A week-long vacation at the beloved cabin far away from the city had proven beneficial to both Connor and Hank on a physical and emotional level after enduring so much hardship in such a small frame of time. Fully recovered and in great shape after being infected by the hacker's virus, both Connor and Jack had returned to the precinct to resume their respective roles with no sign of any lingering ill effects and neither showed any further signs of the virus itself. Out of a strictly precautionary measure, both deviants had undergone an additional check-up with Joel in the dispensary where the precinct technician readily cleared them for active duty without any fear for their potential health.

Five long weeks of boredom and monotony followed after the full week at the cabin that both Connor and Hank so desperately needed, and now it seemed like the weather was proving itself to be more dangerous than any other criminal in the city. Fussing with his coin between his nimble fingers Connor sat upright with perfect posture in his chair at his desk and cybernetically monitored the massive summer rainstorm threatening to drown the city.

The six-week lull of inactivity was officially over thanks to Mother Nature deciding she needed to spice things up.

Gavin and Tina rapidly walked through the front doors of the precinct and made their way to the bullpen completely drenched from the rain and looking miserable. While Gavin shrugged off his soaked leather jacket and draped it over the back of his chair to dry off, Tina made her way to the locker room to change into a dry uniform as her own had become entirely soused courtesy of the poor weather.

"I haven't seen it rain this fuckin' hard in a long time." Gavin griped as he ran his hands through his wet hair to try to adjust the mess of locks back into some kind of manageable style. "I'm not going on patrol again until the city dries out."

"That's not possible." Connor turned to look at Gavin and noted that his dark green shirt and blue jeans were also soaked from the rain. "A large number of traffic accidents have been reported downtown from the rain making intersections very slick. There have also been four distinct reports of roads collapsing from flash flooding and erosion near the outskirts."

"That's why I'm glad I'm a cop and not a firefighter or work in construction." Flipping a few stray raindrops from his hair, Gavin turned to look at Connor before he dropped down into his chair. "I'm not a fan of repair work."

"Did you and Tina encounter any difficulties while on patrol?"

"Nah, everyone seems to be hiding inside, not that I can blame 'em." As he turned on his terminal screen Gavin thought about the sudden deluge and how recently one F.B.I. Agent Norman Jayden had been in Detroit just a few months prior. "But if weird-ass origami figures start appearing in the city I'm packing up my family and moving to higher ground."

Arching his brow Connor inquired about the bizarre reference that the Sergeant had just mentioned. "Origami figures? That seems like an incredibly esoteric concern."

"Right, you weren't around the precinct when that Jayden guy from the F.B.I. was lurking around here and at City Hall. That weirdo told us all the fucked up cases he worked on while he was still a field agent and that included taking down an infamous serial killer in Philadelphia called 'The Origami Killer' back in 2011." A genuine shudder seemed to run down his spine as he spoke. "The freak used to drown kids in rain water and leave origami animals in their hands as a demented calling card."

"That's absolutely sadistic."

"Yeah, well, all serial killers are. That serial fuck-up got gunned down and his last victim was saved before it was too late. Jayden made sure of that."

"That's good to know." Turning back to his terminal Connor swiftly checked through the small caseload that had been presented to him over the past few weeks. Not only had the cases against deviants diminished considerably but the poor weather had deterred many people from even attempting to break in to homes, apartments or stores. "And the lack of active cases is good as well."

From above the bullpen the lights began to flicker as the heavy rain began affecting the powerlines throughout the entire city. While there were emergency back-up generators that would take over in the event of power failure, the emergency procedures throughout the precinct were still going to be implemented. Unnecessary computer terminals were turned off and supplies were made available to all of the officers inside the precinct first and foremost.

Standing up from his desk Connor made his way to the private office where Hank was currently engaging emergency procedures over the phone to keep on top off messes before they got out of control. Standing quietly before the desk with his hands neatly folded behind his back Connor waited for his inevitable instructions from his commanding officer.

"All right, kid." Hanging up the phone Hank turned to look at the deviant standing quietly at his desk and let out a weary sigh. The precinct is working on low power mode and all available officers are going to be patrolling the streets." Taking his car keys from his pocket Hank tossed them over to the deviant who caught them easily. "Take my car and head out to I-94 to patrol the area. A lot of the bridges will overflow, and the underpasses will flood. Sometimes the surrounding ground will give way and cause a few mudslides, so if you see any weakened terrain call the fire department to monitor the area and keep traffic to an absolute minimum."

"Right." Holding tightly to the car keys Connor showed no sign of fear in his new assignment. "Should I take anyone on patrol with me?"

"No. One patrol officer per car. If back-up becomes necessary report it A.S.A.P. and keep everyone up to date on what's happening."

The lights above flickered again and the eerie groan of power failure began to resonate throughout the building.

"Okay, we're going to lose power." Hank noted despondently where he sat. "Make sure you have a fully stocked first aid kit on your person and do what you can to help stranded motorists."

"Very well."

Taking his leave of the office Connor caught the sound of Hank's voice calling out to the rest of the bullpen to give instructions as the senior detective stepped out of his office doorway shortly after Connor had left. Many of the officers responded with muttered confirmations and went on their way as instructed. Each one dreading the poor weather they'd soon have to endure in order to keep the city safe.

Stepping out into the rain through the front doors of the precinct Connor was almost immediately drenched in the brutality of nature and he instinctively pulled his gray blazer tighter around himself. Ducking his head down a little he hastily made his way over to the neighboring parking garage and happily took shelter under the concrete roof of the garage and out of the rain.

"I'm glad that I decided to remove the update."

Connor told himself as he looked down at his palm and saw that his hand hadn't paled from the cold and that his artificial skin hadn't reacted with the 'goosebumps' effect like it had when he previously stepped out of the warm shower and into the cold air. Such physical reactions would only be a distraction during his patrol.

"I don't think I'll miss it at all. Humanity just isn't for me."

Driving through the rain drenched streets of the city wasn't easy, but Connor managed it just fine thanks to his enhanced reflexes and ability to scan the environment almost a full mile ahead of himself to prevent traffic collisions with stalled vehicles stranded all around the city. Reaching I-94 as he had been instructed, Connor noted several stranded drivers and began assisting them appropriately as they needed. Fortunately, no one had been injured by the sporadic traffic jams or by the few cars that had lost control on the slick roads, but there were quite a few drivers shaken up and at a loss as to where they should go to wait out the storm. It was difficult to find a solution without involving other people in the problem and potentially putting them at risk as well.

It wasn't an hour into his patrol when Connor's scanner detected a massive surge in the storm overhead and encountered an old wooden power pole bending and tilting down over the expressway from the soil around it eroding. The aged wooden supports of the pole itself began snapping from strain and were now proving to be a true threat. Downed lines were dangerous enough as they were, but if the lines were still active then it could prove fatal.

"This is going to be a difficult day."

Reporting the dangerous and downed powerline cybernetically Connor prepared for the uncomfortable task of watching over the line until the electricity was shut off and the power company arrived to tend to the damaged line. Ever vigilant Connor parked the Oldsmobile across the two lanes of traffic to ensure no one got too close to the line, and he stepped out of the vehicle while flashing his badge to identify himself as a police officer. Due to the line's location over the expressway the incoming traffic from the city had been delayed, which meant traffic was going to continue to build up and lengthen down the expressway in both directions.

Surely and steadily more cars came to a gentle stop as the lines were immediately blocked off for safety concerns, but the traffic stayed quiet. No one impatiently honked their horns or tried to drive around the traffic jam to get away from the inconvenience. It seemed everyone was in agreement that there was no reason to be rude due to the inclement weather.

"Hank," Connor sent a verbal and cybernetic text to the Captain still taking charge of things back at the precinct. The uncomfortably cold rain quickly soaked through the deviant's gray blazer and his white dress shirt causing the drenched fabric to cling uncomfortably to his artificial skin beneath. "this day is going to be very long and very messy."

'Yeah, I didn't need an update to know that.' Hank confirmed as he monitored the weather back at the precinct. 'Apparently flash flooding is causing even more problems in the heart of the city.'

"Once I'm available I'll proceed to the flooded locations."

'Don't sweat it, kid. Jack is babysitting the critical areas, so help is already where it needs to be.'

"Very well. I'll remain here until you send me elsewhere."

'Good answer. Sit tight and stay vigilant.'

Glancing up at the black rain clouds overhead Connor sighed and responded to the text in an appropriate manner. "...Will do."

New reports of flash flooding and stranded motorists littered the television screens that surrounded the bullpen as the power flickered and dimmed rhythmically with the pounding rain outside. Leaning up against his old desk with his arms folded over his chest Hank watched the news report as it was being broadcast live, and he listened carefully as the other officers set about their tasks professionally to keep the city from falling apart. Being prohibited from field work during a natural disaster for safety concerns for himself meant that Hank had to rely on information coming to him from any source available rather than going out on his own to uncover information by himself.

Seeing the flooded streets on the news was unsettling but the senior detective remained fearless and determined to help the people in the city. He'd dealt with nasty weather too many times to count to just stop caring now. The man also had full faith in his officers in being able to handle that day's natural disaster.

"Yo, Cap'." Gavin approached Hank as he slipped back on his leather jacket over his still damp green t-shirt. "There's a car stranded in the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. It's flooding fast and the fire department can't get out there in time, I'm going to head out to try to help."

"Ah, fuck." Running his hand through his shorter gray hair as his shoulders tensed Hank knew it'd be too dangerous to let Gavin go alone. "Who else is available?"

"Tina's out across town helping to evacuate a flooding street, Chris and Jack are a patrolling a flooded overpass, Sarah-Lee is monitoring turnpike, Lance is out with the fire department as back-up, and Ben's team is checking out a possible case of abuse at a nursing home and the rookies are shadowing their partners. I don't know who else is free."

"Then I'll tell Connor to meet up with you." Hank decided with a reluctant tone to his tired voice. "The damn electric company just got to the powerline he's been watching, so he'll be free right now."

"Right. He'll know where to find me."

Pulling his phone from his pocket Hank sent the text to the deviant and watched as Gavin took his leave of the precinct to help out at the scene of the trapped car at the flooding tunnel. The last thing they wanted to do was perform a recovery mission if they failed with a routine search and rescue operation.

"I fuckin' hate this weather."

The moment Connor responded to the text Hank filled him on the details and knew that the deviant would respond immediately.

"I got a new assignment for you. Hope you're up for a new kind of challenge."

The new assignment was as important as it was dangerous, but Connor didn't shy away from his responsibilities to everyone in the city. Pulling the Oldsmobile away from the downed powerline to make room for the responding electricians and fire department, Connor received Hank's message cybernetically and ran his hand through his damp locks of hair somewhat nervously. Noting the location of the emergency situation he preconstructed the quickest route out to the flooding tunnel and proceeded down the expressway as quickly as he could without causing any undue risk to other vehicles, or to himself, as he sped to the dangerous tunnel and its trapped occupants.

While he had worked through his claustrophobia in the past Connor was still a little wary of enclosed or dark spaces. He didn't like how limited he felt when in a small area or when his options were greatly reduced thanks solely to his environment that he couldn't change.

"Is there any word on the people trapped inside the tunnel?"

There was a pause before Hank chose instead to directly call Connor through a cybernetic line as opposed to texting. 'You hear me, kid?'

"Yes, I can hear you." The signal was a little weak thanks to the weather, but Connor could understand Hank just fine. "Do you have an update?"

'According to Gavin there's one car trapped in the rapidly flooding tunnel. Two occupants are confirmed to be inside.'

"They cannot escape the tunnel?"

'Not likely. It's dark in there and their car stalled when a massive flash flood hit them.'

"Are they injured?"

'I don't know yet. Gavin is already there and he's trying to get to the car, but it's slow going thanks to the water.'

"I'm less than twenty-eight seconds from the tunnel. We'll get them to safety."

'Right, but as soon as the fire department gets there you two gets your asses back out of the tunnel. Dealing with Mother Nature is way out of your pay grade.'

"I'll keep that in mind."

'And keep me apprised of the situation. Don't take any unnecessary risks.'

"Understood."

Parking the car just behind Gavin's squad car Connor opened the door, turned off the engine, locked the door and made his way to the car's trunk. Popping it open he grabbed a heavy-duty bright orange flashlight and powered it on before slamming the trunk shut and pocketing the car key. Rushing to the tunnel with his head bowed down in a futile effort to keep the cold rain at bay, he visually scanned the tunnel and located three human life signs within the quickly flooding location.

"Gavin?" Connor called out, his voice echoing off the concrete walls of the dark and damp tunnel with an amplified ambience. His rapid footsteps splashed loudly and quickly sloshed as he tread through the now shin-deep water with the bright beam of the flashlight guiding his way. "Gavin, can you hear me?"

"Over here!" Gavin's voice sounded out with the same accompanying echo. A loud 'crack' intruded on the remaining echo as the concrete of the tunnel above them began to fail and split from the relentless rain drowning it by the gallon. "The door's jammed! I can't get 'em out!"

Even without the beam of the flashlight Connor's superior android vision was able to see through the darkness of the flooding tunnel and locate the car that was partially submerged in the steadily rising water. The headlights of the car were dim and struggling to shine through the murky rising water in which it had become stranded. The deeper into the tunnel Connor walked the deeper the water level rose.

Reaching the car quickly as the flooding water reached his knees Connor placed his flashlight down on the roof of the car and pointed it back toward the entrance of the tunnel to create some form of orientation to use before checking the door handles.

"No good." Gavin stated firmly as he moved to the rear doors of the four-door car to try those handles next. "The damn water fried the electronic locks. The doors won't budge."

Peering inside the car through the windows Connor saw that both of the occupants inside the car, a man behind the wheel and a woman as his lone passenger, were unconscious. The sudden surge of the water had not only caused the car to stall but it was such a massive impact against the front of the vehicle that the airbags had deployed, and the violent motion was enough to render the duo unconscious from the impact. The safety feature had ironically become a detriment to the trapped passengers.

"I don't detect any sign of skull, neck or spinal trauma from the impact." Connor confirmed as began pulling with steadily building strength on the handle of the passenger side door until it 'popped' open under his strength. "We can carry them to safety without causing further harm."

"Holy shit..." The human detective heard the door pop open and rushed around the other side of the car where Connor was standing. "Nice work!"

"You take her." Connor ordered as he tore away the airbag and unfastened the woman's seatbelt. "I'll get the man."

"Yeah, sure." Kneeling down slightly in the still rising water Gavin was able to lift up the woman from her seat into his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder in the process, and began to trudge back through the water in the tunnel to reach the exit. "Don't lag behind me, 'Tinman'."

"I'll move as quickly as I can."

A second loud 'crack' echoed as a gush of water poured downward from the overhead imperfection as the failure in the tunnel began to worsen. A large fissure snaked down the entire length of the tunnel and steadily widened as murky rain water cascaded through the flaw.

Moving to the other side of the car to the driver's side door Connor performed the same action and 'popped' the door open. Repeating his gesture from earlier Connor disposed of the airbag and unfastened the man's seatbelt to free him. Unlike the woman, presumably the man's wife, who was barely five and half feet tall with a petite build, the man was almost six foot four and broadly built. Connor could move him but with the rapidly rising water it would be increasingly difficult to do so.

"Sir, if you can hear me, I'm going to get you to safety."

Connor stated as he awkwardly but successfully put the man over his shoulders in a traditional fireman's carry and adjusted his posture to accommodate the added weight. Wading through the water that was now above his knees Connor made his way toward the tunnel exit a few yards behind Gavin to get the man to safety. Remembering what he had promised Hank before arriving at the tunnel Connor sent him an update on the situation via cybernetic and verbal communication.

"The first victim has been extracted and is being carried out of the tunnel by Gavin. I have the second victim and I'm following behind him."

'That's good, kid. Get out of there as fast as you can.'

"I intend to do so."

Stumbling slightly as he walked Connor heard a third even louder 'crack' as the tunnel began to fail entirely overhead. As he attempted to hasten his speed to escape the flooding tunnel a torrent of water surged back down the tunnel's entrance in his direction threatening to sweep him off his feet. Reacting quickly Connor pressed his palm against the smooth surface of the slick tunnel and planted his feet firmly down as the water blasted into his body without mercy.

"Gavin?"

The deviant shouted as he took a graceless step forward and began fighting against the strengthening current. One hand was on the tunnel's wall and the other hand was wrapped tightly around the man's leg to keep him from slipping out of his grip.

"I need help!"

There was no immediate response, or at least one that even the deviant's superior hearing couldn't detect, as he trudged forward through the powerful current and caught sight of the end of the tunnel in the distance. From above the crack in the ceiling of the tunnel widened considerably allowing even more water to freely pour down and nearly knock Connor off of his feet. It was as if Connor had just tried to walk through Niagara Falls.

"...G-Gavin? Gavin!"

A huge chunk of concrete crashed down from the destabilized ceiling a few feet in front of Connor blocking off his exit behind a jagged portion of the destroyed tunnel. The obstruction caused the deviant to pause in his tracks as his only escape route had been suddenly cut off. Scanning the immediate area Connor knew the tunnel was going to collapse entirely but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Peering at the mouth of the tunnel faintly visible around the obstructing mass as the now thigh deep water surged against Connor's legs causing him to freeze in place, the deviant saw two figures making their way back down the tunnel toward him with rescue lines in tow.

"Connor?"

"Right here!" The deviant confirmed as Gavin traced back to his location with a firefighter at his side. "The water is too strong; I can't carry him through or get around the debris."

"Pass him over here!" Gavin shouted as the two detectives fought to hear each other over the cascading water and the concrete obstruction as the tunnel continued to fail around them. "We'll get him out and then you can get your ass out of here!"

The firefighter tossed a lifeline over the top of the obstruction to Connor, who quickly tied it around his waist after he passed the unconscious man from his shoulder to the waiting arms of Gavin and the firefighter who were standing where the line had been thrown. The gap at the top of the obstruction was just barely wide enough for a humanoid body to slip through to the other side without being crushed or injured.

"Go!" Connor shouted as he studied the concrete barricade to find the best way for him to climb over. "I'll follow after you."

Moving carefully Connor attempted to climb up over the rain sodden barricade but the tunnel above seemingly had other plans. A second massive portion of the concrete surface broke free and splashed down so quickly that a following cascade of rain water completely obstructed Connor's view of the end of the tunnel. A third collapse followed shortly thereafter and brought down a mass of thick dirt that instantly turned to mud and buried Connor beneath the dense layers of nature and into the rising, cold depths.

As utterly crushing weight, cold water and pure blackness consumed him, Connor managed to send out one final cybernetic text to Hank before he nothing more of the world around him and was effectively submerged in the murky water beyond anyone's sight.

'I helped get the trapped people to safety and then I tried to get out. I really tried, I'm sorry.'

From the other side of the debris near the mouth of the tunnel, Gavin and the firefighter stumbled on the slick ground as they carried the man to safety and watched as the massive tunnel collapsed with a thunderous 'crash' directly behind them. Murky, muddy water consumed the area as the surrounding earth fell prey to the rain and smothered the tunnel under a thick layer of opaque muck that no one could see through. The subsequent surge of rushing water pushed Gavin, the firefighter and their rescued driver away from the tunnel and up toward relatively higher ground as the impressive display of nature couldn't be contested by mankind despite their best efforts to fight back.

The way the tunnel had been consumed so rapidly by the rain caused the first responders momentary pause as they realized how close they had come to tragedy. One minute slower and the two men would've been trapped under the ruins of the collapsed tunnel as well.

"Connor?!" Gavin shouted through the rain as he realized the deviant didn't make it out in time before the tunnel collapsed. Noticing the tight rope of the lifeline that had been nearly severed by the crushing weight of the concrete and mud, Gavin reacted quickly and trailed the rope back to the scene of the carnage to try to find the trapped deviant. "Fuck! Connor?"

The firefighter who had aided Gavin with the rescue delivered the victim to the waiting paramedics and immediately chased after the detective to get Gavin to back away from the dangerous tunnel. "Hey! Get back from there!"

"Connor's still in there! He's trapped."

"We'll get to him as soon as we can. Get back!"

"He'll drown by then!"

"It's too dangerous to just throw aside the concrete, we'll all drown trying to get to him!"

"Son of a bitch!" Gavin ran his hands through his soaked hair in frustration at his limited options. "Fuck it... That plastic-prick saved my ass easily a half dozen times already. Now it's my turn to save him."

Throwing off his now useless leather jacket Gavin made his way back toward the tunnel where a cascade of muddy water erupted through the concrete debris and clumsily climbed up the jagged wall of concrete to the top of the pile to reach the top of the tunnel where the massive hole in the ceiling had formed. What looked like a rapidly filling, murky pond now stood where the tunnel had once been. As the rain continued to pour down Gavin located a massive opening that seemed to lead down into the depths of the flooding tunnel and jumped onto the muddy concrete barrier overlooking the water. Almost instantly Gavin's clothes were soaked through with the rain and a layer of loose silt covered every part of his body with a dense, opaque layer of chestnut brown mud that splashed up onto his clothing.

"Connor? Answer me!"

It was impossible for a human to see anything in the dirty water even if they had been wearing swim goggles, but Gavin was determined to find Connor one way or another. Carefully, he edged over the uneven terrain of the concrete rubble that filled the massive body of water and awkwardly climbed into the cold pool that quickly rose to his chest as he used his left hand to hang onto the edge of the rubble.

"Ah, fuck! It's freezing..."

"Hey!" The same firefighter had chased after Gavin and was trying to coax him to get back from the tunnel and to safety. "You need to-"

Taking in a deep breath and holding it Gavin swam down into the depths of the blinding water almost fifteen feet deep water and used his hands to guide his way through the debris ridden depths. Remaining calm and thinking logically, Gavin felt around the dark water for any sign of Connor but found nothing. Resurfacing quickly Gavin took in a deep breath, having to choke through the relentless rain, and wipe the mud from his eyes before he tried again.

"You won't find anything in there!" The firefighter called out loudly as he watched Gavin's desperate search for Connor from the top of the tunnel where Gavin had initially climbed down. "You have to get back up here!"

"You take care of those people," without missing a beat Gavin pointed to the two victims freed from the tunnel before the collapse. "I'll take care of him!"

With a second deep breath Gavin swam straight back down and again he used his hands to search where his eyes couldn't see. Brushing against the smooth cool concrete and the jagged edges of the broken slabs, Gavin's hands jerked suddenly as his left hand brushed against the distinctly unique sensation of a waterlogged rope.

It was the lifeline that had been wrapped around Connor's waist. Resurfacing for the second time Gavin took in another breath as he shouted to the firefighter standing by.

"I got him! Find a technician he's going to need help!"

Holding his third deep breath Gavin swam back down as fast as he could and relocated the rope. Pulling himself along the rope to guide his way Gavin's hands soon brushed against the fluttering fabric of Connor's gray blazer and quickly slipped the rope from around the deviant's waist. Blindly wrapping both arms around Connor's body under the deviant's arms Gavin held Connor against his own chest and tried to kick to the surface, but he failed to move.

The collapse had pinned Connor's left leg under a concrete slab effectively trapping the deviant under the muddy water.

Unable to hold his breath any longer Gavin let Connor go and planted both feet against the first firm surface he found beneath himself. Kicking forward with all of his strength to swim straight up, keeping himself positioned directly over Connor's location, Gavin broke through the surface of the dark water and gasped for breath. Choking and gasping for air Gavin took a moment to collect his thoughts and steadied himself for one more dive.

"H-He's stuck." The detective managed to shout to the firefighter who had been joined by the fire department's technician. The technician was holding metal stokes in his hand ready to help transport Connor to safety once he was freed. "I can get him out, but I don't know how badly he's damaged!"

"Just get him out and get away from there!" The firefighter shouted impatiently. "If you can't get him this time, I'll have to physically remove you from the area for your own safety!"

"Fuck..." Gavin muttered under his breath as he took in two slow breaths before holding in the third. "All right, I got this!"

Forcing himself to make that fourth plunge into the deep water Gavin found Connor once more and used his hands to blindly push aside the fallen concrete slab to free Connor's pinned leg. Once the slab was removed Connor's lightweight body was able to be easily carried to the surface of the water and back to safety. As he did before Gavin wrapped his arms around Connor's upper body, pressing the deviant's back up against his own chest, and made rapid kicks for the surface of the water to get the drowned deviant back to the surface.

Once the two detectives broke through the murky opaque surface of the water Gavin swam over to the firefighter and technician with his right arm while keeping his left arm wrapped around Connor's chest in a tight grip. Connor was growing pale from the lack of power being delivered to his artificial skin allowing the white plastimetal frame beneath to become partially visible through the thinning flesh. Motionless, quiet and seemingly like a corpse, Connor was unresponsive to the rainy world around him.

"He's out of it!" Gavin shouted as he realized he couldn't feel Connor breathing or an active heartbeat under his arm. "Do something!"

The two first responders took Connor from Gavin's grip by grabbing onto Connor's arms and placed him inside the metal stokes for easier transport. Once Connor had been placed accordingly the firefighter grabbed onto Gavin's hand and pulled him out of the water to get everyone out of the flooded tunnel.

The three rescue personnel worked together to carry the stokes down the unusual mass of broken concrete and over to a second ambulance that was equipped with emergency technical supplies to treat damaged androids. The first ambulance had already taken the two victims of the trapped car to the hospital leaving only the second requested ambulance for the remaining officers and a fire engine to try to contain the scene of the collapsed tunnel. Bright red and blue flashing lights cut through the dark scene as heavy rain continued to smother the city under an unforgiving torrent of nature.

"Holy shit." Gavin nearly collapsed as he fell to his knees in exhaustion beside the ambulance and coughed a few times. Without the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins anymore, he was left utterly fatigued and too weak to stand on his own feet. "H-How is he?"

The stokes was placed on the ground beside the ambulance and the technician proceeded to use bottles of clean water to wash away the thick mud that covered most of Connor's body, specifically around his chest and legs. The firefighter did the same for Gavin, removing the mud from the detective with bottles of fresh water, and motioned for an available paramedic to see to his condition.

"Left leg damaged." The technician, Chet, stated as he cleared the mud from the obviously broken limb. From the left hip down toward his knee, Connor's left leg had been partially crushed and the plastimetal frame was openly fractured and bleeding steadily. "Severe external fractures to the lower femur just above the knee resulting in partial dislocation." Pressing both of his hands down against Connor's stilled chest Chet failed to detect any motion from the deviant's Thirium pump or any attempts to ventilate on his own. "Full Thirial arrest."

"He's what?" Gavin asked as he wrapped his arms around himself and began to shiver. The attending paramedic draped a silver emergency blanket around him and began checking his pulse as he knelt on the ground beside the ambulance. "What's wrong with Connor?"

"His Thirium pump has stopped." Chet replied in an infuriatingly calm tone of voice. Pulling open the buttons of the irreversibly stained white dress shirt covering Connor's chest, Chet placed one hand over the other hand, interlocked his fingers together, and began using the heels of his palms to compress the central left portion of Connor's chest. "I need to get his heart beating again."

"Oh, shit." Realizing the severity of the situation Gavin tried to get up to help but his legs buckled from beneath himself and the paramedic planted both hands on his shoulders to keep him still. "Look, just take him to-"

"We're going to take him to the android intensive care unit at St. Vevila Hospital in Midtown." Chet stated as he continued perfect chest compressions to try to coax Connor's heart back into beating on its own. "You're going there, too."

"A hospital? He doesn't need a hospital! He's needs a damn facility!"

"Sir, it'll be fine." The paramedic was trying to help Gavin get back to his feet to sit in the rear of the ambulance, but the steadfast detective was too tired and too heavy to be budged in that moment. "He can be treated at this hospital." The paramedic, Mike, explained to try to get Gavin to cooperate easier. "It's been designed for humans and androids alike."

Needing a little help Chet called out to Mike for assistance. "Get the Thirial activity monitor, I need to see if there's any rhythm going on here."

"What the hell?" From a few feet away Gavin heard the unmistakably gruff voice of Hank calling out to him as he marched toward the ambulance. "Gavin! What the fuck happened?"

"Damn tunnel collapsed on Connor before he could get out." The younger detective answered as he forced himself to stand up on his trembling legs. "I found him under water buried in the mud, but he's not... I don't know what's happening."

"Ah, shit." Hank looked down at Connor's pale face and took a knee beside him as Chet continued to force Connor's heart into motion beneath his hands. "Kid, why don't you ever put yourself first?" Placing his hand on Connor's forehead Hank swept his hand through the deviant's muddy, messy locks of hair to clear the strands from his face. "It's not selfish to take care of yourself first from time to time, you know?"

Mike placed the requested monitor down on the ground beside the stokes and proceeded to turn it on. Grabbing the two remote paddles designed to deliver a potentially lifesaving shock to the arrhythmic pump, Chet pressed the first paddle down near the center of Connor's chest and the second on the left apex of his stopped pump to get a quick reading. Together the technician and the paramedic looked at the display showing Connor's erratic, arrhythmic heart rate and made their diagnosis.

"Very weak, unstable pulse." Chet stated as he set a charge on the monitor's attached Thirium pump stimulator. "We need to move him into the back of the ambulance and wipe off the rain before we even try to shock him back into rhythm."

Chet, Mike and Hank all worked together to get Connor out of the stokes so he could be properly treated in the back of the warm and dry ambulance. While Hank lifted Connor up with his arms under the deviant's shoulders Chet supported Connor's damaged leg and Mike took the weight of the deviant's lower back in his own arms. The trio seamlessly worked to together as one to carry Connor into the back of the ambulance and place him onto a gurney to be further treated.

Using a towel Mike wiped off as much water and mud from Connor's chest as possible while Chet prepared the Thirial stimulator to deliver the necessary controlled charge. Unable to watch as Connor was prepared to be shocked Hank stepped out of the back of the ambulance and approached the second freezing detective standing nearby and wrapped up in the silver emergency blanket.

Grateful for Gavin rescuing Connor from certain death, Hank put his hand to Gavin's bicep and gave him a nod of respect. "Come on, you're going to the hospital, for a check-up."

"I'm not hurt."

"No, but I bet you're hypothermic and risking one nasty lung infection from all that damn mud you probably breathed in."

From the back of the ambulance the Chet called out a warning. "Sending charge."

The sound of the electric charge made Hank cringe as he just imagined Connor's body reacting with a physical violence to the electric charge surging through his struggling heart. "Fuck me."

Gavin accepted Hank's order and tried to step forward only to stumble quickly on his feet. "I can walk... I can-"

"Easy!" Hank grabbed onto Gavin's arm tighter and held him steady as Gavin tried to balance on his tired shaking legs. "Don't try to move around too much. You're dizzy and might slip on the mud."

"All right, fine. I'll go to the hospital." Despite not wanting to admit that he wasn't feeling the greatest, Gavin relented to the request and coughed again. "Anything's better than sitting out here in the mud."

Chet was unable to get a response from Connor in the back of the ambulance. "Once more." He announced as he set another charge. And again, Hank flinched at the sound of the shock being delivered to Connor's body through his struggling heart. There was a brief pause. "Got a pulse. His heart's beating again, but he's still not ventilating on his own."

Escorting Gavin to the back of the ambulance Hank peered inside and watched as Mike pressed his stethoscope against Connor's chest while Chet tilted Connor's head back and lowered his jaw for inspection.

"Near drowning, mud is obstructing his air intake line."

Mike only shook his head a little as he tried to aid in treating the heroic deviant. "I can't hear any air moving in his uh, ventilation system."

Moving quickly Chet rolled Connor onto his side and smacked Connor once hard between his shoulder blades with the palm of his hand. A disturbing amount of mud and water was coughed up and Connor began to choke a little on the obstructive substances. In turn Mike held Connor on his side by grabbing the deviant's shoulder and hip while Chet put a suction device in Connor's mouth to remove the excess mud from his throat.

As the air intake line was cleared Connor took in a deep shuddering breath and quickly settled into a steady breathing rhythm the moment the suction device was removed from his mouth.

"Successful ventilation response." Chet confirmed with relief as Mike confirmed equal breath sounds on both sides of Connor's chest. "He can be transported."

Hank put his hand on Gavin's shoulder and pushed him into the back of the ambulance. As the mud and water soaked detective sat down on the bench beside the two medics in the back of the ambulance Gavin was promptly met with an oxygen mask being placed over his nose and mouth before Mike moved his stethoscope from Connor to listen to Gavin's chest instead.

"You're going to need to lay down and receive oxygen therapy." Mike stated as he stood up from the bench and motioned for Gavin to lay back on the second stretcher that he was already being pulled from the supports beneath the bench. "Breathe deeply and slowly for me."

"Yeah, sure..." Begrudgingly Gavin laid back still clutching the silver emergency blanket around himself as if it were somehow keeping him alive. "I can do that."

Gently Chet rolled Connor on to his back and slipped an oxygen mask over his face as well. The sight of Connor's chest steadily rising and falling was a welcome sight and Gavin trying to sit up only to have Mike push him back was a good sign, too. The two detectives were both strong and fighting to stay alive despite the horrible flooding and near drowning they both experienced.

"Cooperate with the nice paramedics for me." Hank stared sympathetically at his waterlogged detectives before he stepped back. "I'll see you two at the hospital, all right?"

Gavin only nodded and gave Hank a weak thumb's up from where he was sitting.

"They're going to the same hospital, right?"

"Right." Chet confirmed before Gavin could make any comment. "St. Vevila in Midtown."

"Okay. I'll see you there."

Closing the ambulance doors with a swift motion Hank patted on the closed back doors twice and stepped back again. As the ambulance sped out of sight and toward the hospital, Hank pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the message that Connor had managed to send him and sighed to himself with a mixture of sadness and relief.

"I know you tried, kid. Now just try to hang on for me and wake up before I get to the hospital."

Within the warm and dry private recovery room of St. Vevila Hospital, Gavin sighed and scratched at the side of his neck with impatience from his soft bed. Aside from donning a hospital gown and being smothered under three thick blankets, a nasal canula was set up under his nose to keep his breathing as clear as possible while a muted precautionary cardiac monitor kept track of his heart rate. An I.V. was inserted in the back of his hand as it fed him antibiotics to combat whatever possible infection that he could contract from being submerged in such cold, filthy water for an extended period of time, but it seemed like for Gavin the cure was worse than the disease.

As for Connor, he was resting more easily and had been treated for his near drowning by skilled hands. His clothing was ruined but that could be easily replaced in comparison to someone's life.

"Fucking itch..." Gavin mumbled as he continued to scratch at his neck. "Feels like there's something crawling all over me."

As Gavin moved his fingers over to the back of his opposite hand around the I.V., a scolding voice warned him about messing with the needle and canula under his relatively thin skin.

"Gavin, that can cause more harm to your body than a simple infection."

Connor was resting in the bed next to Gavin with the same treatment taking place. Hospital gown, blankets, nasal canula, muted Thirial activity monitor and an I.V. in the bend of his arm as his Thirium was cycled through an android dialysis machine to remove any foreign matter from his Thirium that could cause issues from his system. A large wad of gauze was wrapped around his left leg above the knee and a small metal brace was over top of it to keep his broken upper leg as still as possible.

"Whatever." Gavin turned to look at Connor as he continued to scratch at the back of his hand around the I.V. line in favor of scratching his neck again. "What do you know about it, 'Tinman'?"

"I know that messing with an opened vein will allow bacteria to enter your bloodstream." Connor explained coolly from where he was laying and cleared his throat after a small cleansing cough. The mud and water had managed to coat his air intake line after he was submerged. "And if left improperly treated open wounds can become gangrenous."

"At this point I'd welcome a fever or an amputation! Those are a lot easier to deal with than itching all over the fuckin' place..."

"You should let the doctor know you're having a mild allergic reaction to the antibiotics."

"Why? So they can pump more drugs into my veins? No fuckin' thanks."

"Speaking of thanks." Turning his head slightly so he was looking directly at Gavin the deviant gave him an appreciative nod. "Thank you for saving my life."

"It's no big deal." Not wanting any attention for his deed Gavin tried to dismiss the comment casually. "You saved me first."

"From my perspective, it is a big deal."

"How's that?"

"You're claustrophobic." The deviant replied rather casually. "Entering a dark, shrinking space must've been absolutely terrifying. Thank you for pushing through your-"

"Knock it off." Gavin didn't want to think about his phobia any more than he wanted his whole body to itch. "Don't get all sentimental on me or remind me of what I just did. I might throw-up or something."

"Sorry."

There was a gentle rap on the partially opened door of the shared room as both Hank and Abby stepped inside to visit the two recovering detectives. As Abby walked over to Gavin's bed and gave him a kiss Hank walked over to Connor and planted his hand firmly on the deviant's shoulder. Abby ran her hand through Gavin's still somewhat damp hair as she looked over his vital signs on the cardiac monitor and hovered over him lovingly.

"Are you okay?"

"Itchy." Gavin admitted as he scratched the side of his neck again, only to have Abby grab onto his hand and make him stop. "And a little cold. But I'm still alive."

"I guess that's the best we could've hoped for." Hank was relieved to hear Gavin sounding like Gavin, and he wanted to make sure Connor was doing the same. "You did good," turning his head a little to look at Gavin just behind him Hank acknowledged both detectives. "you both did. That couple you rescued is going to be just fine."

"That's good to know." Connor was genuinely relieved while Gavin seemed contentedly indifferent. Speaking up with a strangely melancholic tone Connor asked about the situation at the tunnel. "Was anyone else injured when the tunnel collapsed?"

"Nope." The selfless question reassured Hank that Connor was indeed okay. "But because you were submerged for so long and had inhaled some mud before your ventilation things shut off, the technicians want to keep you overnight for observation. You might be sick for a while if you're not careful."

"But I don't-"

"Sorry, kid. I have to agree with the technicians on this one. You have to stay here tonight."

Abby spoke up as she gave Gavin a stern glance. "Same with you. I don't want you getting sick and passing it on to Aria or me." Her hand went to her lower stomach and she gave him a slight nod. "Or our 'little guest'."

"Seriously?" Gavin shook his head a little at Abby as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him. Lightly he pressed his hand to his wife's abdomen to rest next to her hand as he felt for a telltale bump. "On the first take?"

"Yup. Talk about efficient, huh? Guess it was meant to be."

"You're sure?"

"Yup. I threw-up this morning, got a craving for pineapples on waffles and then I took a pregnancy test. It was positive. I then threw-up a second time and took a nap. All in all, it was a very productive day for me."

Hank and Connor had overheard the comment and they both gave Abby an odd look.

Sensing their stares Abby held up both hands as if to surrender before she explained things. "Surrogate. A good friend of mine can no longer have children of her own, so I'm helping her and her husband out because they deserve a family."

"Oh, uh..." Hank wasn't quite what to say so he went with a cliche reply whenever something like that caught him off guard. "Congrats?"

Connor's brow furrowed slightly as he ran a biometric scan over Abby's body and confirmed her condition. Sure enough, there was a second tiny heartbeat, and he grinned faintly at the reading of the approximately five-week-old healthy fetus developing in her body. "If it's okay to ask, are the future parents anyone we know?"

"You sure do."

"Who are they?"

"That's a secret." She replied with a cheeky smile. "It's part of the surrogacy arrangement. No one outside the "

"Oh." A little disappointed Connor respected Abby's privacy and dropped the subject after he was certain she and the fetus were perfectly healthy. "I see."

"You'll find out eventually." Abby smiled warmly as she ran her hand up and down Gavin's arm as she could feel that he was still cold. "Give it another seven and a half months or so and then you'll know the whole story. Until then," she turned and gave Gavin another kiss. "I need to go talk to your doctor and pick up Aria from the tower's daycare. I'll bring you home first thing tomorrow morning and I'll even let you have pizza in bed if you play nice with the doctors."

"Damn it, I love you."

"Damn right you do, I'm a treasure."

Hank gave Abby a small wave as she left the hospital room to take care of her personal errands then focused entirely on Connor.

"So here's the deal, kid." Refusing to back down on his arrangement Han gave Connor a stern look. "You're going to stay here for overnight observation, then you're taking the next two days off to recover. Hopefully by then the damn rain will quit."

"But I can-"

"I don't care about desk duty; I don't want you pushing yourself so hard anymore. Ever. Get it? Stop putting the lives of literally everyone else above yourself."

Accepting Hank's orders with a small reluctance Connor laid back in the bed and nodded his head. "...I understand."

"Good." Patting Connor's shoulder Hank looked back at Gavin one more time before taking his leave. "Gavin, you have a full week off with pay."

"I'm not complainin'." Gavin replied as he leaned back in his own bed and against his pillow as much as possible. "I could use a week away from work anyway."

"Connor, I'll bring you back home tomorrow morning, too." Focusing on his son Hank gave the deviant a stern glance. "Right now I need my keys back."

"Oh. They should be in my right front jean pocket." Motioning to the small dresser that now contained his and Gavin's washed clothing and personal items, Connor coughed a little as he spoke. "The Oldsmobile was left by the tunnel near Gavin's car."

"Yup, I know. At least it got a nice wash after being left in the rain all damn day." Retrieving the keys Hank twirled them by the ring over his fingertip and made his way toward the door. "You two get some rest and, for once, fuckin' cooperate with the doctors and the technicians! I mean it."

Connor didn't have anything to say whereas Gavin just scoffed as Hank strolled out of the room.

"He said we're off the clock and he's still tryin' to tell us what to do. Sounds like he's the one who needs to take it easy, not us!"

-next chapter-