'android flu' a while back? This is a worse case than that."

"Fuck. That's it." Hank made a move to grab Connor's arm and pull his body up and over his shoulders. "I'm taking him home to rest."

"Captain," the guilt in Joel's voice was heavy and almost palpable. "I promise you that-"

"It's all right." Putting up his hand to quiet the worried technician, Hank spoke in a calm and understanding tone. "I know you wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt him. It was an accident and now it's over."

"I'm sorry all the same."

"Just help me carry Connor out to the car and hook me up with whatever green medicine you got so he can get better."

"Maybe." The normally bright blue of Joel's eyes seemed to dull with guilt as he looked at his unconscious friend's face with complete regret clouding his vision. "I honestly think it'd be best if Connor went to a facility to have another technician look over him."

"No way, he hates facilities." Hank defended on Connor's behalf as he proceeded to pull the deviant into a sitting upright position on the floor with his arm around Connor's shoulders. "And yeah, I know that's it's risky to take care of him myself. But it's easier this way."

"I don't doubt your ability to take care of him, I just don't want to see him suffering because of my mistake."

"Do I need to slap you upside the head or something?" The paternal nature of Hank's voice was audible to anyone in the area of the breakroom. "It was an accident."

"And Connor is my friend."

"Shit happens. I accidentally shot him for fuck's sake." As he pulled Connor's limp arm around his own shoulders Hank stood up slowly and let the deviant's full deadweight lean against him heavily as he supported Connor up on his feet and held him at his side. Connor was completely oblivious and burning up with an intense fever as his system recalibrated after enduring the unusual reaction to the Thirium flux. "Help me with Connor first, then kick yourself in the ass later. 'Kay?"

"...Sure." Taking Connor's free arm around his shoulders Joel helped Hank to carry Connor out of the breakroom and back through the front doors of the precinct to take his leave for the rest of the day. "I'm going to take extensive notes on this update and never make a mistake like this ever again."

With Joel's help Hank was able to get Connor to the car outside and into the parking garage where he placed the feverish deviant down in the backseats to rest. Still feeling guilty Joel had taken it upon himself to explain everything to Captain Fowler and of the failed software installation, taking full responsibility for Connor's current incapacitation. Despite Hank's reassurances that what happened to Connor was an accident Joel continued to blame himself and would surely be feeling guilty for weeks. Once back home Hank set about taking care of Connor as he had done in the past and treated the sick deviant like any other sick person that he had taken care of in the past.

Placing a cold, damp washcloth over Connor's still too warm forehead Hank smoothed out the fabric and sat down on the edge of the coffee table as he watched the sick deviant struggling to breathe and weakly coughed as he rested on the couch while still unconscious. Refusing to let the sick deviant spend his recovery time in his usual work uniform Hank took it upon himself to change Connor's clothing into his usual sleepwear of dark gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt so that he was more comfortable.

As the deviant remained unresponsive to the world around him, his head resting over a thick navy blue pillow and under a thick navy blue blanket pulled up to his chest, Hank kept vigil and Sumo pressed his chin down over the edge of the couch as he too watched over Connor. It seemed as if Connor's illness was nothing more than a reminder that the deviant's wasn't nearly as invulnerable as he appeared to be.

"Hard to believe that you're the most advanced prototype that was ever created."

Hank observed as he checked Connor's pulse by gently pressing his fingertips to the inside of Connor's wrist. The deviant was now stable but still very sick.

"You and your update problems. It's almost as bad as me trying to figure out why the hell my laptop crashed. Again."

Connor coughed harshly and more Thirium covered his lips as a thin trail ran from the corner of his mouth down toward his jaw.

Sighing loudly Hank took another washcloth from the small pile sitting on the coffee table beside him and wiped the blue blood away from Connor's mouth.

"Wish you'd wake up. The sooner you drink some of that green shit the sooner you can get better."

Connor's eyes began to slowly move back and forth under his heavy eyelids upon hearing Hank's voice cut through the darkness of his mind. Opening his mouth slightly Connor managed to speak to the senior detective watching over him in a raspy, tired voice.

"...H-Hank?"

"There we go, nice to see you conscious."

"What happened?" Opening his eyes fully Connor noticed that Sumo was watching him from the edge of the couch and turned his head slowly toward Hank as reality set in. He wasn't at the precinct, he was home. "...Why am I here?"

"You passed out at the precinct. Your heartbeat got a little too high and your system overloaded."

"...The software update." Connor blinked slowly and sighed as a weak cough escaped his lips. "I remember now."

"Yup. Joel went ahead and deleted it for ya', but not before it made you sick."

"Sick?"

"Yeah, android-flu 2.0, or some other shit." Patting Connor's arm lightly Hank stood up from the coffee table and made his way toward the kitchen. As he pulled open the refrigerator door he called out to Connor from the neighboring room in a casual tone of voice. "You need to drink one tablespoon of this green stuff every four hours, and then as soon as you make some form of recovery let Joel know. He feels like shit because of what happened."

Through glassy irises Connor watched as Hank returned to the livingroom and handed him the chilled bottle of green android exclusive medication. Eyeing the liquid warily Connor tried to reach a shaking hand out to grab it, but his coordination wasn't as accurate as it normally was.

"Here." Sitting down on the edge of the coffee table again Hank placed the bottle into Connor's hand and helped the deviant to sit up slightly. As Connor moved he coughed weakly and clumsily dragged the back of his hand over his slightly bloody mouth. "Four hours, kid. Not six this time."

"It must be concentrated."

"Yeah, that's what Joel said. He also said he found a way to make it taste better, but it's still going to hurt your stomach when you drink it. Sorry."

"Thank you for the warning." Pressing the bottle to his lips Connor drank the proper dose of the medication and winced with visible pain as he wrapped his arm around his suddenly aching stomach. "...Ow." Grimacing at the pain but not the taste Connor slumped back down against his pillow tiredly. "Why does it have to hurt if it's been designed to aid me?"

"Maybe it's supposed to deter you from getting sick." Hank quipped at he took back the medicine and placed the bottle down on the coffee table beside him. "Like the way rubbing alcohol stuns the scabbed knees of reckless kids who refuse to wear their safety gear while riding their bikes."

"Highly improbable." Laying back against the thick pillow that Hank had provided after carrying him home Connor sighed a little and stifled another cough. "I do not recognize the flavor. It's new to me."

"Let me see." Waving the opened bottle under his nose Hank caught the scent and identified it for Connor. "It smells like grape."

"Grape? I find the taste more appealing than the black licorice flavor."

"You and ninety-nine percent of the world, kid. Me included."

Coughing again Connor covered his mouth under his palm and felt Hank pressing a washcloth into his other hand, with which he quickly cleaned off his blood stained lips. "...Thanks. What about the suspect?"

"He's been detained and is being charged with grand theft and attempted murder on top of other indiscretions." As always Hank was keeping tabs on what was happening in the precinct after he and Connor returned home. "He'll be in jail for a long, long time, even after he ratted out his buddy for a lighter sentence."

"I'm glad I was able to stop him without him harming anyone else."

"Me too. How do you feel right now?"

"Now that my heart is beating normally," Connor tepidly rested his palm over his chest as if he needed to make sure what he was feeling was real as he spoke. "I feel slightly better. However, the frequent coughing is bothersome."

"You're going to be coughing for some time, but don't try to resist it." Like a human, deviants needed to cough when their artificial lungs become congested. "You need to get that excess Thirium out of your lungs so you can breathe properly."

"How long-" Coughing again Connor caught the Thirium in the provided washcloth and wiped it over his bloody lips to clean up his mouth. "H-How long am I estimated to recover?"

"About five days."

"...Five days? That's so-" Connor began coughing more violently than before and caught more of the blood in the washcloth. He felt Hank's hand press against his shuddering chest to steady him as best as he could. As the coughing fit passed, he took in deep cleansing breaths and looked at Hank with watery eyes. "...That's so much longer to heal than before."

"Well, it's a much worse sickness than before." Hank noted with a smug tone. "Try to relax and don't talk so much, it'll be easier for you to breathe."

"Did Jack or anyone else-" With great irritation Connor coughed into the washcloth yet again and gave up on speaking for the moment. "...Damn it."

"No. Just you. I guess that software needs a few patches before it's ready to be released." The protective father encouraged Connor lay back against his pillow to continue resting. "At least for prototypes, anyway."

Nodding in silent agreement Connor rested his head down against his pillow and sighed.

"You're still feverish." Hank pulled back his hand to check the washcloth over Connor's forehead and found it had already warmed up. "I'll be right back."

As Hank disappeared into the bathroom with one of the washcloths already in his hand Connor was met with a cold nose against his arm and a drool covered green fetch ball being dropped on the couch beside him. Without the coordination or strength to throw the ball as the playful dog had hoped all Connor could do was place his left hand weakly on Sumo's head and rub his ears.

"Good boy."

"Sumo?" Returning to the couch Hank snatched the slimy green ball from beside Connor and threw it into the kitchen away from the sick deviant. The massive dog raced after his toy and happily brought it back and dropped it Hank's feet as Hank sat down on the coffee table again. "Gross."

"Ha- No, dad." Connor began again in a low voice as Hank replaced the warmed washcloth over his forehead with another cool one. "How did I get home?"

"Well, after Joel figured out why you went down, he helped me carry you to the car and then I carried you in here. Why?"

"Did it hurt your back?"

"For fuck's sake..." Hank just shook his head as he smoothed out the compress over Connor's forehead again. "You're the one who's sick. Don't worry about my back, I'm old but I can still heft around my own kid if he needs help."

"Sorry."

"All right, stop doing that, too. Between you and Joel apologizing to me I've had enough of 'sorry' for one day."

"Joel?" Closing his eyes tightly Connor endured another rough coughing fit but didn't show any sign of complaint or protest as he finished wiping off his mouth as the expelled blue blood stained his lips. Pressing his hand to his lower abdomen he applied pressure and winced at a lingering ache just below his stomach thanks to his gyroscope malfunctioning. "Why did Joel apologize? He didn't do anything wrong. ...Did he?"

"He felt bad for you getting sick. And he wanted me to know that."

"It wasn't Joel's fault."

"Which I told him before I left." The attentive father replied as he watched over Connor and kept his bullheaded son up to speed. "I don't think Joel listens to me any better than you do."

"Once I've recovered, I'll speak to him." Pausing to cough again Connor breathed slowly to keep the fit from recurring. "I'll let him know I don't have any grudge against him, and that I am aware of it being an accident."

"After five days it'll be your day off anyway." Hank reminded the deviant with a casual shrug of the shoulders. "Do what you want. That applies for right now, too. You're off the clock."

"The last time I was ill with the flu," Connor blinked slowly as he ran a self-diagnostic and found his core temperature hovering at one-hundred and three point three degrees. He took in a deep breath to try to cool his core more easily and a sharp pain in his abdomen made him wince again as the lingering ache persisted against his will. "we watched a movie together. Can we do that again? I found the experience to be calming."

"Sure, son." The amused smirk didn't go unnoticed as he set about getting comfortable as he too decided that since he was off the clock that he'd unwind and get into more comfortable clothing as well. "Whatever you want to watch."

"Is there another detective film we could watch?"

"Hell yeah. Let me change my clothes and we'll have a movie night." Happy to oblige with the request Hank picked up the bottle of medication to return it to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water for himself to drink before he returned to the livingroom to watch over Connor. "There's always a good detective movie ready on stand-by."

"Thanks."

"For the record, you never have to ask about if we can have movie nights. Just find something and I'll join you."

-next chapter-