My only motivation for this was for Sumo to get covered in blue blood. It was a mighty need.


The door barely closed before Connor had to hold Sumo back from going to his usual resting place. After their walk outside both of them were drenched through and through.

If he had known that it would rain this much he would've opted for a smaller route rather than the hour long walk.

As it was, both of them had to get dry first. Connor guided Sumo to the bathroom by pulling softly on his collar. "Come," he demanded friendly and closed the bathroom door behind them.

He took one of the bigger towels and knelt down in front of Sumo. Putting it around the giant dog, he started to gently rub him dry. Something Sumo never opposed of. He probably saw it as cuddles.

Connor smiled slightly to himself as this brought him joy too. At least it gave him something to do as he sat here day in day out twirling his thumbs.

He wasn't built to do nothing. But as of now he was forced to do just that. Android laws weren't written down yet, not those going into details about things anyway. The basic ones had been decided on fairly fast.

Something Connor still admired about Markus. The deviant leader got things done after their peaceful revolution.

Meanwhile Connor was stuck with playing housekeeper. Of course no one forced him to, but he felt like he owed it to Hank after the Lieutenant had offered him to stay.

Connor didn't mind too terribly anyway. If only he knew that he could soon return to work. Without knowing when or if made things just a bit more..bleak.

He shook his head and smiled as Sumo gave him a wet kiss on the cheek. "Sumo no. I'm still wet, watch out," he warned. Not that Sumo cared much.

He placed the used towel to the side, he would tend to it later, and stood up to let Sumo out of the bathroom, now that he was dry.

Sumo shuffled out of the room while Connor took a towel to dry himself. He would get a change of clothes after he stopped dripping water everywhere.

He had just divested himself of his CyberLife jacket when someone knocked on the door. A glance at his internal clock told him that Hank either left work early or it was someone else.

"Just a moment!" Connor called out and quickly laid the jacket in the sink.

With the towel around his shoulders he went to the door and opened it.

Three androids stood there, looking rather tense. "Hello," he said friendly but they didn't reply. They looked at each other awkwardly until the one who seemed to have knocked stepped up towards Connor, forcing him slightly backwards where he bumped into Sumo.

"I apologize. Please come in. Did Markus send you?" He knew their faces but he was pretty sure they had never talked personally to each other.

"Something like that," sneered the supposed leader of the group, the other two stepping inside the house as well.

"Something like that?" Connor echoed confused. "Does Markus need help?"

The only reply he got was a fist thrown towards his face. Connor dodged it to the side, which caused his attacker to punch the air, as he stumbled away. "What are you doing!?"

Those androids where here to harm him. Now that he properly scanned their faces and body languages he could see this. Why?

"Stop moving!" His attacker almost shouted at him and charged again. Connor used those precious seconds to preconstruct several actions that would get him out of harm's way.

He opted for the one that forced him to step back. At least like this he would still face all three of them.

What he didn't account for was Sumo. "Sumo no!" Connor demanded and stepped forward instead of back, to push Sumo out of the way.

A fist connected with his face and he stumbled back. Thirium pouring from his nose. "Away Sumo!"

It was a simple command, one Sumo liked to ignore at the best of the times but something in his voice must've made him listen.

Holding a hand to his nose, he looked back at his attackers, which had spread apart to corner him.

"Please, let's try to talk about..this." He didn't even know what this was about.

"Did you propose that to those you chased too, Deviant Hunter?" The leader of the group spat.

Dread settled heavily between his biocomponents. This was about his time before deviating. He took the chance to step back from them, reaching the corner that lead to Hank's bedroom and bathroom.

"I regret what I did before breaking through my programmi-," another fist came his way and he dodged it easily. "Please!"

He didn't want to fight back. That would only give them proof that he had been build to search weaknesses and destroy. That he truly was the Deviant Hunter. Something he tried to distance himself from as much as possible.

There was already so much hurt androids experienced. Connor didn't want to add to that. Refused to do so.

All three of them jumped him then. Connor threw himself back where he collided with the wall next to the bathroom.

He still tried to escape, which caused one of them to punch the wall. The other two however finally got a hold of him and seized him up by his shirt, punching his face.

One. Two. Three times.

The third one especially strong as they let go of him. Connor stumbled into the bathroom, his vision full of static as he slipped on the wet tiles and fell backwards. His head hit the sink, breaking off a small part of it as he went down, Thirium pooling underneath him.

He still tried to get up but the three androids gathered around him and used their feet now. All he could do was curl up, whimpers and hitched pleads for them to stop occasionally leaving him, and hope that they would soon stop.

It felt like forever when they finally stopped and just left.

When Connor noticed that no one was assaulting him anymore, that he could hear the faint sound of a door closing, he slowly uncurled.

Errors filled his vision and it took him a few seconds to register that everything behind his static-y HUD was black. He couldn't see. He was hurt

He hurt.

He needed help.

A new warning informed him of a steady Thirium loss as he tried to call Hank.

Call "Hank"...pending….service not available

His thirium pump started to beat even faster at the error message. Connor recognized that he was panicking but couldn't stop it. He started to shake slightly as he thought if lying there and just bleeding out.

Hank would come home and call for him and where would he be? Bled out in the bathroom. This wouldn't do. No. No.

Putting strength in his arms, Connor meant to lift himself up but a blaring error message told him that he was losing Thirium too quickly. So he ceased moving and just lied there.

Call "Hank"...pending….service not available

"Hank," he suddenly called out, his voice slightly cracking. "Hank, please."

He knew it was useless and pathetic but he needed, wanted Hank to be there.

"Help!" Connor called out once more but only received silence. His shaking body and labored breath the only sound in the room.

Somebody, anybody, had to help him.

Call "Hank"...pending….service not available

Call "Markus"...pending….service not available

Call "Hank"...pending….service not available

Call "North"...pending….service not available

Call "Simon"...pending….service not available

Call "Kara"...pending….service not available

A sob, more like a garbled shout, ripped from his throat. He was utterly alone.

Once more he tried to pick himself up.

Navigating around the house wouldn't be a problem. He had the layout saved down to the tables and corners.

Behind a faint everlasting static-y sound that had to have been there all the time Connor heard the splashes of more liquid leaving him and falling on the tiles.

Without much strength left he let himself fall down again, his clothes soaking up the Thirium.

He sobbed once more before he could feel a faint, unreal click as he connected to someone. One call must've gone through. Someone was hearing him. He had to-

"Help...please help.."

"Connor? What's wrong? Where are you?"

That was Simon. God he had managed to call Simon.

"Please. I want Hank.." He was so scared he needed a moment. Facts. He needed to gather facts and tell Simon.

"Are you hurt? Talk to me." Simon's voice was calm but Connor could detect the underlying urgency in it. He was concerned.

"I'm losing Thirium and..no. Sumo stop." There was a low whine and a shuffling sound as Sumo lied down close to Connor. He clearly meant to cuddle up to Connor, no doubt offering comfort, but he would only get dirty and wet. Sumo wouldn't listen and Connor ended up with an arm draped over the giant dog, his face hidden in the fur somewhere.

"Simon I-" Connor stopped talking as he noticed that the connection to Simon was gone. Had Simon hung up? No. He wouldn't do that.

Call "Simon"...pending….service not available

Call "Simon"...pending….service not available

This time he couldn't keep himself from despairing. His sobs wracked his body as Sumo whined along.


The day wouldn't end for Hank. Ever since the whole Android uprising thing went down all they had to do was file things. Write reports.

Humans had returned to Detroit and found their things in disarray or gone. The police needed to catch up and use every resource available. Which meant Hank was stuck writing down petty crimes for now.

Fuck, he wished Connor could come back already. He could get this shit down in seconds.

Just as Hank resigned himself to another report did he receive a call on his mobile. The number looked weird. Kinda like when Connor called him.

"Anderson."

"Lieutenant. Simon here, it's-"

"Who?" He didn't know a Simon.

"The blond android from Jericho?"

"There are many blond androids in Jericho." Had he recently talked to one of them? How'd he get his number?

He could hear an exasperated sigh on the other end. "The blond android always trailing after Markus?"

Oh. He did know Simon. A friend of Connors. "Sorry yeah. What's up? Connor causing trouble?" Why else would Jericho call him?

"I received a call from Connor. He sounded distressed and in pain."

"What?!" Hank butted in but Simon continued on.

"I couldn't find out more since the connection between us got disturbed. He did however mention Sumo, the dog I believe?" Of course the dog. The kid wouldn't shut up about Sumo. Ever.

Standing up immediately, Hank left his desk and the station. "Yes that's my dog. God. Where they attacked at home?! I'll drive there immediately."

"Yes. We're already on our way as well. We brought some tools, should he require immediate repairing. See you in a bit."

With the call closed Hank could focus on driving. He made it to his house in record time. Working for the police did have its perks.

Markus and Simon already stood in front of it as he parked haphazardly in front of the garage. Getting out, he was immediately followed to the door. It was locked. Maybe there had been a break in through a window? But Connor wasn't easily overpowered.

"No on broke in," Markus started as Hank slowly unlocked the door. "And we couldn't see anything through the windows."

Weird. Slowly he opened the door and stepped in, the androids close behind him. It was silent in the house.

"Connor? Sumo?" Hank called out but didn't receive a reply. He took a few more steps when he heard the telltale shuffling of Sumo walking to greet him.

Only that Hank nearly had a heart attack. Sumo was covered in blue blood and anxiously trying to lead him away. "Shit..," he followed his dog the bathroom.

The sight there was even worse than Sumo covered in blue blood. The shit was everywhere and in the middle of it lied Connor. Eerily still.

"Connor!" Simon gasped behind him and Hank surged forward on his knees to gently roll Connor on his back. Markus and Simon joined them as well.

"Connor," Hank called with a weak voice and gently put a hand through the android's hair as he lifted him enough to place him against his legs. It clung to his artificial skin. The LED, albeit red, was still active. Which was a relief.

Again he called his name as Markus took hold of Connor's hand, their skin peeling back, to assess the damage.

Connor must've felt it because he suddenly opened his eyes.

"Hank?"

God he sounded so scared. "Yes. Yeah kid, yeah I'm here. Just..shit, what's wrong with his eyes?" They were all black with a milky white iris. That didn't look right.

"I can't see," Connor provided slowly, almost factual if it weren't for the underlying pain, his eyes searching or reading something only he could see.

"Several components got damaged when he fell against the sink," Markus provided. Had he deduced what had happened or seen it in Connor's memories? Hank didn't care.

Turning his attention back to Connor, Hank stared right at those unseeing eyes. It must be a nightmare for someone like Connor.

"I'm going to shut down," Connor provided in an even smaller voice.

Simon was faster to disagree as Hank started with "Bullshit-"

"You're not going to, we brought the necessary tools to keep you running long enough. After that we will get you somewhere to get repaired fully," Simon promised in a gentle voice, holding Connor's shoulder softly before pulling away.

Simon and Markus exchanged gazes before both of them nodded and got to work.

Hank kept silent through it all, mostly anyway. With the occasional "Jesus," and "Hang on, son," here and there.

Connor slipped into a low power mode at some point, forced by Markus who explained that Connor's stress levels had gone up too much for too long and it wouldn't benefit him to be awake during all of it.

But Hank kept talking soothingly to him, aware or nothing. Markus and Simon didn't comment on it.

"Done," Markus declared, his hands covered in blue blood up to the elbows. "We'll take him to New Jericho. There we can help him to a full recovery." Markus' voice was calm and Hank could only nod.

"Of course you're welcome to join us," Simon said before Hank could just state the fact that he was coming along.

He felt himself marginally relax, the tension in his shoulders staying where it was, as he let himself take everything else in then. "Shit just...what happened. Who did this?"

Connor was damaged to the point that he might shut off, Sumo was covered in blue blood as if he had cuddled with Connor and the bathroom was a mess. The sink broken. It must've hurt falling against it hard enough to break it.

Markus looked at Connor's hand as he took it again and their artificial skin peeled back. "I'm reluctant to just look myself and would rather wait for Connor to wake up but...this might be time sensitive."

"Do it," Hank commanded. He would deal with the fall out, should there be one, later.

And Markus did, his LED turning yellow for a few seconds before it returned to a calm blue. His gaze immediately went to Simon. "They were from Jericho," Markus explained and turned back to Hank. "We will deal with them. This is not acceptable."

At first he wanted to disagree, the need to tear those androids a new one too strong, but he knew Connor needed him now. There might not be a lasting damage to the kids' body but the emotional fallout was something else.

"Fine," Hank let his shoulders droop. "Let's get going then." He meant to pick up Connor but Markus murmured a soft "Allow me," and that was it.