"Finding A Light"

Hank Anderson's Residence

The cold, quiet night had turned frantic in a single heartbeat. After Hank had located the vigilante dying in the abandoned factory along the harbor and brought him back to the security of his own home for assistance, the determined Lieutenant asked for Lucas's help to repair the vigilante's damage and keep him from slipping into permanent shutdown. The lack of options in finding proper technical assistance for the vigilante gave Hank no choice but to bring him back to the house knowing that it was the best way to keep angry, opportunistic bigots from swarming over the defenseless deviant. While Hank wasn't a gossip, he did know that rumors had a way of spreading in such a way that they couldn't be contained or stopped, and he decided to take the initiative with keeping the vigilante safe before a new threat presented itself.

Lucas had responded as quickly as he could to the emergencu situation considering he was recovering from his own injuries and began assisting Hank with tending to Connor's wounds. The wary deviant wasn't sure what to expect from either Hank or Connor considering the delicate situation they were in together, but he was going to keep his focus on Connor until he was sure that the deviant vigilante, his big brother, was on the mend.

"Over here." Hank stated calmly as he placed the vigilante down against the cabinet in the kitchens to sit before he released the two latches beneath the round kitchen table to extend out to its full length. Once the table was locked and three times as long, he was able to gently lay the vigilante's body down over the table and keep him supported where he laid. "I'm going to need your help with taking care of him, Lucas. I don't know enough about android anatomy to know what I'm supposed to be doing."

"I don't understand why you brought him here." Lucas replied as he limped into the kitchen and placed the large android unique first aid down on the countertop for ease of access. The kit had bandages, incrassation compound, medical adhesive and two small pints of replacement Thirium. "He needs a proper technician's care."

"Yeah, well, there aren't many places where he can be taken without someone reporting that a wanted vigilante is there." The senior detective stated rather tersely as he eyed the switchblade sticking in Connor's upper left side with a keen eye. "Getting this guy off the street was supposed to be our responsibility, which means helping him recover and then addressing his vigilantism once he heals is our responsibility too."

"What's... going to happen to him after he's been stabilized?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet. Just help me figure out how to patch him up and keep him from dying."

"All right, I'll do my best." Being very careful Lucas pressed his only functioning palm down on Connor's chest and ran a diagnostic. The amount of internal damage reflecting the external damage was enough to make him outwardly wince in pain for his brother's plight. "...We need to stop the internal bleeding."

"HOW?" Hank put bass into his question as he just stared at the compromised protective gear over the vigilante's body without any clue as to how to remove it. "I just know how to handle cuts and bruises on androids, not anything major like that."

"We start by asking a real technician to intervene and help us."

"Son, we can't do that. We can't ask an innocent civilian to get wrapped up in this mess." It was clear that Hank could see that Lucas genuinely worried for the vigilante and believed that it was an empathetic response to seeing a fellow deviant in such dire straits. "This is a police matter."

"Then we'll keep this matter strictly within the precinct and only ask for assistance from another person who had already been investigating the vigilante before he became temporarily incapacitated on the job. Someone who might 'owe' the vigilante a favor, so to speak."

"Joel." A proud smile appeared on Hank's face as his blue eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Damn it, you're right. You call him and tell him that it's an emergency situation, and I'll get more supplies to help get this guy comfortable and keep him alive until Joel gets here."

"I'm on it."

Lucas cybernetically sent out the distress text to Joel and used his single functional hand to very carefully tear the already compromised Kevlar around the offending switchblade to remove the fabric from around the egregious wound site. Meanwhile Hank went down the hallway to gather anything from the bathroom and the hall closet that he thought could be useful. It was crucial for neither detective to not make any of the damage worse before it could be mended, but when Lucas saw all of the fresh bruises and weeping lacerations beneath the body armor, he wanted to just yank out the switchblade and give Connor a reassuring hug that everything was going to be okay.

"Hang on, Connor."

Whispering very softly Lucas hoped that Connor could hear his voice and derive some form of comfort from a familiar presence.

"We're going to get you through this."

Belle Isle: New Jericho Tower

Just as Hank had feared and seemingly predicted, rumors of the deviant vigilante being attacked and beaten to an inch of his life began circulating wide and far throughout the city. When the rumors reached the shores of the isle Markus suddenly felt as if he needed to address his people and help clarify what had happened and remind everyone that the vigilante acted according to their own set of rules and had been protecting the streets for over six weeks without being targeted in such a manner before then. The last thing Markus wanted to deal with was a group of pissed off deviants charging into the city in search of blood when they didn't know the full situation leading up to what had happened to the vigilante and without knowing how accurate the rumors actually were.

Seeing Markus standing in the main lobby of the tower with his people gathered around was a prime example of a potential future that the entire city could experience in just a few months. Markus's natural charisma as a leader and peacekeeper managed to prevent an outraged response for the moment, but whether or not the deviants would remain calm and stay on the isle had yet to be determined.

"We don't know what's happened to the vigilante, and we don't have any proof that humans are directly involved." Markus stated logically as he kept the anger in his voice to a minimum. "All we do know is that there are RUMORS that something happened to the vigilante tonight. No deviants have been admitted to any of the facilities in the city, and no one has arrived at New Jericho, seeking aid for a physical beating. As far as we know, this entire rumor was set BY humans to try to get a violent reaction from the deviants as a form of political sabotage."

Soft murmuring from the crowd confirmed that Markus had reached enough of the deviants to keep a riot at bay. It'd be hard to justify their actions if there was no true, proven motivation to behave so drastically.

"We'll know more about this incident in the morning. Be patient."

"How?" One of the deviants in the crowd asked with a noted vitriol. "How in the hell are we going to know for sure what happened? The news?!"

"I have connections beyond this tower that keep me informed of what's happening the city." The response was unexpected yet somehow comforting. "There are more deviants entering the police force each week, and our people are being recognized for who we are as citizens and not just what we are. If the vigilante was attacked, then we'll know for certain after a proper investigation is performed. Also, consider this." Markus challenged with a knowing tone of voice. "If the vigilante had been attacked so easily, wouldn't they have been unmasked and had their identity posted all over the media? If we don't know anything about them, then no one does, and we're just feeding the rumors."

The answers seemed to be acceptable and the tension in the crowd began to diminish slowly. There's was nothing that they could do and nothing more to be done until they had definitive answers regarding the rumored incident from a reliable source in the morning.

"Please, everyone, go back to your personal business and don't let rumors continue to tear our city apart."

As the crowd slowly dispersed Markus discreetly took in a deep breath and continued to force himself to put on a brave face. He didn't know what had happened in the city that night, but he was able to privately confirm with Lucy that she was unable to cybernetically reach out to Connor and hadn't seen him since he left that evening just after sundown. When Markus's attempts to reach Connor were also met with silence, Markus then began to truly worry.

"Do you have any idea of where he would've gone tonight?" Markus whispered as he walked with Lucy at his side as they entered the elevator together. The two deviants often spoke to each other in private while exploring the top floor of the tower. "If the rumors are true, then he would've been assaulted on the same harbor of where Jericho rests."

"I don't ask him what he intends to do whenever he puts on his mask and returns to the city." Lucy confirmed as she remained calm and maintained an aura of absolute serenity. "I just know that he's determined to keep the city from falling apart at any cost."

"Let's hope he's succeeded. I'd hate to think that..." The notion of Connor being beaten to death was enough to make Markus's lingering guilt of shooting the deviant to twist his artificial stomach into a knot. "Who started the rumors anyway? Do we at least know that?"

"One deviant who has been roaming the city in search of missing deviants claimed to have witnessed the assault while he was gathering supplies." It seemed Lucy had her own connections inside the city as well. "He warned other deviants in the area of the humans who attacked the vigilante and confirmed that the police arrived at the scene shortly before he left the area."

"Does he know where the vigilante is?" It was best to keep referring to Connor by his title rather than his name in case someone managed to eavesdrop even as the two leaders ascended the tower in the sealed elevator together. "If he is hurt, maybe someone can go out and help him."

"He did not see where the vigilante had gone after fleeing the wreckage of Jericho."

"But we do know the vigilante survived long enough to escape." The elevator doors opened, and Markus took Lucy's arm in his own as they stepped out onto the top floor corridor together. "I guess that's the best news we can hope for considering the circumstances."

"Have you asked Lucas what he knows of the reported incident?"

"He's still injured, and I don't want to intrude on him with such a stressful question while he's trying to heal." Markus was trying to keep things under control in his own way without getting directly involved considering he needed to keep his distance for his own safety. "And if Lucas doesn't already know what's happened, I don't want to be the one to tell him."

"Is that because you don't want to upset a friend, or because you still feel remorse for your past actions?"

"I want to say it's both, but I have to admit that I still feel terrible for what I did even after being forgiven." The admission was humbling for the deviant leader. It reminded him that he wasn't infallible and that he'd always need to consider the long-term consequences for all of his actions. "I'll speak to Lucas in the morning after we know for certain what's going on. I don't want to say or do something that'll just make things worse by mistake."

Hank Anderson's Residence

The kitchen had turned into a makeshift emergency repair bay the second Joel arrived at the house. The laidback technician was completely stunned by Lucas's emergency text message, but it didn't take him long to snap into action and speed out to the secured home to lend a helping hand. Joel had grabbed his personal satchel filled with emergency field gear, as well as a few additional supplies that he always kept stored in the toolbox in the back of his pick-up truck, and promptly made his way out to handle his surprise house-call with complete professionalism. As soon as he was let inside the house Joel proceeded to check on his patient laying over the kitchen table, wash up his hands in the sink and slip on a pair of gloves to set to work.

Lucas remained beside Connor during the entire process and kept his eyes on the fractured screen in Connor's left forearm displaying his weak vital signs. The built-in monitor was both useful and a little disconcerting when one thought about why Connor would've installed such a component into his body in general. Every time Joel palpated an injury site Lucas could see a sharp response on the monitor confirming that Connor was aware enough of his surroundings to respond to the pain and remind everyone that he was still somehow alive.

"The switchblade pierced his Thirium filter." Joel grimaced as he used a portable sonar wedge and synched display screen to look inside Connor's chest and torso without having to open up the deviant's body. By keeping the frames closed Joel was able to slow down the internal bleeding and give Connor a true fighting chance to tolerate the impending invasive repair procedure. "I'll have to open him up to properly repair the damage."

"What can I do to help?" Lucas asked as he stayed beside the table and watched as Joel placed two wireless leads to Connor's exposed chest to watch his vitals on a larger display screen crudely propped up against the coffee maker on the nearby countertop. "The Thirium filter is a delicate biocomponent."

"How much Thirium do you have in the house?"

"Two half pints in the first aid kit," he motioned to the opened kit behind him as he spoke, then pointed to the two cabinets above the sink. "and three full pints in the cabinet behind you."

"That might be enough. Lieutenant?" Joel spoke to the silent detective standing at the foot of the table as he watched the still masked vigilante's chest weakly and slow rise then rapidly fall in an irregular breathing pattern. "Can you get some bath towels and soak them in cool but not cold water? We need to keep his core temperature stable."

"He's overheating?"

"Not yet. Being out in the cold air actually kept his temperature stable and prevented him from shutting down." Joel stated as he motioned to the temperature reading on the monitor's display screen. It looked like the unconscious deviant was beginning to run a mild fever. "The Thirium collecting in his chest is preventing his ventilation biocomponents, his lungs, from properly inflating, which means he can't-"

"He can't control his temperature, I got it." Hank had learned enough about both human and android emergency first aid to understand the dangers of running a high temperature for too long. "I'll be right back."

"I'm going to insert a line down his throat... Well, I guess I can't do that without removing the mask." With an amused smirk Joel realized the problem of trying to treat a masked patient without disturbing the mask in the process. "Okay, I'll start a Thirium line in his right arm. Once I open the panels in his abdomen he's going to lose a lot of blood so he'll need to have his Thirium replenishment fairly constant."

"I'll keep the additional Thirium on standby."

"Be ready to place a second line if necessary too."

Hank returned to the kitchen with two large bath towels thoroughly drenched in cool water awkwardly folded in his arms. The man placed one of the towels beneath Connor's head - the hood was still pulled up and helped to keep his identity hidden even while unconscious - then worked with Joel to help tuck the second towel beneath Connor's exposed, sore back.

"Can you work on him like this?" The Lieutenant had noticed that Lucas managed to remove the vigilante's body gear all along his chest, abdomen and arms, but the gear along his legs and head could still prove obstructive. "I mean, I know we're all trying to agree to keep his face hidden for now, but..."

"The majority of his damage is in his chest and torso." Joel explained rather casually as he pressed his gloved fingertips to the unconscious deviant's right temple, and then pressed his opposite palm down against Connor's barely rising and falling chest. "As long I can access his damage and repair them, that's all that matters."

"Right."

"Okay," Connor's bruised and lacerated artificial skin retracting exposed the gouges and dents to the plastimetal frame beneath that'd take longer to heal once his system stopped focusing primarily on the internal damage. "I'm going to open his belly. Once the plates are released, he's going to lose a lot of blood from the pressure over his torso being lessened. Don't be shocked by how much Thirium has collected in his abdomen."

Hank and Lucas took Joel's warning to heart and maintained their cool. At least they did until they saw the plates along the vigilante's abdomen slide open revealing the large puddle of blue blood inside Connor's torso. The blue blood quickly oozed out of the now opened cavity and ran down the white sides of Connor's body in macabre sapphire tinted streaks.

"Holy shit." Hank muttered as he took a clean cloth from their pile of gathered supplies to mop up some of the blood before it dripped everywhere. "You weren't kidding. It's a good thing Sumo's in the laundry room, otherwise we might have to deal with the big oaf tracking Thirium all over the damn house."

"Wish I had a portable suction device." The technician lamented as he packed extra absorbent gauze into Connor's opened abdomen to begin removing the lost blood in a controlled, calm manner. The gauze was an effective blood sponge and soon had enough of the excess blood removed to give Joel room to work. "I need better lighting so I can see what I'm doing."

Lucas responded quickly by locating a bright L.E.D. penlight inside the first aid kit and manually shone it inside Connor's abdomen where the source of the bleeding had originated. The white beam shining off the purple tinted biocomponent only made the sight all the more upsetting.

"The Thirium filter is still functional, that's good. We won't need a replacement." Joel confirmed as he carefully located the point of contact between the tip of the switchblade and vital biocomponent to stem additional bleeding. "Hank, I need you to pull out the switchblade on my cue. Just pull it straight out at a slow pace, don't wriggle it back and forth if it feels stuck. Just pull in a single, steady direction."

"Got it." As much as Hank hated getting so close to the action he knew it was important to overcome his disgust in order to save a life. Once he had a glove of his own on his hand he took firm grip on the handle and held tight. "Ready."

"Good. All right, the surrounding Thirium lines have been properly locked off and separated from the Thirium filter, which means you can pull out the knife."

Doing as he was instructed Hank pulled back on the switchblade at a slow, steady pace. The man resisted the urge to just yank out the offending weapon or wiggle it to try and make it slide out of the plastimetal smoother, and successfully extracted the switchblade from Connor's side without causing further damage. The sickening 'squelch' that accompanied the weapon's removal was enough to bring the feeling of imminent sickness into his mouth.

"...Shit, that's fucked up." Hank grumbled as he expertly placed the extracted switchblade into a plastic bag to store as evidence. "I can't imagine doing that kind of thing ever again."

"Hopefully you never will." Joel sighed as he returned the lines to the biocomponent and nodded at Lucas to secure another Thirium pouch to the line in the vigilante's right arm. The Thirium filter shifted from purple to a darker shade of blue, which was a good sign that the biocomponent was regaining strength. "With the major internal damage now remedied I can begin repairing the smaller wounds and help speed up his self-healing program."

"Perfect." Curiously Hank eyed the weapon in the plastic bag and shook his head at the amount of Thirium staining the blade. "Once he's stable, I'll take the switchblade to the precinct to keep it under lock and key for a while."

Lucas didn't understand the plan and tilted his head curiously at Hank just as he finished securing the second Thirium pouch to the line. "Why would you do that?"

"Because this guy doesn't want his blue blood being analyzed right now, that'll expose his identity. Right?"

"That is correct."

"So we'll keep this safe in the precinct until he is ready to reveal himself, if ever, then we'll use this as additional evidence against the assholes who attacked him."

"Oh. That is logical."

"Yeah, I have my moments."

Joel just shook his head as he focused on his delicate task at hand and finished repairing the Thirium filter before taking care of the other internal damage. Many Thirium lines had been compromised and loosened during the assault, but they were simple enough to repair with incrassation compound to slow the bleeding and a special Thirium-based sealant that'd stop additional leaks in the lines while mending with the lines in general. It was like putting liquid skin on an open wound and having the body adapt to the covering as the immune system worked to take care of the wound the that the special covering was protecting.

Only once Joel set about mopping up the residual blood inside of Connor's body did Hank decide that it was safe to return to the precinct to check in with his clueless colleagues and check over their findings at the harbor. As much as Hank wanted to stay beside the vigilante to ensure that he was stable properly protected, he knew the best thing that he could in that moment was act as the detective that he truly was and protect a victim who couldn't defend themself.

"Let me know if you need anything brought back to the house." Hank stated with an exhausted sigh as he reclaimed his coat and put the bag in his pocket for safekeeping as he made his way to the front door. "Hopefully the android stores are still open this time of night, otherwise we'll have to do a drone delivery."

Lucas just nodded to acknowledge Hank while he attentively monitored Connor's condition in real-time and watched as his repaired filter shifted into a healthier shade of blue. Had Connor not updated his system with all of the hidden CyberLife programs then he would've surely succumbed to his damage long before Hank had found him bleeding out in the abandoned factory.

"After he's bandaged up, we can take him down the hallway and into the master bedroom." The compassionate deviant suggested calmly. He wasn't in any hurry to try to move Connor around, but he knew it'd be best for Connor to rest in a supportive, warm and clean bed. "Interestingly enough, I believe the vigilante being in the house of the detective who had been assigned to identify him is the safest place in all of Detroit for him to be."

"I think you're right." Joel admitted as he assessed his work to make sure the repairs would hold properly. "I'll stick around until he wakes up too. That way I can make sure he's really going to be okay, and so I can properly thank him for saving my life in person. It's the least I can do."

Detroit Central Precinct

The bullpen was a mess of angered, protesting voices as the entire gang of humans who had gathered on Jericho were brought in to be properly charged for their crimes and placed in the secured holding cells. Having twenty-eight bleeding, enraged and violent humans all gathered in one place was like holding a lit match above an exposed powder keg. There was going to be an explosion of emotions and physical altercations, but the responding officers were adamant in keeping everything under control by means of professionalism and attentiveness. The gang members were separated from one another and taken into interrogation one at a time to keep the group from trying to forge a fake story and protect one another.

Ben was on the verge of retiring early when he saw how massive the crime scene that he'd need to document truly was. The seasoned investigator had his work cut out for him and hoped that his team was ready to take on such a monumental investigation. It wouldn't be easy to take down the recently formed gang regarding their hate crimes but having them locked away for illegal arms dealing and drug distribution would be efficient enough until spring.

"Twenty-eight bigoted gang members in one night." Tina sighed as she rejoined Gavin at their conjoined desks and dropped into her chair. She was exhausted and couldn't wait to get some sleep in her warm, soft bed. "That's gotta' be a new record."

"Hope you're talking the arrests and not just the number of bigots found." Gavin lamented as he kept his head down and refrained from looking in the direction of Captain Fowler's private office. "Twenty-eight assholes would be a record low for this city, and I'd hate to think how many more are actually out there."

"Ditto. So where'd the Lieutenant go?" Glancing about Tina noticed that Hank was nowhere to be seen and wanted to know where the man had gone. "It's not like him to- Oh, nevermind. I see him."

Hank marched through the bullpen with his eyes focused and his shoulders tense. In that moment he had no interest in handling any interrogations or filing any reports, he just needed to get his collected evidence secured in his own desk and out of sight. There was a strange urgency in his motions that indicated that he was a man on a mission and that he didn't want to be interrupted.

"Wonder what's wrong?" Tina whispered as she watched Hank unlock his bottom left desk drawer, slip something inside of it and let the drawer back up. "He looks a little stressed."

"Seriously?" Gavin scoffed at the observation as he continued to focus on his reports and not engage in discussing another person's activities. "There's a bunch of idiots in the holding cells that need to be processed, questioned and sent off to rot during the holiday weekend, and you can't figure out why the Lieutenant's stressed?"

"Okay, yeah, that's the simplest of answers. But-"

"Occam's Razor, Ti'. Don't look for something that ain't there."

"Spoilsport." Tina gave Gavin's leg a playful kick beneath their desks before booting up her own terminal screen. "Right now, I'm just glad to be out of that cold air. I swear it was trying to gnaw right through my fingertips."

"Working along the water on a December night is never fun."

Tina discreetly watched as Hank clocked-out at his terminal and left the precinct as quickly as he had arrived without uttering a single word to anyone. She knew that something was happening, she just didn't know what it could possibly be. Had her curiosity been any stronger then she would've chased after Hank to ask him directly as a means of getting a succinct answer, but her instincts told her to stay back and leave him alone. Some things were better off left unspoken and kept personal.

"As soon as I finish my reports, I'm taking my ass home and soaking in a hot bath until I dissolve." Tina huffed as she forced herself to resume working while Gavin entertained her comments. "What about you?"

"Going to go to bed and try to stop thinking. Nothing interesting."

"Gee, you sound like Lance these days."

"Hey, he brought that mess down on himself. If he didn't want to deal with a divorce, then he never should've cheated or should've never gotten married to begin with." Gavin was still stinging from finding his now ex-girlfriend in the act of cheating on him earlier that year. He disdained infidelity no matter who committed the act. "I don't feel sorry for him for being an unfaithful asshole."

"I know, I'm not condoning what he did either, but it's kind of hard to keep being so cold to him when it's almost Christmas."

"Whatever." The idea of celebrating the holidays drew an exasperated sigh from Gavin's lips as he ran his hand over his forehead. There was the distinct feeling of an impending headache right on the horizon making it hard to concentrate. "Let's just get through these reports and try to get some sleep. I'm not gonna' like whatever's going to be waiting for us tomorrow. I wanna' be prepared to handle all the bullshit that could get thrown our way in the morning."

Hank Anderson's Residence

The entire house was tense even as the masked vigilante rested comfortably in the Hank's bed down in the master bedroom. It was moderately difficult to get Connor's limp, unconscious body down the hallway and into the bedroom, but Lucas and Joel managed to succeed without aggravating Connor's repaired damage by mistake. The deviant vigilante had thick white gauze wrapped around his entire torso and lower chest, with smaller wrappings along the numerous lacerations marring his back, shoulders, arms, legs and hands. Until the mask was removed it'd be difficult to properly take care of the lacerations along Connor's swollen, bruised face, but Joel managed to sterilize the damage and cover the wounds without the mask getting in his way.

Connor never regained consciousness during his emergency repair procedure. Though his vitals were improving, and he was already showing signs of a promising recovery, the heavily beaten deviant remained lost in the bliss of unconsciousness.

"I'll get him another cool compress." Joel volunteered as he placed the wireless monitor down on the nightstand beside the bed. All of Connor's vital signs were low but thankfully back in the green colored digits which were confirming his improvement. "If he starts to overheat it'll hinder his overall recovery."

"Understandable precaution."

Wincing a little Lucas sat down on the edge of the bed and carefully checked the bandages just under Connor's swollen eyes to ensure they didn't slip away. The sight of the horribly blackened eyes made Lucas grateful that Connor couldn't see himself right then. Lucas could only sit and wait for Connor to wake up and then ask him his questions about why he was at the harbor and how he ended up being targeted by such a large group of dangerous humans.

"Here we go." Returning to the bedroom Joel placed a cool washcloth over Connor's forehead and then placed an ice pack down on his bandaged abdomen. Any prolonged overheating would result in serious damage to even the most advanced android models. "Uh, sorry for needing to use all your Thirium tonight."

"Don't apologize, you saved his life." Lucas would rather give up his Thirium than lose his brother, but he couldn't admit it. "I can get a fresh stock in the morning."

"Yeah, but going out shopping this close to Christmas, and with your right arm still healing..." As he spoke Joel instinctively checked on the support sling and saw Lucas flexing his right fingers slightly without overexerting the appendage. He also noticed another change in the deviant's appearance. "You're going to have a harder time getting around for a while."

"I can manage a crowd without difficulty. I can also place cybernetic orders for home deliveries.

"True enough. How's your leg?" Ever attentive the technician made sure his friend was going to be able to move about without too much difficulty. "I know you're recovering from having your right leg entirely dislocated at the hip. Deviant or human, that HURTS."

"I'm fine. I've been able to walk around without the need of a support aid for the past eighteen hours, twenty-two minutes." Lucas spoke to Joel without ever taking his eyes from Connor. In the event he suddenly stopped ventilating or his Thirium pump seized, Lucas was ready to take action. "I'll be able to remain awake and monitor his condition throughout the night."

"You should still try to get some kind of rest."

"I'll be fine."

"I know you will, but I'm going to stay here until Hank's back at the house. So, when did you change your eye color?"

"After I had my right ocular relay unit destroyed when I was struck by the taxi." Lucas pressed his fingertips along his eyes as he spoke. "Dr. Abby Grayson, a technician who is currently working as an E.M.T. and as a part-time technician at the Zeta Facility, was able to give me a replacement unit that matched the one that had been destroyed. She didn't have the correct gray iris at her disposal and picked a substitute color that I found preferable."

"She does good work. Even I can't tell that you had your eye destroyed just a couple days ago." Casually Joel pulled his phone from his pocket and proceeded to call his girlfriend to let her know that he'd be home a little later than usual. "I need to let Sonya know I'll be home, but it'll be past midnight. She worries about me when I have to respond to emergency calls ever since I got shot."

"It seems that she truly cares about you."

"Yeah, she's the best. I found the love of my life with her and her amazing kids."

While Joel took his phone call in private down the hallway Lucas very lightly pulled down Connor's mask to make sure that the deviant wasn't bleeding from his nose or mouth, then returned the mask to its proper place. He didn't want Joel to accidentally see the vigilante's face.

"You're safe now, you can rest easy." Lucas promised as he put his hand to Connor's shoulder. He could see Connor's swollen eyelids attempting to open and decided to move the compress down lower to ease the swelling along Connor's eyes to make it easier for him to see once he woke up. "I'm right here for you."

"Is he awake?" Joel asked eagerly after hearing Lucas speaking to the vigilante. The technician approached the side of the bed with a sense of anxiousness that rivaled a kid in a candy store. "I'd like to be able to gauge his level of coherency before I leave if it all possible."

"No, he's still unconscious. I was just trying to give him a comforting voice to listen to."

"Strange, isn't it? How we talk to people even when we're not sure they can hear us." Tilting his head a little Joel gave the masked deviant a thoughtful glance as he remembered the night that he had been shot and saved by the same vigilante. "He did the same for me. It's kind of blurry, but I remember he was talking to me when he was tying a tourniquet around my leg. I didn't realize how comforting a friendly, calm voice could be until that moment."

"Perhaps that's an empathetic response to the world around us. An awareness in knowing that even though not every creature or object can communicate with us we recognize that our actions can and will affect them all the same."

"I wouldn't doubt it." The sound of the front door opening and then closing was quickly accompanied by Hank's heavy footsteps marching into the livingroom, then turning to head down the hallway. The man knew to look in the kitchen first to check on everyone before looking elsewhere. "He's stable, Lieutenant."

"Good. I was worried the whole drive back that I was going to walk into a house and see you defibbing this guy with a car battery and a toaster or some shit." Hank reached into his pockets and pulled out four brand new pouches of fresh Thirium for Lucas to take. "Got this just in case."

"That was a wise precaution." Accepting the Thirium the kind deviant placed the pouches down on the end table next to the wireless monitor. "I hope you don't mind us bringing him down here to rest."

"Hell of a lot easier to have him in here than for me to try to eat my breakfast off his chest in the morning. How long until he wakes up?"

"Could be in a few minutes, could be in a few days."

"Shit. If he can tell us what happened at the harbor, then we can really make sure the charges against that gang stick." Slipping off his coat one sleeve at a time, Hank slid open the nearby closet door and hung the garment inside until he needed it again. "You can stick around if you want to, Joel. But me and Lucas won't be going anywhere until this guy's on his feet again."

"I think he's stable enough to go without a technician hovering over him for a few hours." Noting the time on his phone Joel looked genuinely relieved to have Hank give him the clear to head for home to be with his family. "If anything changes, call me. I'll come right back."

"We know, and thanks for everything."

"Right. I'll pick up my equipment after our friend's finished using it." Joel smirked as he gave the vigilante's monitor one last glance before departing. "I'll see you guys around."

Hank stared at the vigilante with a sense of strange recognition that he couldn't put into words. As far as Hank knew, he had never met the vigilante before, and yet he couldn't help but feel like he was in the presence of someone familiar. It was almost as if Hank was recognizing a face from a dream of from another lifetime he had left behind years ago.

Very gently Hank pressed the back of his hand to the side of the vigilante's neck for a fever check, then lifted up the cold compress over his eyes. The cold pack had helped with the swelling already, and the dark blue bruising was very slowly fading away.

"How're you holding up, son?"

"I'm all right." Lucas appreciated Hank's concern despite not needing any at the moment. "It's just... unusual to have the vigilante here."

"You're damn right about that one." Standing beside the bed Hank took in the vigilante's swollen, bruise facade and noted the bandages along his cheek and jawline over the deep lacerations. "Do androids have to worry about scars?"

"We can develop scars, yes. But we can also undergo cosmetic repairs to remove the scars and replace them with pristine, undamaged plates and artificial skin projections."

"Not sure if you guys are lucky that you have that option, or if you're unlucky that you'd need such an option to begin with."

"That's difficult to determine." A loud bark from the laundry room caught Lucas's ear and prompted the deviant to check on Sumo. "I imagine Sumo needs to go outside for a few minutes."

"Yeah, and he's going to try to convince you that he needs to eat again."

"I've yet to believe his lies despite how convincing he can act." As he rose to his feet Lucas took two of the four Thirium pouches and decided to put them in the refrigerator to chill just in case it became necessary. "I'll take care of this Thirium and Sumo. Will you be all right watching over him until I return?"

"The guy's practically comatose." Hank quipped as he nodded at the opened bedroom doorway behind himself with a silent 'shooing' motion. "I doubt he'll give me any problems."

"Yes, of course." Straightening his posture Lucas went on his way down the hallway with his Thirium in tow. "I'll be back momentarily."

Hank just crossed his arms and slowly sat down on the edge of the bed to make sure the vigilante knew that he wasn't alone. Seeing another broken down, damaged deviant laying in his bed needing some care reminded Hank too much of Lucas's recent plight. It was almost like the man's past hatred of androids was being atoned for by taking in and caring for any and all androids who needed his help.

"I knew we were going to cross paths again eventually, but not like this."

There was a very faint twitch in Connor's right hand as he recognized Hank's voice speaking beside him. Such a motion went unnoticed as Hank focused more on the monitor showing the healing deviant's vital signs than anything else.

"It's so fuckin' weird. I was originally assigned to find you and arrest you for being a vigilante, but I never considered your very existence to be a credible enough threat to worry about. Turns out I was wrong. You were a threat, but only to the F.B.I. goons and the idiots ruining this city." The man commented with an amused snicker in his voice. "Never been so happy to have sat on my ass and watched the world go by."

Slowly Connor's head turned slightly against the pillow until he was facing Hank more directly. From beneath the cold washcloth Connor's blackened eyes slowly opened and revealed the blurry white cotton material soothing the pain away as he rested.

"Maybe when you're back on your feet, you can help me with something. It's, uh, it's a little personal, but I think you're the one who can actually make progress on the one case I truly care about." It was clear that Hank never once forgot about anyone he cared about. "The death of my previous partner and friend."

Connor took in a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling as he braced for a painful story that he wasn't sure he could bear to listen to.

"He was an android, a deviant, and he gave up everything to help his people during the Revolution. Hell, the kid helped me too, and I'm not sure if he ever knew it or how much I appreciated it." Hank reached into his jean pocket and pulled out Connor's own coin and held it between his fingertip and thumb to study the aged quarter for the umpteenth time since he had claimed it as his own. "He was murdered, and I vowed to find his killer, but I've failed. His name was Connor, and I miss him every damn day."

That was the emotional pain that Connor had been anticipating and yet he still wasn't ready to feel it. Knowing that the time was right and that if he didn't speak the truth now that he'd never find the courage to do it later, Connor decided to find his voice and face the pain head on. Connor's bandaged hand reached up and removed the cold compress from his eyes allowing him to see the world around him. The world was gray and very blurry at first, but soon it cleared up and color bled back into his vision giving Connor full clarity of his environment.

Seeing Hank eyeing both the monitor on the nightstand and the digital display installed in his own left forearm just reminded Connor of how much Hank truly did care about other people, even though it was hard for him to show it. If he ever had any doubts about leaving Lucas in Hank's care, Connor knew for certain that they were entirely unfounded and that he had made the right decision by giving Hank the chance to prove that he had changed for the better.

Connor had given Hank a second chance and he was glad.

"H-Hank." Connor's cracked, garbled voice was barely audible through the mask yet loud enough to pull Hank's attention directly to his face. "I'm... awake."

"Holy shit, you scared us tonight, son." Hank palmed the coin as he turned his head sideways to look the vigilante directly in his eyes. The soulful gaze looking back at him was almost haunting. "You're going to be okay though. Can you tell me what happened at the harbor? Why were you there?"

"Hank." Speaking a little more clearly, Connor propped himself upright on the bed with both elbows, then pushed himself upward until he was sitting beside the man. The motion ached at his very sore and bandaged abdomen, but the pain wasn't anything in comparison to the fear Connor was feeling as he prepared to finally tell the truth. "There's something I need to tell you."

"All right," thoroughly intrigued Hank gave the vigilante his full attention. "I'm listening."

"The night of the Revolution, when you and Connor parted ways-"

"Wait," that was a moment that Hank hadn't told anyone about. "how do you-"

"Please." Closing his eyes for a heartbeat Connor did his best to keep his emotions composed. "Let me speak."

Respectfully Hank fell silent and allowed the vigilante to continue.

"When you and Connor parted ways, he didn't go directly to the abandoned church. He went in search of supplies and shelter, and he explored CyberLife Tower after it had been vacated. He discovered protective body gear and software that CyberLife was going to use to create a personal army of android-soldiers. He took those supplies and used them to give himself an advantage."

As Hank listened to the story, he felt a tightness form in his chest as his face paled with a sense of unexpected understanding.

"He then chose to find a way to protect his people without his people fearing him as the 'Deviant Hunter'. He took the machine-minded Connor's body - the Connor that you shot dead the night of the Revolution to save your Connor's life - and took him away from CyberLife Tower. He took this second android's body out to the Abandoned Woodward Church."

"The... body we found at the church. It wasn't really Connor." Such a revelation caused Hank's hands to shake as he pressed his palm to his mouth in disbelief. All this time he had been mourning a death that had been orchestrated. "That was the Connor, the machine, that I shutdown."

"Yes. It was necessary for Connor to disappear without anyone noticing that he was hiding in plain sight."

Hank's palm lowered and he looked at the coin still clutched in his grip. Challenging the bold claim for a moment Hank held up the coin and pushed the vigilante to keep talking.

"Explain this." It was practically a challenge at that point to see how much the vigilante was willing to confess. "How did the fake Connor end up with the real Connor's coin? And I KNOW this is his coin, because I took it from him once before. I know what it looks like, this is the right quarter and not one just found on the street."

"It was given to that Connor to make the falsified death seem more authentic."

"The L.E.D. in that Connor's temple matched my Connor's serial number."

"Connor removed his own L.E.D. and replaced his counterpart's L.E.D. to help mask his true identity."

"And the church of all places. Why would Connor leave his dead counterpart behind at a damn church?"

"The abandoned church is where the deviants fled after Jericho was Raided by the F.B.I. just hours prior to the peaceful Demonstration and subsequent Revolution. It was also there that Markus had..." Speaking of his own failed execution was something grotesque and surreal. "It was decided that Connor couldn't be trusted. It was there that Connor had actually been gunned down by his own people."

"Bullshit!" That was something that Hank refused to believe in any capacity. "I saw Connor with my own eyes the night of the Revolution, AFTER the Raid!"

"Connor survived." It felt arrogant to refer to himself in the form of the third person, but it was the only way to tell the story without revealing too much too soon. As he continued his story Connor felt Lucas's piercing gaze as the second deviant stood at the end of the hallway listening to everything being told. "He survived being shot and managed to clean himself up after he was left behind. It was then Connor knew that his people would never trust him, but he wasn't going to give up on helping them."

"So what you're saying is, Connor used his machine counterpart's body to make it look like he really died in the church during the Revolution, when in reality he was out helping his people escape CyberLife Tower, and then he disappeared from the city." Such a concept was as farfetched as it was illogical. At least that's how the situation seemed to Hank considering he wasn't a deviant or believed to be dead. "Is THAT what you're telling me?"

"For the most part, yes."

"What does that mean?" Hank was losing his patience. The desperation to learn the truth about Connor was almost too much to endure. "If that's most of the story, then what's left to tell? What HAPPENED to the real Connor? Where'd he go all this time? Where is he now?"

"Connor never left Detroit. He chose to use the protective gear that he retrieved from CyberLife's storage to protect himself as he continued to watch over his people from the shadows without anyone even knowing that he was there. It was the only way for him to live a life without needing to worry about other people fearing his presence."

"Wait... He used protective gear to watch over-" Slowly Hank's eyes widened as he looked into the vigilante's eyes and finally understood why he felt like he was in the company of an old friend. Nothing made sense yet everything made sense at the same time. "He's the vigilante. Connor's the vigilante. You're... Are you really..."

Bandaged fingers timidly reached up and pulled down both the lingering hood covering his hair and the mask covering his face as Connor at last revealed himself to Hank without any more secrets to hide behind. There was no going back, and that was something Connor was prepared to live with.

"Yes, Hank." With his voice clear and his face exposed, Connor looked twice as vulnerable as he had been, and his eyes welled up with tears. "It's me. I'm alive."

-next chapter-