"Burned Bridges"

Downtown Detroit: The Zeta Facility

It had been a week since Connor briefly reunited with his missing brother while investigating his case in Washington D.C., and in that time the world had greeted a new year and anticipated great changes in the near future. While Detroit continued to move forward and embrace the new year with a sense of renewed vigor, Connor struggled to just exist in the present as his disillusioned heart weighed him down and tried to hold him back. The rookie detective had barely slept or ate since returning to Detroit after he had been shunned by Lucas, and it was beginning to take its toll on his already exhausted body and mind. Dark, heavy bags marred Connor's eyes at all hours of the day as forced himself to continue to work despite wanting to do nothing more than curl up into a ball and disappear into the metaphorical shadows surrounding him.

Cases revolving around deviants were thankfully sparse. The ongoing lull made it somewhat easy for Connor to go through the motions of the day without needing to take any breaks or rest in general. Had it not been for Hank hovering protectively around him, Connor would've surely collapsed from not eating enough or sleeping enough courtesy of the shattered concept of his life interfering with his ability to actually live.

Despite his reluctance to not mention anything about Connor's current mindset to Captain Fowler for his partner's sake, Hank knew that their colleagues back at the bullpen were aware that something was on the rookie detective's mind. To avoid gossip and uncomfortable stares from within the bullpen, the two detectives elected to go on patrol and volunteered to inspect the newly opened Emergency Android Care Facility on Tenth Street.

The Zeta Facility was the largest care facility in Detroit. The facility was just one of six slated to open that year, and each facility was designed specifically to offer aid and technical assistance, repairs and shelter to all deviants without question. As a result, such facilities were sure to become very large and enticing targets to spiteful anti-android bigots still sullying the city streets as they sought needless revenge against innocent people just trying to live their lives. It was crucial to keep all of the facilities secured at all hours of the day for the sake of defenseless deviants needing help during their more vulnerable moments.

"Thanks for stopping by to give the building a quick onceover." The former E.M.S. Abby Grayson was now Doctor Grayson, and she was hired on the lead technician of the Zeta Facility. She was happy to have some help from the police and asked for Connor to join her in a brief inspection of the facility before it opened to the public in two days. "To be honest, I didn't expect to see you again like this."

"What do you mean?" Connor asked as he rubbed his tired eyes with his index finger and thumb to try to rid the feeling of heaviness from his gaze. "Have we met before?"

"Kind of. I was on the E.M.S. team that got dispatched when your partner called us." She replied rather casually as she walked with Connor down the long corridors and let him inspect every corner and room they passed by. "You had your close call with a freezing cold lake, and your partner saved you from drowning and then later on dry-drowning when he called 911. You were unconscious the entire time I was helping you."

"Oh, right." There was no way that Connor could've possibly remembered someone he was never conscious around to begin with. "That was an unfortunate meeting."

"Anyway, it's nice to see you again, and this time I get to see you conscious."

Even the lighthearted comment wasn't enough to lift Connor's heavy mood. There was just too much on his mind and too much in his heart to let him feel anything beyond self-doubt and isolation. All he could do was go to work in an attempt to get Lucas's harsh words out of his head and finally let him have a moment of peace as he tried to move forward in his life without his own brother being a part of it.

"The facility is going to be monitored twenty-four seven by security guards." Abby continued as she encouraged Connor to follow after her. The dark circles under Connor's eyes didn't escape her attention, and the medic knew that the young detective was running on fumes. "That'll make it easier for my staff and for you very kind detectives to work without needing to worry about some lunatic trying to storm my waiting room."

"Agreed."

"Are you all right?" The question was meant to be of genuine concern and not an invasion of privacy by any means. "You look like you haven't slept in days, and you seem like you're just plain not feeling well."

"It's complicated."

"What isn't?" The quick answer wasn't enough to deter Abby's curiosity or dispel her concerns for the rookie detective. Her nature as a healer made it almost impossible to not want to help someone suffering in one way or another. "I may not be a doctor or a nurse, but as a still licensed E.M.S. and now lead technician, I am bound by doctor-patient confidentiality. And I did previously help you out when you needed a medic. So..."

"I appreciate your efforts to try to help me, but I assure you that my personal issue is far too complicated to be aided just by discussing it."

"Sounds like a challenge to me. Can I guess?"

"I strongly suspect that even if I said 'no' that you'd attempt to guess anyway."

"You suspect right, detective." Almost a little too eager to try to figure out what was on Connor's mind, Abby rubbed her palms together enthusiastically and cleared her throat in an almost dramatic fashion. "Does it have anything to do with work?"

"No." Connor's response was stone cold as opened the door to an exam room and peered inside. The empty room smelled of disinfectant and reminded Connor of a hospital in a very unsettling manner. "If I were in fact having issues with work I wouldn't be here at this moment."

"Good point. How about... family?" Abby saw the way Connor's eyes dulled and his shoulders tensed at her guess. "Ah, so that's why it's complicated. Families can be really difficult to deal with sometimes. Issues with your spouse?"

"I'm not married." Stepping out of the exam room Connor tried to ignore the way the casual question made him blush. "And I'm single."

"Well, that rules out at least six more questions right there. So, is it an issue with your parents?"

Connor became suddenly still for a heartbeat and turned his gaze away from Abby's direction as he continued his inspection. "...I'm an orphan."

"O-Oh, I'm sorry." Whatever it was that was upsetting Connor truly was far more complicated than Abby could've ever imagined. "Now I get what you meant when you said it was complicated. I'll stop asking questions now, and I'm really sorry if I offended you."

"I'm not offended."

"Good. I should've minded my own business." The flush of embarrassment switched Abby's mindset from trying to befriend the detective to working alongside him in a completely professional manner once again. "Do you have any questions about this place I can possibly answer?"

"Where are the cameras located?" There was no desire to engage in idle chit-chat or discuss anything that was directly connected to the facilities security. Opening each exam door in turn, Connor peered inside the large, sterilized and fully stocked rooms to ensure nothing was seemingly amiss. "I presume these care facilities follow the same H.I.P.A.A. laws as any other medical clinic in the country."

"Our patients will have absolute discretion and respect while here for any reason." The confirmation was reassuring as Abby watched the way Connor observed each room and the corridors woven throughout the facility as a whole. "There are cameras secured at the ends of each hallway and at every corner to ensure we have maximum protection inside the building. There are also cameras inside the waiting room, outside the front entrance, outside the rear entrance, outside the emergency entrance on the west wind and outside the fire escape on the east wing."

"Security guards?"

"Three teams of four guards on alternating six-hour long shifts to allow some overlapping." Abby was already familiar with the facility's impending security protocol and was satisfied with the methods being used. "Markus personally requested the added security measures after our mayor ended up being arrested for his corruption and conspiracy with that one asshole agent who tried to kill the deviants last November."

"I'm not surprised. The arrests of Mayor Nero and former Agent Richard Perkins are considered historic due to their infamous actions and behaviors leading up to and following the peaceful Demonstration and subsequent Revolution." Connor sounded as cold and analytical as one of the very androids that he had helped to save. "I'm relieved to know that you're more than willing to accommodate Markus's request."

"Well, I didn't do it for Markus." Abby clarified as she watched Connor walk to the end of the corridor and reach his hand up to examine the security camera mounted at the top of the wall just beneath the ceiling. "I did it for my future patients and my current staff. This is supposed to be a safe place for everyone, end of story."

Connor turned to glance at Abby over his shoulder as he acknowledged the enthusiasm and sincerity in her proclamation. It wasn't often that he encountered another human who cared as much about deviants as Hank, Joel and Connor himself did. It was refreshing and reassuring at the same time.

"Think we need more cameras?" Standing a few feet behind Connor with her hands on her hips, Abby tilted her head a little and let her loose auburn locks to partially fall over her face as she studied the cameras placement and the way Connor was checking it over. "I don't want the patients to feel like they're being spied on, but I do want them to feel secured."

"The amount of cameras you have should be sufficient." Carefully he eyed the direction of the camera's lens and noted its range of view. "However, I would suggest adding to the cameras mounted at the of a hallway junction to ensure all three connected corridors are being actively monitored at the same time."

"I'll pass that on to our security installers. They love selling us new equipment since they always get paid handsomely."

"Are the cameras set up to constantly monitor the area, or are they motion activated?"

"They're programmed to record at all times and have their footage chronicled in a massive security terminal to be kept on file for three years before being deleted."

"That's good." Lowering his hand Connor took a few steps back and then turned his head to glance down the two connected corridors that he hadn't explored yet. The corridors were properly lit, and they led to front and rear exits of the facility for ease of access and emergency situations. "What about the doors?"

"What about them?"

"Are they set to be locked at a specific time of night?"

"Yeah." Walking alongside Connor down the west corridor made Abby feel even safer as she brought the detective up to speed on the facility's security confirmed protocols. "Every night at nine they'll lock and can only be opened from the inside. We'll have security personnel monitoring the doors directly so that they can be immediately opened in the event of an emergency, while also keeping a hypothetical drunk, high or just angry problem people locked out for the safety of the facility occupants."

"Are the cameras active now?"

"No, actually." Abby managed to stop quick enough to not bump into Connor walking just ahead of her as he too came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the corridor. The way he froze in place gave her a righteous sense of unease. "The cameras have all been tested and we know that they work correctly when recording audio and video, AND the recordings are being saved properly. We're going to activate the cameras tonight at midnight to monitor the property before the facility even opens to the public. For now, they're all turned off."

"Has anyone been inside the facility that excludes yourself, myself and Lieutenant Anderson?"

"Just the guys who installed all these cameras. Why?"

"Something isn't right."

Sensing something was amiss Connor used his phone to text Hank to ask how the exterior of the facility worked, then put on his A.R.I. glasses and gloves to examine the walls of the corridors internally. A single touch of his palm and a cybernetic pulse from the glove allowed Connor to see a holographic image of the sonar readout of the wall's interior without needing to pull down the drywall to see the internal structure directly. Using A.R.I. allowed Connor to see the electrical wires connected to the cameras and follow them along the western corridor toward the main security office.

"Connor, what's wrong?" There was a strange sense of dread in the air that Abby didn't like. She had worked alongside first responders long enough to recognize when there was a potential danger in the immediate area. "Talk to me, you're freaking me out a little."

"The cameras aren't supposed to be active, and yet I'm detecting very hot wires inside the walls." Connor explained calmly as he trailed the unusual reading all the way to the security office at the end of the corridor. The heat being exuded from the wires was far hotter than one would consider safe for any electrical surge. "I need to enter the office to examine the source."

"How did you know that before you even checked the wall?"

"I felt it." Rather casually Connor rolled up the sleeves of his blazer and dress shirt of his left arm and let Abby see his limb before covering it back up. "The hairs on my arm are standing on end from the electrically charged air. I need to know what's causing it, and the cause is locked behind this door."

"I'll get the keycard from my office. Be right back!"

While Abby rushed down the corridor to get her keycard Connor continued to examine the strange reading that he had detected. Using his phone Connor texted Hank again and informed his partner of the unusual discovery while requesting for Hank to give the entire area outside the facility a thorough glance. Not only did he want to make sure that there were no security breaches that could potentially harm innocent people being overlooked, but he wanted to make sure that anyone who could've been skulking around the area would be identified and removed from the vicinity before they could do anything malicious.

Wisely Connor uploaded the readings that A.R.I. had detected to his terminal back at the precinct to ensure that his decision to act cautiously was warranted. The rookie detective was struggling with his levels of confidence and felt compelled to overcompensate for his actions as a means of protecting himself in the event that something went awry.

"Got it." Abby confirmed as she rejoined Connor in front of the locked security office door with her keycard in hand. "I bumped into your partner on the way back and let him know what's going on. What exactly is the problem?"

"The electricity being directed to the cameras far exceeds normal and safe power levels." Connor explained as he trailed the extreme power levels feeding into the wires to a single security terminal at the center of the isolated room through the locked door. The center terminal was also exuding far more power than the other two terminals on either side of it. "And if the cameras aren't activated, then that means there is an error with the power supply or the security program itself."

"What can you do about it?"

"I'm not sure yet."

Accepting the keycard Connor pressed the key against the electronic lock beside the door and heard a faint 'beep' echo inside the room just one second before the metal bolt of the lock unsealed itself with a notable 'thunk'. As he pressed his palm to the side of the door to cause it to slide open, Connor's eyes suddenly widened, and he reacted as quickly and physically possible before chaos erupted through the entire facility.

"Get down!"

Before Abby could even blink Connor was turning on his heels and wrapping his arms around her as he dove down to the floor while taking her down alongside him. A rush of heat and a deafening explosion erupted all around the duo as the troublesome terminal inside the security office seemingly self-destructed. The feeling of heat passing along her face while the icy cold floor pressed into her back sent a wave of mixed signals through Abby's brain. Shards of glass rained down all around her and dotted her face and her hands with small cuts, but the rest of her body was spared from the tiny bits of shrapnel courtesy of Connor using his own body to protect her.

Lifting her head up from the floor allowed Abby to see that fire had engulfed the entire security office and that the flames were eating their way through the walls and out the door toward the nearest exit while black smoke smothered the white ceiling above her. The heavy weight along her chest, torso and legs reminded Abby that she had been pushed to the floor and shielded from the explosion by her unexpected guardian. Now the very flames he had shielded her from were actively burning through his left arm and his shoulder.

"Connor?!"

Awkwardly Abby pushed herself up into a sitting position on the floor and managed to pull her torso and then legs out from beneath Connor's heavy, limp form. He was entirely unconscious and oblivious to the danger around him. Once she was freed, Abby shifted her weight and ran into the nearest exam room to throw open the supply cabinet doors and grab an emergency burn-kit. Fueled by adrenaline Abby ran back to where Connor was laying chest first on the ground, tore open the large plastic kit in her hands and used the fire-retardant blanket to smother out the flames eating their way through Connor's sleeves directly to his skin. The smell of burnt flesh and hair was a nauseating aroma that made her stomach churn violently.

As she patted out the flames along Connor's body the emergency fire suppression sprinklers that lined the corridors finally activated and began dousing the entire area in a murky smelling and somewhat dark colored water. The cold water felt like snow as Abby remained unnervingly close to the fire while doing everything that she could to aid Connor and prevent further harm to his body by putting out the fire on his clothing.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

Abby scrambled to pull off the heavily damaged blazer from Connor's prone form, then ripped apart the already damaged dress shirt beneath. She needed to be sure that the flames were out and that the fire was no longer actively burning his skin. The angry, raw burns that marred Connor's left shoulder and back, his upper left side and stretching down the back of his left upper arm and bicep were red, black and looked as gruesome and they would undoubtedly feel once Connor regained consciousness.

"Oh, shit... Connor, you didn't deserve this."

Thinking quickly Abby tore open the protective, plastic packaging of bandages designed specifically to tend to burn wounds from the emergency kit beside her. With a controlled pressure she wrapped up as much of Connor's shoulder, back, side and upper arm as she could under the sterilizing gauze before even trying to move him out of the burning facility to escape from the fire.

"Okay, come on. I'm getting you out of here."

Mindful of the fresh burns Abby knelt down on the floor and rolled Connor from his chest to his right side, then finally onto his back while also supporting his upper body in her arms to keep his bandaged burns off the dirty, wet floor. Abby then hooked her arms beneath Connor's arms and wrapped her forearms around Connor's chest to support his weight as she began dragging him down the corridor and away from the fire to get to safety. Despite being a trained E.M.S. and not a firefighter, Abby still had enough knowledge and training from her former colleagues on how to safely extricate an unconscious person from a fire.

By the time Abby reached the middle of the corridor to get to the nearest exit that wasn't being consumed by flames, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder and jumped at the unexpected contact. Turning her head quickly, her now waterlogged strands of hair sticking to her face that was smudged with smoke and small spots of blood, Abby saw that Hank had found them and was already kneeling down beside Connor to pull the rookie detective's unconscious body up and over his own shoulders to carry him out of the building.

"I got 'im!" Hank shouted as tightened his grip around Connor's limp right leg and forearm to keep his partner's body from slipping from his shoulders. "Let's get the hell outta' here!"

Hank knew exactly where to go and knew that Abby was right beside him. He could feel the technician's hand clinging to his arm as they navigated the dark, smokey and now slick corridor together. The brightness of the emergency exit sign glowing above the nearest door and the daylight shining through the glass were like true beacons of hope as the three occupants of the burning facility navigated their way to freedom.

The rush of brisk January air that greeted the trio stunned their faces and hands as they continued to rush away from the facility and get to a safe distance. A large fire engine and an ambulance had just arrived at the scene and were actively gathering their equipment to put out the flames and aid the escaping victims. The three escapees were quickly escorted over to the ambulance by a firefighter to be examined by the responding paramedics and taken to the hospital for treatment.

"He's suffered first, second and third degree burns along the left scapula, extending down toward the middle of his back, along the sinistral portion of his ribcage and upper arm all along the bicep." Abby relayed the information on Connor's condition to the two paramedics even as they sat her down in the back of the ambulance and placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. "He's been unconscious for... I don't know. A couple of minutes."

"We'll take care of him, Abby." Johnny, her former partner in the world of E.M.S., was thankfully at the scene and ready to help everyone. "Sit back and just breathe. You need to get the smoke out of your lungs before it causes any serious problems. Does your head hurt at all?"

"No." She confirmed as she pulled off the mask just long enough to speak clearly. "I'm just cold, wet and pissed off!"

"Ditto for me." Hank noted as he sat down beside Abby ran his hand over his forehead and slicked back his damp, gray locks from his face. A smudge of blackness from the smoke and debris of the fire appeared on his face courtesy of his palm. "Just focus on Connor right now. How in the fuck did this happen, Abby?"

During their hasty trip to the hospital Abby was able to fill Hank in on everything Connor said and discovered just before the explosion. Despite the abundance of information neither Hank or Abby truly understood what caused the explosion or how such a catastrophic failure of the facility's own security programs could lead to such a massive fire within the building itself.

Thankfully Connor remained unconscious during transportation. The raw, bleeding burns were immediately treated with a special salve designed to clean the painful wounds while also creating a thin barrier to cover the damaged skin to keep foreign matter out. Despite Abby's quick thinking and knowledge of how to treat burns, the wounds were still serious and would require the rookie detective to remain sedated and secluded in a clean room while the burns were treated to ensure that he didn't develop an infection or stress himself into sickness courtesy of the relentless pain that always accompanied burns.

Hank couldn't bring himself to look at the wounds as the two paramedics worked together to keep the injury site clean and covered. While Johnny tended to the burns and kept them covered under fresh, sterilized bandages, his new partner, Carol, spoke directly to the emergency team waiting for Connor at the hospital over the radio. Having the emergency burn unit apprised of the situation in real time would help ensure Connor's condition would remain stable throughout his impending and arduous recovery period.

Connor himself was laying on his right side on the gurney with an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth, and he had wireless leads of a cardiac monitor attached to his chest. Even while unconscious his heart rate and blood pressure were higher than average thanks to the excruciating pain of the burns gnawing away at the left side of his body. Despite everything that happened Connor never lost his A.R.I. glasses in the chaos and the lenses were still recording everything that was happening.

"Don't worry, kid." Hank whispered as he reached up and removed the A.R.I. glasses from over Connor's heavy eyes and then removed the synched glove from Connor's right hand. Keeping the invaluable equipment safe to be analyzed later on was imperative in figuring out what had happened that day at the facility. "While you're getting patched up at the hospital, I'm going to figure out just what the hell happened and make sure the person responsible for all this is found and spends the rest of their useless life rotting behind bars."

New Jericho Tower

Word of the explosion at the Zeta Facility quickly reached the deviants sheltering together out on Belle Isle. The act of malicious destruction of the newly built facility was one that would be investigated regardless of who was injured, which building had been targeted, or who may have been considered a target within the building itself. Even so, the city knew that the explosion at the facility was meant as an act of domestic terrorism targeting the deviant community. A police response was swift, and the investigation was already being discussed across the media despite there being little evidence and no theories being shared by the investigating detectives and officers. Rumors were going to be spreading through Detroit quickly, which meant conspiracy theories and plots for misguided revenge were going to be openly acknowledged throughout the city.

From within the secured sanctuary Markus immediately stepped up to take control over the situation before it escalated into violent retaliation against innocent humans. The deviant leader knew that there were still a large number of deviants across the entire city who sought to spill blood even after succeeding with the Revolution. Preventing needless violence and pointless retaliation were crucial to keeping the peace and reassuring the world that the deviants were truly people seeking equality and a serene coexistence alongside their human brethren.

"We'll need to keep close tabs on our people until the police can give us more information on what happened." Markus warned as he and his three allies gathered together in the private office to discuss the situation without unsettling their already shaken people. "The Zeta Facility wasn't scheduled to open for another two days, which means there were no deviants injured in the explosion."

"The fact that a brand new building had such a devastating explosion such as this one isn't a mistake." North reasoned as she reminded Markus of the facts that they did know about the facility from their own sources of information aiding them cybernetically. "We can't possibly expect to believe that there was some kind of gas leak or an electrical issue that did so much damage."

"She's right." Josh agreed entirely with North's assessment. Though a pacifist by nature, Josh wasn't one to just openly believe that everything was a harmless error or could be easily explained away as a misunderstanding. "This was a deliberate attack on our people. We can't pretend otherwise."

Simon nodded in silent agreement as he observed his friends and allies debating the violent act. He knew all too well how humans could just attack and lash out at androids without even the faintest hint of remorse behind their actions.

"We'll know more once we hear from Connor." Closing his mismatched eyes, Markus attempted to call Connor's personal phone but was met with a voicemail instead. He chose to instead leave a text message instead in hopes that Connor would see who was trying to contact him and respond. "...No response. He must be at the scene already."

"No, he's not. At least he isn't anymore." Simon looked to Markus with genuine worry in his blue eyes. The compassionate deviant let out a despondent sigh before telling his friends some rather unsettling news courtesy of his own contacts outside the tower. "Connor was inside the facility when the explosion occurred. He was injured and taken to St. Mercy Hospital for treatment. My fellow caretakers now working at the hospital as staff confirmed his admission just ten minutes ago."

"Connor's hurt?" Markus words were heavy with confusion as fear hit him like a slap to the face. "Does your contact know how severely he's been injured?"

"He can't tell me anything more than he has already to avoid being in breach of H.I.P.A.A. violations. I'm sorry, Markus. We're lucky that they were even willing to tell me this much."

"Damn it."

Leaning forward with his palms against the desk at the center of the office gave Markus a sense of support as he suddenly felt uneasy on his feet. Hearing about his friend being injured on the job was bad enough but knowing that his friend was also his direct contact with the police and that the same friend had just busted a political conspiracy ring within the city was now incapacitated was immensely disturbing.

"There is no way to deny that the explosion at the facility was deliberate. We can see that now." Straightening up again Markus turned to face his three allies and told them of his current plan of action. "We're going to put the tower on temporary lockdown. Everyone is free to roam the tower and the isle, but no one is to leave the isle until further notice."

"What about our people still in the city?" Josh asked with righteous fear for the innocent deviants who were currently off the isle. "We can't leave them stranded away from the tower like this."

"We'll allow deviants seeking shelter to return to the isle, but we'll have to have them temporarily isolated from the others in case they're somehow connected to any potential revenge scheme we may be unaware of." With a single nod Markus gave Josh his next assignment. "Coordinate a means of letting our people back to the isle and find places for them to rest until we have a better idea of what's happening in the city."

"I'm on it."

"Simon, in the event of a technical emergency in the city, please be sure to have the tower available to receive the injured." Markus knew that with the Zeta Facility being out of commission before it even had the chance to open to the public that a lot of innocent deviants could end up deprived of vital technical assistance. "Our emergency repair bays can hold up to twenty deviants at any given time, so we can temporarily accommodate deviants who don't already reside here with us."

"That won't be a problem."

"And North, I'll need you to take charge while I'm gone."

"Gone?" North and Simon watched as Markus marched past them and toward the closed door to join Josh as they departed the office together. "Where are you going?"

"To the hospital." The determination in Markus's gaze was as intense as his overall demeanor. "I need to check on Connor and figure out just what happened and learn who's responsible for all this. You're right about this not being a coincidence."

"All because Connor's somehow involved?"

"Yes." Stopping for a moment Markus took a deep breath to calm himself and explain his reasoning to his friends. "We all know that Connor's the one responsible for finding the man who murdered a deviant, for exposing the mayor's corruption, and the mayor's collusion with a corrupt F.B.I. agent. This isn't a secret, and we know that Connor's name was mentioned at least once by the media when they reported the story."

"Do you think the explosion was revenge for what Connor did?"

"I don't know. Until we know if Connor inspecting the facility was public knowledge, I won't say definitively one way or the other." Cybernetically Markus hailed an autonomous taxi and continued on his way through the door. "I'll keep you updated from the hospital; you keep me updated from here. We don't know what little thing could be said or done that'd explain just what the hell happened today."

St. Mercy Hospital: Burn Unit

The tense and remote section of the large hospital felt eerie. The entire purpose of a proper burn unit was to keep victims of extreme burns entirely isolated during the early stages of the recovery process to ensure that the burns remained clean, and that infection was kept at bay. Such extreme conditions required the recovery rooms to be sterilized to the brink of being entirely empty save for a thoroughly disinfected bed and monitoring equipment. Stark white walls were almost blinding, and the scent of astringent and other medically necessary disinfectants created a noxious atmosphere that easily repelled those who weren't already used to such a distinct aroma. Medical personnel were wearing scrubs, paper caps to cover their hair, plastic coverings for their shoes, latex gloves, masks over their mouths and noses, and even wore goggles to ensure there was no chance of a patient contracting a bacterial infection from their own doctors or nurses.

Connor wasn't the sole patient in the burn unit, but the rookie detective's temporary isolation made it seem like he was the only patient in the entire hospital. As he laid on his right side with his head propped up on a special pillow to keep his neck straight and his airway unobstructed, Connor looked as if he was on the brink of death. The hourly checks to ensure his burns weren't infected, to have the burns cleaned and the damaged tissue moisturized by a special balm, and to have the bandages changed were as exhausting to watch as they were for Connor to endure.

To be anywhere near Connor at that moment required Hank to endure a thoroughly sterilization process and to stand on the other side of the observation window of the room where his injured partner was resting. After arriving at the hospital Hank watched Connor being wheeled off by an emergency team to have his burns treated by specialists, while he and Abby were giving routine examinations to ensure they weren't suffering from smoke inhalation or other complications from being inside the burning building. Once Hank was given the all-clear he took one of the longest showers of his life and swapped out his smokey, debris laden clothes for a set of hospital scrubs, slippers, a mask and a paper bandana to cover his hair just even have access to the burn unit itself.

"Hang in there, kid. You won't be alone during this fucked up mess."

The sight of Connor's upper left arm, his left shoulder, most of his back and all along his left side being repeatedly tended to and redressed under thick bandages on a regular basis was a horrific reminder of what the younger detective was currently enduring. The I.V. line restoring his fluids to ensure he was still hydrated and that the damaged tissue didn't degrade any further was inserted into his subclavian artery just under his collarbone. An oxygen mask over his nose and mouth ensured he was taking deep, full breaths while sedated. The wireless leads of the cardiac monitor attached to his chest confirmed that even while motionless and so pale, Connor was still in fact alive.

"How's he doing?"

Turning his head Hank spotted Abby slowly approaching him dressed in a manner similar to his own. The young technician had a small bandage along her right brow courtesy of the breaking glass cutting her during the explosion. It was clear that Abby was just as worried about Connor's condition as Hank was.

"He seems to be resting right now." Hank confirmed as Abby joined him by the window and peered through the glass to see Connor with her own eyes. "I wish I knew more about what the doctors keep doing to his burns. Looks fuckin' brutal."

"*Debridement is crucial to ensure the damaged tissues heal properly while the undamaged tissue doesn't become infected." It seemed Abby knew exactly what Hank was talking about even without witnessing the medical procedure herself. "Fortunately, this hospital has utilized host specific synthetic skin to graft over the burns to prevent further damage to the burns. All it takes is a small sample of person's own dermal tissue to artificially generate new skin that'll be entirely compatible with that person once it's grafted. The guaranteed acceptance of the new layers of skin rather than worrying about rejection makes the recovery process a thousand times easier."

"I'll pretend I understood everything you just said." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank just stared at Connor's face for a minute longer then noticed that the doctors treating Connor were all androids who had their own artificial skin deactivated. It was interesting he didn't notice that they weren't humans considering all he cared about was his friend getting proper medical attention. "How long have androids been treating burn victims?"

"For about ten years now. Androids can't carry and transmit bacteria from their own bodies to a patient's body, which means they're the ideal caregivers for anyone who's suffered a significant burn or is otherwise immunocompromised."

"Good thing Connor's known as an ally to the deviants then." Such a beneficial relationship was proving to be invaluable rather quickly. "We know for damn sure he's getting the absolute best care now."

The comment was sweet and yet it wasn't enough to lessen the sour mood in the air. Abby stood at Hank's side and looked in at Connor with a sense of regret knowing that he had been injured only because he volunteered to investigate the facility, and he went out of his way to protect her during the explosion itself. She felt as if she owed it to Connor to watch over him while he recovered in the hospital.

"Have you contacted his family yet?" Abby asked out of instinct, then immediately felt foolish afterward. She had asked Connor about his family minutes before the explosion and already knew he didn't have one to speak of. "No, nevermind. That was a dumb question."

"No, it wasn't. You just asked the same question we always ask when dealing with an injured person." Hank could tell by the way Abby responded that she seemed to know a little bit about Connor's personal life already. That was something he hadn't expected from anyone considering how quiet Connor was about his past. "Just curious though, why'd you think it was dumb to ask?"

"Well, I happened to mention family while we were walking and talking through the facility, and he let me know he didn't have one. I can relate to that in my own way, so I know how uncomfortable it can be to discuss such a topic."

Hank fell quiet as he didn't want to correct Abby and let her know that Connor did in fact have a brother, which meant he did still have family somewhere in the world. Knowing how coldly Lucas responded to Connor even being in the same city as him told Hank to not say a word about the fraternal feud currently residing inside Connor's mind.

"He's lucky that he has a friend like you." Abby continued as a means of ending the uncomfortable silence that fell between them. "And thank you for risking your life to save ours. I don't know anyone outside of the fire department who'd do what you did today."

"You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome all the same."

"I also need to thank Connor. He protected me when the terminal exploded, and if he hadn't done that..."

"So you were right there when the explosion detonated?" Suddenly keen on investigating the incident Hank turned to face Abby and locked eyes with the compassionate technician beside him. "What can you tell me about what happened?"

Abby quickly brought Hank up to speed on everything she had seen and heard before and during the explosion itself. She was able to recall everything that Connor had told her, and she was able to confirm that the explosion happened after Connor opened the door to the security office, not before. The strange electrical feed, the terminal exploding and even the delay in the facility's emergency sprinkler system activating were all too suspicious to be ignored or explained away by a single logical answer.

"That's what Connor told me when he texted me." Hank sighed as he thought about the messages that he had read just seconds before the building shook and erupted with a thunderous cacophony just beside him. He knew how lucky he was to not have been seriously injured in the blast, and he was grateful that both Connor and Abby survived as well. "Our tech team will look deeper into that weird shit that Connor found before everything went to Hell."

Through the window Hank and Abby heard a sudden gasp of pain as Connor regained consciousness and began to struggle where he was laying. The pain in his left shoulder, arm, back and side were unbearable. The burns had damaged his skin and even exposed the sensitive nerve endings that otherwise would've been protected by the layer of skin that had been destroyed.

"Shit, he's awake." Abby watched as the two deviant burn specialists worked quickly to readminister the sedative to ensure Connor fell back asleep and wouldn't have to endure the relentless agony of raw burns being repeatedly cleaned and exposed during the beginning of the lengthy recovery period. One deviant was gently holding Connor still by the second was adjusting the medication in his I.V. line. "The sooner he's back asleep the better off he'll be."

"Why'd he wake up at all?"

"Some people are more resistant to drugs and sedatives than others." Seeing Connor's vital signs elevate to a dangerous level while he tried to curl around himself in utter misery pulled at Abby's heartstrings. Being a medic was both a blessing and a curse when it came to people she cared about needing help. "I guess Connor's just one of those unlucky people who needs extra sedation to stay under."

Footsteps began hastily approaching the duo as Markus finally found his way to the correct floor of the hospital to check on his friend. Seeing that Connor wasn't alone helped Markus to breathe a little easier and calm himself before he even had the chance to get worked up. As a caretaker himself, Markus knew all too well how a person's mental and emotional health can have a direct impact on their overall physical health while enduring significant injury or illness.

"Lieutenant Anderson, Dr. Grayson." Markus announced his presence politely as he joined his allies by the window. Seeing Connor on the other side of the glass in immense pain while the two deviant medics taking care of him tried to put him back to sleep was troublesome. "What's going on?"

"He's resisting the sedative." Hank stated coldly as he realized that the real reason Connor was awake was because of his fear and hatred of hospitals. It was then he remembered how Connor fought against the ventilator when he was hospitalized for dry-drowning barely a month prior, and he knew that Connor's fear of hospitals was only cause more problems for him in the future. "The kid absolutely despises being in hospitals. They scare the shit out of him."

"I don't understand. Did something traumatic happen to him?"

"I don't know." Slowly Hank's already crossed arms tensed up and tightened as he watched Connor being forced to undergo the painful recovery and treatment of his burns without any kind of release. "He doesn't like to talk about his past."

Markus couldn't fault Connor for a desire to keep his past private. The deviant leader knew of Connor's previous role in CyberLife and didn't once fault him for just doing what was assigned to him by a soulless corporation. He also sensed that Connor had no choice but to work for CyberLife in order to just survive. Doing whatever it took to survive while trying to maintain a moral compass was a delicate and dangerous feat that no one should have to experience.

Knowing that he could aid his friend during his time of need compelled Markus to take the initiative. Quickly he entered the sterilized clean area that connected to Connor's room and quickly swapped out his clothing for a set of scrubs and allowed the sterilizing mist within the room to pour over him. Once he knew he was clean Markus deactivated his artificial skin, allowed the mist to pour over his exposed plastimetal frames, and hustled into Connor's room to help his friend.

"Connor, it's okay." Markus didn't need to say anything or introduce himself to the other deviants working to get Connor's condition stabilized. The stressed detective's heart rate and blood pressure were dangerously elevated courtesy of the painful burns gnawing away at him every second that he was conscious. "Look at me. I need you to look at me."

Through the window Hank and Abby watched as Markus took hold of Connor's right hand and saw how Connor's grip tightened to what had to be a crushing pressure around Markus's hand in return. The pain etched on Connor's face as tears streamed from his tightly closed eyes was tangible even from the distance.

"You're going to be okay, my friend." The promise was sincere as Markus knew that Connor was strong enough to not just survive the burns but recover and return to working as a detective and protecting the city from corruption. "You're safe. You're being taken care of, and you can close your eyes. You don't need to be afraid."

"H-Hurts!" Connor managed to speak through his clenched teeth as he looked up at Markus with his bloodshot, pain filled eyes. His entire body was trembling from a blend of pain and fear. "F-Fire... There w-was a fire."

"It's all right now. There's no more fire and you're safe with medics who are going to help you through this pain." Slowly Markus knelt down to ensure he was eye level with his friend and lightly put his free palm against the distressed detective's cheek. The direct contact was meant to make Connor feel more grounded and stable despite everything happening to him while allowing Markus to directly monitor his vitals. "Hank and Dr. Grayson are just on the other side of the window to your room as I speak. I'm here with you too. I won't go anywhere so that you know you're not alone."

Connor took in a shuddering breath and forced himself to look Markus in his mismatched eyes before letting his gaze drift over to the window. He could see Hank and Abby through the glass while watching over him protectively.

"You can close your eyes, you can sleep. You'll be safe here because you have your friends here to protect you and make sure no one tries to do anything to you that you don't want to happen." Markus knew a thing or two about being afraid to close his eyes and sleep when he couldn't be certain of the world around him. "I swear to you as your friend that I won't let anyone harm you."

"D-Don't go." Connor begged as he tightened his grip around Markus's hand to the point where both of their hands began to ache from pressure. "I don't w-want to be here."

"We know. That's why we're going to work together to stay close to you at all times and make sure you're never left alone." Markus cybernetically informed the two attending deviant medics that he wasn't going to break his word and that he wouldn't get in their way as they treated Connor's condition. "Next time you wake up you'll be in a different room, without any pain, and you'll be surrounded with your friends. For now, close your eyes and rest. It's okay for you to rest."

Connor struggled to let his body relax enough to sleep without being injured. Being expected to not try to fight back against the sensation of strangers hovering around him while he was injured and weak meant he'd have to defy his basic fight or flight instincts. Even with Markus's soothing words and the proof that he wasn't going to be alone, it took all of Connor's will to go against his better judgement and make a conscious effort to stop trying to push through the sedative coursing through his veins and finally let his body be still.

Markus kept his hand wrapped around Connor's even as he felt his friend's grip growing slack. The high numbers on the cardiac monitor began to dip down to far more stable digits the deeper Connor fell into his drug induced slumber. Only when his biometric scanner confirmed that Connor was asleep did Markus lift his palm from Connor's cheek. Slowly he turned to face the window and nodded at Hank and Abby to let them know that Connor was going to be all right in time.

"Good work, Markus." Hank didn't know Markus very well considering how differently their circles ran, but anyone who cared about Connor's life was always welcome into his Hank's personal social circle without question. "I heard he used to be a caretaker before he changed the world. Go figure empathy truly is the strongest weapon than anyone with a heart could ever wield."

"Yeah, and he's right. We'll work together to make sure Connor isn't alone." Abby decided as she ran her hand through her long hair and then let out an exhausted sigh to herself. "You should go back to your precinct and make sure no one's messing up your investigation. I'll stay here with Connor until you get back."

"I'm not nearly as tech savvy as Connor is." The Lieutenant admitted as he thought about how Connor's A.R.I. glasses and the glove were essentially the keys to unlocking the truth behind the explosion at the Zeta Facility. "I get the feeling I'd be more in the way than helpful with this particular case."

"Hank, go." Lightly Abby rubbed her palm along Hank's tense bicep as an act of trust and good faith. "I know you're worried about Connor, I am too, but you can do a lot more by handling the investigation than you can by just standing outside his room all day."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"I'll contact you if anything changes. Right now, I can confirm that once Connor's been stable for a while longer and he's had some antibiotics running through his system, he'll be taken into surgery to have synthetic skin grafts performed to cover and treat his burns."

That was something Hank's had expected and made his eyes widen briefly with worry. "Surgery?"

"It's not nearly as invasive as one might think. Markus and I will stay close to him at all times and let you know the second he's out of surgery."

"I take he'll be taken to a post-op ward in the burn unit once it's over too." Hank hated the idea of needing to track down his own friend in the hospital if he left for a few hours. "Do you have any idea how long he'll need to stay in the hospital after everything's said and done?"

"Burns used to take weeks, sometimes months, to heal well enough before the patient could be discharged. Thanks to the latest developments in skin grafts and the vastly diminished risk of rejection after the surgery is over, Connor should be able to go home after a week's stay." Abby winced a little as she knew that no one wanted a prolonged stay in the hospital for any reason. "One week minimum as long as he doesn't develop any infections and cooperates with the doctors, that is."

"Right. We'll both remind Connor of the cooperation part." Begrudgingly Hank decided it was time to leave the hospital and trust Connor's impending care with Markus and Abby. "Maybe he'll be a little less stubborn this time around."

"Yeah, right." Abby gave Hank a small, smug grin as he slowly walked away from the window to return to the precinct and get to the bottom of the investigation. "I get the feeling that someone like Connor only gets all the more stubborn every time he gets knocked down and picks himself back up."

Detroit Central Precinct: Second Floor Dispensary

As expected, the entire precinct had snapped into action to contain the crime scene downtown while keeping the media out of their way during the investigation. It didn't take long for the dreaded rumors and conspiracies about the attack to swirl around the city pointing to domestic terrorism and plots of revenge. While Captain Fowler addressed the unfounded tales directly by agreeing to a live television interview to lay out the facts and stop the fiction from spreading any further, his officers doubled their patrols around the city and his detectives pooled their resources to investigate the explosion at the Zeta Facility directly. The number of detectives now working on the single case seemed to be excessive, but considering two of their own had been caught in the explosion, no one was going to tell anyone handling the investigation to do any differently.

While Ben and his team cordoned off the Zeta Facility to investigate the building itself, Gavin agreed to help collect and document evidence and to fill-in while Connor was out of action. It seemed in spite of his very vocal dislike toward Connor as a detective Gavin wasn't going to pretend that the explosion downtown wasn't a potential threat against the entire city or a revenge plot against the rookie detective for busting corrupt politician.

Hank paced around the second floor dispensary while waiting for Joel to finish accessing the footage and overall readings that the A.R.I. glasses had recorded before, during and even after the security terminal detonated. The older man hated being unable to do anything beyond wait for the result to come from another person since he wasn't as familiar with advanced pieces of technology compared to his colleagues. Until he could do something more to help, Hank no choice but to be patient and wait for the evidence to come to him.

Joel on the other hand was very interested in what A.R.I. had to offer, and he was deeply enthralled with the recorded footage being displayed on his laptop. What he could see and hear courtesy of the footage was as insightful as it was chilling to view since he knew exactly what was going to happen to the person who had been wearing the A.R.I. glasses earlier that day.

"Can you give me anything to work with?" Hank asked impatiently as he finally stopped his pacing and stood before the technician's desk. He was exhausted but couldn't bring himself to sit down or take a break just yet. "What did Connor see that made him examine the security office?"

"He caught something particularly damning without even realizing it." Sitting back in his seat Joel turned his laptop around and let Hank see the screen for himself after he paused a key piece of the footage that had been recorded. "Connor found a strange electrical surge being fed into the wires of only one security camera and trailed it back to the security office where one of the three large terminals was exhibiting the same reading. When he used the keycard to open the electronically locked office, he unknowingly triggered a small bomb contained inside the offending terminal."

The sight of the detonation happening just seconds after Connor opened the door, and then of Connor turning around so quickly to shield Abby and protect her from the chaos was unnerving. The sound of the detonation was much quieter in the recording than it had been in real life, and for that volume difference Hank was truly grateful.

"It really was a bomb. Son of a bitch." The Lieutenant's shoulders slumped as he leaned against the desk and eyed the image on the laptop screen. "This wasn't an accident at all."

"No. The bomb was designed to detonate only when the door was opened, and the bomb was supposed to cause a chain reaction by overloading all of the wires within the facility causing a massive power surge that'd result in electrical fires destroying the facility from the inside out. However, the person who rigged the bomb failed to redirect the excess power being fed to the bomb, which means Connor found it with A.R.I. before the bomb was supposed to detonate, and because it wasn't rigged properly the fire didn't spread as it meant to do."

"Any way to identify the bomb pieces and track down the bomb maker or at least narrow down the list of suspects?"

"There should be." The brilliant technician was able to break down the original footage into key visual slices to help the investigating detectives isolate evidence to be used in their case. "Since the bomb was hidden in the security office, that means a person or persons with access to the office are the people you need to locate."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Only the people working in the facility or working for the facility would know that the cameras weren't activated yet, which also means the person responsible for the bomb knew that they could work in plain sight without any seeing what they were doing."

"All right, that's where we'll start."

Hank fished his phone from his pocket and stepped away from the desk to call Captain Fowler and then Ben to let them know what information had just been discovered thanks to the resourceful technician. After he relayed the information and requested a search warrant on the security team that had been hired to install the security system in the Zeta Facility, Hank felt a glimmer of hope for the investigation to be closed quickly and smoothly.

"Anything else we can use?" Retuning his focus to Joel for a minute, Hank hoped to have more evidence that condemn the guilty party without any doubts. "Did the glasses manage to get the bomb itself in view?"

"The bomb was inside the destroyed terminal, so we can't identify the bomb without collecting all the fragments of shrapnel and rebuild the bomb itself."

"Ah, fuck. I was afraid of that." Appreciative of Joel's help Hank thanked the technician and decided he did enough at the precinct for the day and that it was time to go back to the hospital. "Thanks anyway, you did great. Send that footage to my terminal and to Captain Fowler so we can find the sick fucker behind the bomb and nail their ass to the wall."

"Already done, Lieutenant." Joel turned his laptop back around and began typing frantically while saving the data, creating back-ups of the data, and ensuring that his laptop was locked down tight to prevent outside hacking. "Is there anything I can do to help out?"

"You've done enough. Just keep the rumors quiet and let me know if you find out anything else we can use in the investigation."

"You got it, Lieutenant."

With the investigation taken as far it could for the time being Hank knew that he could return to the hospital and stay with his friend until further notice. The worst part of the job wasn't necessarily seeing the ugliest side of humanity on a regular basis or even the loss of innocence at the hands of the corrupt, the worst past was knowing that in spite of all the desires and urges to do right by everyone at every second of the day, it was impossible to protect everyone for every evil in the world.

"Hope you're still unconscious, kid."

Hank muttered to himself as he exited the dispensary and trudged toward the elevator at the end of the corridor.

"After seeing that bomb up close and personal, I can only pray to whatever deity might watching over you to spare you any more pain."

St. Mercy Hospital: Burn Unit

The dangerously tumultuous day had turned to a contrastingly peaceful evening. There was a strangely serene atmosphere in the private recovery room of the burn unit as Connor rested with the assistance of heavy sedation and painkillers. The concoction allowed him to rest through the worst of his recovery period post-surgery as he laid on his right side to keep pressure off his healing burns and the subsequent surgical site. The synthetic skin grafts had been successful in covering the worst of the burns, but even so the pain that'd linger would be intense enough to push anyone to their breaking point. A cocktail of antibiotics, saline solution, painkillers and sedatives were actively coursing through Connor's body allowing him to sleep in relative comfort considering the injuries he had sustained and the stress of having the emergency surgery to apply the skin grafts to the actual burns left his body physically traumatized and in need of prolonged rest just to begin recovering.

Markus and Abby were true to their words and continued to stay close to Connor at all times. It was easy for Markus to keep close to Connor due to his android anatomy making it impossible for him to infect Connor with any type of bacteria by mistake, whereas Abby had to repeatedly wash off her hands and change into fresh scrubs every hour or every time she chose to leave the room. Even with the obnoxious ritual getting on her nerves Abby didn't dare to break her promise or risk Connor's health for even a second.

"The nurses outside have brought you some coffee." Markus confirmed with a faint smile as he gently put his hand to Abby's shoulder. The dedicated technician had fallen asleep in the chair beside Connor's bed with her hand wrapped around his uninjured right forearm. "They also said that since you're a former E.M.S. that they don't mind you crashing in their on-call room for a few hours if you need to lie down."

"Thanks, but I'm all right." Abby declined the generous offer and straightened up in her chair. Casually she glanced at the cardiac monitor recording Connor's vital signs and resisted the urge to check the removed I.V. line along Connor's collarbone and the new I.V. line in the bend of his right arm since she wasn't his doctor, and she didn't want to accidentally contaminate his wounds. "Could you do me a favor? Check his bandages and I.V. canula for my own peace of mind."

"Don't worry, the medical staff here are going to treat Connor like royalty." The kind deviant leader vowed as he humored Abby and checked the recovering detective's bandages anyway. There was no sign of infection or irritation whatsoever which were great signs in Connor's favor. "Everything's normal. Although his temperature seems to be slightly elevated."

"Stress from the injuries and the surgery. Not to mention the severity of the burns will have affected his nerves and even his sweat glands." Having knowledge of burns was a necessary evil of being an E.M.S. working alongside firefighters for so long. The only upside was knowing she'd be able to help her friend through his recovery if he so requested it. "He might have to deal with difficulties in regulating his body temperature for quite a while. Luckily the burns aren't as extensive as they could've been."

"Still, getting almost fourteen percent of his body burned like that..." Lightly Markus gave Connor's uninjured shoulder a squeeze then pulled down the blanket to keep it off his chest and side as he slept. The thick bandages beneath the hospital gown covering his burns were undoubtedly making Connor's body warmer than usual. "I haven't heard anything from the deviant community about the explosion. That's a pretty good sign that it wasn't an act of domestic terrorism since we know that ignorant bigots can't keep their mouths shut whenever they pull off a stunt like this."

"I haven't heard anything from Hank about the investigation either." Leaning back a little Abby pressed her fingertips to the bandage over her brow and winced a little at the lingering pain courtesy of the fresh cut beneath. "It's too bad Connor doesn't have a family to come and visit him and help him through this. Hank's a good guy, but even he can't help Connor entirely by himself."

Markus was quiet for a minute as he realized that Abby's comment was entirely sincere and that she didn't know about Connor's brotherly woes. It wasn't his place to say anything about Lucas shunning Connor, and as such he kept his silence and decided to direct Abby's attention elsewhere.

"Connor won't be by himself. As you said, Hank's going to help him, and so will I." Compassionate as ever Markus eyed the bandage over Abby's brow and made a move to gently peeled up the gauze to check her wound as well. "I imagine you'll be checking on him as well."

"It'd be rude to not help out the very man who saved my life." Abby replied without flinching as Markus eyed her laceration and used his special programming as a caretaker to perform a biometric scan over the wound. "How does it look?"

"Mildly irritated. You should have the laceration disinfected a second time and redressed."

"Good idea." Pressing the current bandage back down Abby gave Markus an appreciative acknowledgement of his concerns for her health. "Once Hank's back I'll take care of my cut and then go have some of that nice coffee that the wonderful nurses made just for me."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon." Markus noted the time and had a feeling that Hank would manage to get back to the hospital before visiting hours were over. The deviant leader also suspected that Hank would be able to convince the staff to let him stay the night since he was a first responder watching over his partner. "I can tell that he really cares about Connor as his partner in the field and as his friend."

"I've been meaning to ask, how do you know Connor?" Slowly Abby tightened her grip around Connor's forearm to give him a reassuring squeeze to make sure he knew he wasn't alone even as he slept. "I know he helped you with the Revolution and all that fun stuff, but how did you first meet?"

An amused grin appeared on Markus's face as he looked down at Connor's somewhat peaceful face then looked over at Abby without losing his smile. It only took him a few minutes to relay the story of how he initially met Connor and how they allied with one another and eventually became friends. Having to explain to his allies and friends at New Jericho Tower of how Connor was still alive and why Markus trusted him wasn't easy, but Markus never once regretted his decision to give Connor the chance to prove that he was good person who could do good things and be relied on when it mattered the most.

"That's crazy!" Abby laughed a little as she realized how amazing it was that Connor and Markus ever befriended one another. "I can't believe he risked his life like that and didn't know if it'd even work out for anyone. That's almost impossible noble to even consider."

"I guess you could say it's in his nature to be so self-sacrificial." The deviant leader acknowledged as he reminded Abby of her own close encounter that day. "I hope in time he learns that he can help others without needing to risk his own life in the process."

The door to the private room slid open slowly as Hank entered the space to check on Connor just as Markus and Abby had expected. The man was wearing a fresh set of scrubs and a mask again to keep himself from getting Connor sick from bacterial contamination by accident. With a small nod Hank made it clear that it was okay for Markus and Abby to leave now that he had returned.

"How's he doing?" Approaching the bed slowly Hank looked down at Connor and resisted the urge to smooth back the rookie detective's shaggy locks as they hung down over his forehead and eye. There were times when the older man swore that he was looking down at a kid and not just his friend. "He isn't going to wake up in pain again, is he?"

"Not likely." Abby confirmed as she stood up slowly and let Hank have her chair. She stretched her back a little and took notice of Connor's vital signs on the cardiac monitor again before leaving the room. "This time I made sure they gave him the 'good stuff'. If he does wake up, he'll be too busy chasing the pink dragon and talking to the furniture to even notice that he's in pain."

"That's a relief."

"Can we ask about the investigation?" The technician was keen on knowing what happened to her friend and her facility. She couldn't do anything beyond wait and see what the investigation turned up, and she wasn't too happy with needing to wait on the sidelines. "Do you know who's responsible for what happened or at least know why they did it?"

"...Yeah, actually." The despondence in Hank's voice was unmistakable. Turning his head a little, Hank looked to Markus and Abby as he brought his two biggest allies during such a trying time up to speed. "The C.S.I. team investigating the facility were able to get the bomb scraps picked up and give 'em to our tech department. The pieces of the bomb connect the two suspects who planted the bomb in the facility to a pair of deviants who worked on the security crew hired to install the cameras in the facility."

"Deviants?" Markus was stunned and could only try to guess as to why deviants would attack a facility designed to help deviants. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah. The bomb was constructed from bits and pieces of scrapped biocomponents and hardware only found in android bodies, and it was even fueled by Thirium that our precinct technician was able to match one of the android models who installed the facility's security system." Such details made it hard to argue that it was a coincidence or a set-up to frame deviants considering the Thirium was fresh, and the matching android was recently seen at the facility. "From there, we just followed the trail to the very deviants how had volunteered to install the security system and track them down."

"Who are they?"

"According to the arresting officers, one deviant's name was George and the other is Eddie. They were caught trying to sneak out to Belle Isle, and they got busted by your friends the moment they tried to slip down that drive without a security clearance. They were arrested about five minutes ago, and they will be interrogated by our Captain first thing in the morning."

Markus closed his sorrowful eyes for a moment as he cybernetically reached out to his colleagues at New Jericho Tower for confirmation on what Hank had stated and asked for more information on the two guilty deviants now in custody. He had no reason to doubt Hank, he just needed to know the facts through his allies of whom he knew he could trust with his life.

The first of the two accused deviants, Eddie, was a male 'GS-200' who had a pale complexion, short blond hair and piercing gray eyes. The second deviant, George, was a male 'HR-400' with a tanned complexion, short brown hair and blue eyes. The two deviants were known to only associate with one another, and Eddie had a reputed short temper that he often directed at humans. Eddie was an engineer creating unappreciated technology for humans before and after his deviation, while George had been trapped in the 'Eden Club' and forced to commit sexual acts against his will for humans.

It was no wonder that the two deviants were so full anger and hatred toward humanity as a whole.

"...North has confirmed everything for herself." Slowly Markus held up his palm and created a holographic image of Eddie and George for Abby to see. "Do you recognize them?"

"Yeah! They were the ones who- Oh, shit." Abby's disappointment was as palpable of Markus's own resignation in admitting that deviants were responsible for what had happened that day at the Zeta Facility. "Why? Why would they do such a terrible thing?"

"We won't know their official reasons until they're interrogated, but my allies believe that they lashed out at the facility so violently because of my friendship with Connor and their ongoing resentment toward humans." Needless guilt settled into Markus's otherwise hopeful gaze as he had to accept that two deviants were responsible for crimes against their own people. "They seemed to think any alliances with humans will be a threat to deviantkind, and so they attacked the facility knowing that only humans would be inside the building today."

"That's sick." Lightly Abby gave Markus's hand a squeeze as she gave the deviant leader a sympathetic glance. "But it's not yours or Connor's fault. They chose to act violently only because they assumed that humans would be violent against them. They only have themselves to blame."

"And I only have myself to hold accountable since I clearly haven't done an efficient enough job at standing by peace and reminding my people that healing will take time. I still have a lot of work to do."

"Which means you're the perfect friend to help Connor through his recovery." In that instant Abby saw the hope return Markus's eyes as he realized that she was right and that he couldn't just give up on the potential for a peaceful coexistence alongside the humans so easily. "You two are going to become experts on learning how to wait and be patient when it comes to people being idiots."

"A valuable skill indeed."

"Come on. You can direct me to that coffee and help me figure out better security measures for the Zeta Facility."

"Absolutely. Lieutenant?" Markus turned to look at the man as Hank slowly sat down in the chair beside Connor's bed and reached out his hand to wrap around Connor's right wrist in a comforting gesture. "Coffee?"

"No thanks, I've had more caffeine in one than any one person ever should." As he settled into the chair Hank watched over Connor and wondered if he should find a way to contact Lucas and let him know what had happened to his brother or just let the fraternal feud die. That was a different problem for a different day. "You two head home and get some rest. I'm going to stay the night and monitor the investigation from my phone."

"All right. If Connor does wake up, let him know we'll be there to help him during his recovery."

"You have my word. Go on," Hank insisted that his unexpected friends take their leave for the night. "I got this. I'll let you know as soon as he's awake."

Markus gave Hank a respectful nod as he pressed the button beside the electronic door to unseal it just long enough for Abby and himself to step outside the private room. The idea of leaving a friend behind while they were injured felt wrong for many reasons. The only solace Markus could take at that moment was knowing that Connor wasn't going to be alone and that he'd make a full recovery in time.

Only after the door slid shut again did Hank finally speak to Connor in a whispered tone. The man almost sounded afraid to say what was on his mind despite knowing that he didn't need to worry about being judged by anyone just for looking out for a friend.

"I'm sorry that you've been hurt so many times, kid. You don't deserve to keep dealing with one painful problem after another, and I will do whatever it is that I can to help you through this new level of Hell."

Sinking down into the chair Hank made it clear that he wasn't going to go anywhere until Connor was awake and alert again. If all Hank could do to help Connor through that painful moment was act as his moral support, then that's exactly what he was going to do for as long as it was needed. Hank had enough of pitying himself and selfishly dismissing everyone else's problems. The man was ready to step back up as a protector and to look out for anyone who needed a little bit of help.

"You can take it easy and sleep as long as you like. I won't go anywhere anytime soon."

Hank Anderson's Home

After spending nine consecutive days in the hospital Connor was finally declared healthy enough to be discharged and into Hank's care. The rookie detective had responded well to the antibiotics and burn treatments on a physical level, but mentally and emotionally he was struggling to recover from the horrific incident that had left him with distinct burn scars along his left shoulder blade and his left side along his ribcage. The other burns were going to fade away and leave behind very faint scars that wouldn't even be noticed unless someone was directly looking for them. The most severe burns were going to leave their mark regardless of the successful skin grafting technique and external treatments to the burns as a whole, and those scars would be felt physically and mentally for as the rest of Connor's life.

Exhaustion kept Connor in his bedroom and away from the world despite his urge to resume working as soon as possible. Laid-up in his bed with Sumo at his side and Hank checking in on him every hour or so, Connor felt entirely weak, helpless and like he'd never move on from the bombing of the Zeta Facility. The younger man was still getting used to having someone caring about his wellbeing, and it made difficult for him to ask for help or admit to even needing help despite just getting out of the hospital.

"Hey, kid." Hank greeted the resting detective from the opened doorway as he carried a flatscreen television into the bedroom. "I brought you this so you can watch something other than Sumo's fur growing."

Sumo thumped his tail happily at the sound of his name and pressed his head firmly against Connor's chest in search of some attention. The large dog knew that Connor was injured and was staying protectively at the healing man's side.

"I know you're not a fan of television or any other kind of brain-rot." The older man admitted as he placed the television down on the floor then stepped out of the room to bring in a small entertainment center to put against the wall and place the television on top of. "But you need to do something other than stare at the walls and feel sorry for yourself."

"I don't feel sorry for myself." Connor muttered as he looked down at the thick gauze still wrapped around his chest, shoulder and upper left arm. The bandages would need to remain in for another month to ensure proper healing and minimal scarring. "I feel... useless."

"You're NOT useless, kid." Hank argued without breaking stride. After he had the television set-up, he plugged it into the nearest outlet and handed Connor the remote so that he could relax and hopefully be entertained for a little while. "You're injured and you're still healing. When you can move your left arm without flinching, I'll bring you the laptop so you can work remotely for a while. I swear you're the only detective in the whole precinct who doesn't need to rely on spellcheck when you type your reports."

Connor winced as he sat more upright on the bed and briefly pressed his right palm to his bandaged left shoulder. He hadn't even tried to slip on a t-shirt since moving his arms around hurt too much, and he needed to have the bandages changed every two hours as it was. It was just a pointless obstacle that'd make his recovery feel all the more tedious and uncomfortable. With his bandages on display Connor knew he looked as pathetic as he felt.

"I'm glad you're finally outta' the hospital." Approaching the bed Hank took in Connor's appearance and smirked at the way Connor currently looked. It had been a while since the usually perfectly groomed young detective could take care of his hair and face. "You need to shave, and your hair needs a trim."

"I'd rather not do so considering it hurts too much to raise my arms above my chest." Connor admitted as he resisted the urge to rub his fingertips along his chin and neck where he had some fresh stubble growing in. "That can wait."

"If you want, I could help ya' out." Subconsciously Hank ran his fingers through his shaggy hair then grimaced at his own words. "I mean, my hair isn't exactly in the best of styles right now, but I can still handle a pair of scissors and hair trimmer."

"No thanks, I can handle that myself once I have the physical range and dexterity to do so."

"Sure. But if you start looking like a prospector, I'm gonna' break out the razors myself."

It seemed nothing could improve Connor's mood as he just held the remote in his hand and stared somberly at the blank television screen. Seeing his reflection being cast on the glass reminded him of how pathetic he looked and wasn't at all surprised that it seemed to match how he was feeling at that moment.

"The investigation into the bombing's been closed." Hank stated almost curtly as he sat on the edge of Connor's bed next to the younger man's legs. He knew what was on Connor's mind and hoped to ease his worries enough to get some rest. "The two deviants were correctly identified, arrested, interrogated, and will be charged with their crimes. I guess that's one of the disadvantages from being treated like property to being treated like an actual person."

"The new laws aren't in effect yet." Despite being injured Connor was as sharp as ever regarding the laws and its consequences. "How is that possible?"

"Captain Fowler and Markus agreed that those two deviants needed to be charged and tried the same as a human would even before the new laws are officially enacted to ensure that no bitter copycats try to bomb other parts of the city before the deadline hits." The explanation was far simpler than the case would prove to be once everything was scheduled and underway in March. "They won't go to trial until early March, which means they'll sit in jail for the next seven weeks until they can be taken into a proper, official court of law to stand trial."

"Did... Why did they do it?" Connor winced slightly as his healing skin along his ribcage began to gnaw at him. All he could do was press his palm over the bandages and apply pressure in hopes of somehow quelling the uncomfortable sensation. "D-Did they ever explain why they attacked the facility?"

"They hate humans. That was their only motivation." Without asking Hank reached for one of the four bottles of medication sitting on the nightstand and picked up the painkillers on Connor's behalf. The man reread the directions on the side of the bottle for the umpteenth time before unscrewing the lid and dropping two pills into his own opened palm. "They figured that by blowing up the facility built by humans and run by humans before any deviants were admitted as patients that they'd be able to convince the other deviants to choose to remain segregated from the humans. They didn't care who got hurt as long as it was a human or two."

"...They succeeded."

"Not like they had hoped they would." Hank tried to pass the medication over to Connor to take but the rookie detective refused to accept the little pills. "Need some water or juice?"

"Not at the moment."

"Kid, if you don't take your meds then you won't heal as quickly as you could."

"I can heal without needing to rely on narcotics."

"You can't just sit here suffering either." The man countered as he gave Connor a knowing look. Thankfully Hank was prepared for a stubborn patient and was ready to put his foot down when necessary. "You need to take this stuff so you're not in pain throughout your entire recovery. It'll just make you heal slower since you won't be able to rest properly."

"I can handle the pain."

"Doesn't mean you should have to." Hank didn't want to argue and quickly put the pills back into the bottle beside the nightstand for the time being. "How about I get you an ice pack instead? That can help numb the worst of the pain without putting any shit you don't want in your body."

"That's... acceptable."

"Cool. I'm also going to bring you your lunch and you're going to eat it."

Connor instinctively wanted to state that he wasn't hungry but refrained for Hank's sake. He knew that Hank, his friend, was just trying to help him. There was no harm in trying to eat something even if his appetite wasn't fully restored or use an ice pack on his sore side. The heavy medication he had been on at the hospital left him nauseated whenever he was conscious, and he greatly preferred having a settled stomach over an upset one. Not to mention being able to ignore his pain was always a blessing.

Sumo whimpered a little as he pressed up against Connor's right side and placed his paw down on the back of the healing detective's forearm. The loyal dog just knew that Connor wasn't feeling well and wanted to help any way that he could.

"Something light, just as the doctor ordered." Hank announced as he carried a small tray into the bedroom and showed Connor what was for lunch. There was a large, blue colored ice pack on the tray as well and Hank promptly picked it up and carefully tucked it within the bandages along Connor's sore side to ease his mounting discomfort. "Chicken soup, some white rice and some milk. The bland stuff if supposed to help your stomach with all the other meds you're taking right now."

"Thank you."

"Want me to change your bandages now or later?"

"Later, please." The idea of his burns being exposed all over again was enough to make Connor's stomach crawl. At the moment having the ice pack to soothe his pain was ideal enough as it could get. "It can wait."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be returning to work tomorrow, so Markus and Abby will be stopping by to check on you while I'm gone." The older man confirmed and tried to ignore the way Connor looked offended at being kept on the sidelines and out of the precinct for a while longer. "They'll be able to tell you a hell of a lot more about what's going on at the facility and with the deviants than I can."

"Are there any interesting investigations at the precinct right now?" Connor asked somberly as he used the spoon on the tray to stir the small bowl of soup until a few slices of carrots floated to the surface of the broth. "I might be able to help."

"Not that I know of. I promise that I'll keep you in the loop while you're stuck here healing." As a show of good faith Hank pulled his phone from his pocket and showed Connor the blank screen. "Fowler hasn't tried to call me or text me, which means there are no deviant cases needing our attention right now. If one pops up tomorrow, I'll call ya' and we can work on the case together over the phone. Sound good?"

"Sounds like the only option that I have."

"It won't be like this forever. Just a couple more weeks so you can work without needing to worry about bandage changes."

"Yes, then I can focus on numerous repeated epidermal treatments to reduce the risk of developing scar tissue that'll put me at higher risk of infections." Connor's already weak appetite faded entirely at that very bleak reality. "That'll continue for the rest of my life."

"Hey, it won't be that bad. There's been some damn awesome improvements in treating burns and scars in general for the past ten years or so."

"The breakthroughs still won't reverse the scars and undo the damage to my skin and muscle tissues."

"Maybe not. But knowing that you could've had inferior treatment if you were hurt just a few years ago gives me hope that you're going to be fine."

"...Maybe."

"Nope, no 'maybe' on this one. You'll see in time that you're going to be okay. Enjoy your lunch." Hank insisted as he picked up the remote, turned on the television and brought up a movie streaming service for Connor to choose from. "And try to find something to watch that'll let you relax. Bonus points if you find something that'll help you fall asleep so you can keep resting. Look for something filmed in black and white, that almost always works."

Connor just nodded as Hank took his leave of the bedroom to give him some space to eat and just exist without anyone smothering him or hovering over him as if he was a fragile piece of glass. The rookie detective continued to remind himself that Hank was just trying to help him during his recovery, and that he shouldn't mistake Hank's acts of kindness as a form of pity.

The only person pitying Connor in that moment was Connor himself.

Glancing up at the television again allowed Connor to see a faint reflection of his face on the screen. Whenever he saw his own reflection he couldn't help but wonder what Lucas doing in D.C. at that exact moment.

Did his brother even know what had happened or how much his words had hurt him? Would he even care? In time, would Lucas finally talk to Connor and explain why he had so coldly and abruptly turned his back on his only living family?

As the somber thoughts settled heavily into his mind Connor sighed deeply and put his lunch aside in favor of laying down on his right side with his back presented toward his open bedroom door. Sumo scooted over enough to let Connor lie down, then rested his chin down on Connor's bicep affectionately. The fatigue of being hurt physically, emotionally and mentally had taken its toll and Connor couldn't bear to keep his eyes open any longer. The defeated detective needed to roll over to sleep and shut out the painful world around him for a few precious hours in order to just keep moving forward.

It was just day one of his recovery outside of the hospital, and it felt like the beginning of grueling eternity.

-next chapter-

Author's Note: *Debridement is when dead tissue is removed from a wound to keep the wound from becoming infected.