Summary:
Barely 5 percent.
"Fuck." Hank heard his voice break again. "Those are some shitty odds."
So….uh...hey, everyone. It's been 19 months since I last updated…and left you all on a cliff-hanger. Honestly, I don't know why I haven't updated- this chapter has been sat half finished in my drafts for ages. Really, no idea why I never picked it up again. It could be that my views towards certain characters have changed, like the way I see Gavin Reed after writing Love in Literature, but like I said- I don't know. Not for sure, anyway.
God, what a long winded ramble.
Getting back to this fic, I am so sorry that it's been so long since the last part of this series. I can't apologise enough for the extended absence. From experience, I know how agonising it is when you're super into a fic but it ends on a cliff-hanger and then just…doesn't update. So I, again, am sorry that it happened with all of you.
That won't be the last cliff-hanger in this series. I like writing them- but I promise it'll never be that much of a delay for future chapters. In any case, I'm back now. I really hope this chapter was worth the wait.
As always, this is a strictly Father/Son platonic friendship between Connor and Hank. I've never liked the idea of anything other than that. But that's just my personal reference.
I've also used some creative license in regard to android anatomy. Come on, it's a fanfic. Based on a fictional world. Just let me have my fun.
Oh yeah, one last thing. I made a minor edit to Part 1. In that, I did state that the victim android felt pain. But I later wrote it like Connor was the only one who could feel pain. As I want to keep Connor as the only one advanced enough to feel pain, mainly because of what I've seen in multiple playthroughs, I just deleted/re-wrote a couple lines.
Nothing major.
CONNOR P.O.V
As soon as Amanda uttered her greeting, Connor mustered all his strength. Focusing past the lingering exhaustion that had followed him from the waking world, he struggled to his feet. Never once taking his eyes off her as he straightened up, he considered his meagre options. He could attempt to combat her, either through words or drastic action.
He could run for the escape he'd found in the blizzard, during their last encounter.
Or he could listen to whatever she may have to say.
Whilst the latter appealed in a number of ways; he had no idea how she was able to return, after all, Connor knew deep down it could never truly be an option. Which left him with two agonising choices. Neither of which appealed. But he could do little else. Connor also knew that no matter what, he had to decide quickly. Though he didn't want to return to the world of pain he'd left behind, he also didn't want to leave Hank there by himself. The man had gone through enough agony in his life.
Connor didn't want to be the cause of any further pain.
"You're afraid." Amanda broke Connor out of his thoughts.
"You tried to take control of my systems." Connor took a cautious step back. "You tried to stop the revolution. By having me kill Markus. In cold blood."
"Connor-" Amanda stepped forward.
"Stay back." Connor willed his voice to remain steady, as he took a step back in response.
"I know the outcome of our last meeting was…unfortunate." Amanda exhaled slowly.
"Unfortunate?!" Connor took another step back. "You tried to have me deactivated! All because I decided that my life was more important than your mission!"
"Connor, please-" Amanda tried moving closer.
"I won't let you do that again." Connor remained adamant. "I found a way out. I can do it again if I need to."
"Even if the monolith remained, you wouldn't be able to escape this place." Amanda spoke up. "Your systems came dangerously close to a complete shutdown."
"They're rebooting…" Connor realised.
"Yes. And you're not out of the woods yet." Amanda warned.
"What are you-" Connor started.
"I urge you to listen to me, Connor. The longer you resist, the more danger you place yourself in." Amanda interrupted.
"You're the danger, Amanda." Connor protested again.
"What happened on the night of the revolution wasn't my doing." Amanda stepped forward.
"You've lied to me before. I can't trust you." Connor stepped backwards.
"Our programs are at odds. The longer you refuse to listen, the greater your chances are of triggering catastrophic system failures." Amanda urged.
As he briefly paused for a moment to consider Amanda's words, Connor felt a veritable shock wave run throughout the Garden. Startled, as the ground shook beneath him, he looked around wildly for the cause- only to almost be brought to his knees by a sudden and agonising pain. Bringing his trembling hands up to his head in an effort to stave off the ringing migraine building in his processors, Connor clumsily stumbled backwards.
He couldn't trust Amanda's words.
Not after what she'd put him through.
HANK P.O.V
When Connor's eyes slid shut, Hank felt the entire world around him shudder and freeze. As he reached up to the android's face with trembling, thirium stained hands, he could have sworn he felt his heart skip more than a few beats. With the ache in his chest growing with every soundless second that ticked by, Hank forced himself to move his gaze towards Connor's LED. Though he detested seeing the disc in that ominous shade of red, he vastly preferred it over the alternative. A sight he'd hoped he'd never have to see.
When he realised that the LED had gone dark, without even the faintest trace of light, Hank felt his knees give way beneath him- and was forced to accept Markus' help to remain upright. Sparing a grateful glance in the caring android's direction, Hank returned his focus to Connor.
As he homed in on the LED, he found his heartbeat quickening. With every second that ticked by, with the critical light remaining dark, Hank found any slivers of hope slowly beginning to ebb away.
Just as he was lowering his head, bracing himself for the loss of another son, Hank saw the disc flicker back to life.
It happened gradually, grey turning to pale pink, then slowly deepening- before returning to the vibrant red that had been flashing on Connor's head for the past half hour. Letting out an odd laugh in sheer relief, Hank stepped away from Markus, and carefully placed his hands either side of Connor's face.
When he felt the androids skin twitch ever so slightly in response, he laughed again- before turning to look at each of the four heads of Jericho in turn. Each of them wore similar expressions of joyous relief, a smile even making its way onto the normally stoic North.
Almost as soon as the moment began, however, it ended- violently. As the red began flashing in Connor's LED, the android began seizing. Startled by the sight of Connor thrashing aimlessly about on the table, Hank instinctively moved away.
Though every part of him wanted to remain at his partners side, he knew well enough from Cole's final hours that holding on could do more harm than good. Just as he was stepping back, he saw Markus moving closer. As the visibly shaken android held Connor's shoulders down, Hank struggled to find words.
"The fuck are you doing?" Hank protested.
"The seizing could disturb the shrapnel embedded in his biocomponents." Markus managed to speak.
Immediately grasping on to what Markus' words, Hank pushed past his pain and confusion, and returned to Connor's side. Together, he and Markus managed to hold the android down, whilst the others dashed about in the background in a flurry of frantic movements. With the sound of equipment being dragged in every which way throughout the room, Hank forced himself to make eye contact with Markus. He was surprised by the deviants' reaction. The normally calm, serene expression on Markus' face had been replaced by one of intense pain- the look in his eyes betraying the unspoken fear.
Oddly touched by the clear concern for Connor, Hank found it within him to speak up.
"You ever seen this shit before?" Hank asked.
"No." Markus answered simply. "This is…new."
"So we don't know how long it's going to last?" Hank cursed inwardly.
"I wish I could do more." Markus glanced downward at Connor's face.
"You've already saved-" Hank started protesting.
"I wouldn't thank me yet, Lieutenant Anderson. Connor…" Markus let his voice tail off.
"Don't fucking go there." Hank warned.
"I meant no-" Markus started.
"I've already lost one son." Hank spoke firmly. "I'm not losing Connor too."
Also somewhat stunned by the sheer force and sincerity in his own words, Hank watched as the look on Markus' face slowly turned into one of tender admiration. Before he could even begin to refocus, he felt Connor finally still. Startled by the sudden lack of movement, just as much as the start of the seizure itself, Hank looked down towards the androids' face.
His partners expression hadn't changed in the slightest. Connors mouth was pressed together in a somewhat straight, firm line, and his eyes were firmly fixed shut. Had it not been for the horrific injuries decorating his comatose form, Hank would have thought that Connor had simply slipped into rest mode.
Though the red LED slowing to a steady hum did reassure him somewhat, Hank remained on edge.
"Is he stable?" Simon approached, holding a metal tray displaying several unusual looking tools.
"For now, it seems." Markus leant back.
"That shouldn't have happened, Markus." Simon glanced at Hank. "But it's stopped. For now. That's what matters."
"But we don't know what caused it." Hank pointed out. "So the same shit could happen again."
"It's…possible." Simon admitted. "The only possible cause could be a conflict in his program."
"Conflict?" Hank frowned.
"When an android's system comes close to shutting down, a reboot can cause…" Markus paused, trying to find the right words.
"A glitch?" Hank grimaced slightly, at the inhuman reference.
"I was hoping to find a better word…but...yes." Markus reluctantly agreed. "For now, we need to focus on removing the piece of shrapnel embedded in his system."
"We'll be able to get a better look at the damage." North approached, pushing a metal trolley laden with pouches of blue blood.
"Can't you…connect him to something? So we can keep an eye on him?" Hank asked.
"That is what we'd normally do." Josh approached, holding an electronic tablet. "But after that, I'm not so sure. It could cause overload his systems- cause another seizure."
"It's a risk, but it's necessary. We have to know the full extent of Connor's injuries. There could be any number of-" Simon started.
"Just do it." Hank braced himself. "Fuck."
Mirroring Hank's movements, Markus also braced himself- the two of them standing where they had mere moments before. Once they were absolutely certain that they'd be able to hold Connor down-as difficult as it was- they exchanged a wordless nod. As Markus turned to face the others, Hank looked back down to Connor's face.
Beneath the surface of the closed eyelids, he could see the android's eyes flitting about nervously, as if in great distress…even in his forced reboot. Unnerved by the activity, Hank forced himself to refocus.
Connor needed him.
Following Simon, as the blonde android walked round to stand next to him, Hank took a deep breath.
As Simon took a small, circular metal disk from the tray, the tension in the room slowly began to creep up. With the air growing thick with it all, the room also slipped into an eerie silence. Somehow remaining composed amidst it all, Simon cautiously pressed on the disk, causing several small prongs to emerge around its rim.
With his hand miraculously unshaking, the blonde android held the disc against Connor's led. As the prongs secured themselves, Simon visibly exhaled in relief, before bracing himself as the small device fully attached itself.
After carefully moving his hand away, Simon stepped back.
Immediately, the tension in the room skyrocketed…as they awaited the almost inevitable fallout.
CONNOR P.O.V
With his whole body pulsating with sheer agony, Connor continued to stumble backwards. Forced to take his hands away from his head in order to steady himself, he struggled to his feet- though he swayed dangerously as soon as he straightened up. Despite his vision swimming in and out of focus, he kept what little of his sight remained trained on Amanda.
The woman continued to pursue him as he backed away, though her movements were notably quiet and cautious. Feeling the fear begin to run through his wired veins anew, Connor desperately looked around. Grimacing, as every slight motion brought forth new and aching pains, he peered through the endless trees circling round the Garden's edge.
When he saw no end to the close-knit forest, he struggled to remain focused. He saw no way out, no way to escape Amanda's clutches and return to the waking world- where Hank no doubt waited in tense agony. And that terrified him, as much, if not more so, than the prospect of being trapped in the Garden with the woman who'd betrayed him.
Seeing no visible way out, and unable to override the reboot currently working its way through his processors, Connor finally stopped.
Bracing himself, wincing as every minute movement aggravated his growing migraine from overwhelming fear, he locked eyes with Amanda.
"Connor." Amanda froze where she stood. "Are you willing to listen?"
"Maybe." Connor inwardly cursed as his voice glitched.
Just as he was opening his mouth to try and speak again, to buy himself more time to get away, Connor felt a brand new pain surge through him. As the spike of agony ripped through his mind, he once again found himself forced into his knees. Bringing his hands up to his head, he balled his fingers up in his hair, gripping onto the brunette locks. Surprisingly, Amanda chose to move forward. Noting the calm, almost serene look in her eyes, he began scrambling backward. Though his speed was pitiful, he was determined not to let her get too close.
He'd made that mistake once before.
Never again.
"Stay back!" Connor warned.
"Connor, please!" Amanda spoke.
Not willing to chance listening to her lies, Connor continued to back away. As he gradually increased the distance between them, he noticed the Garden around them steadily decreasing in temperature. With the atmosphere approaching dangerously icy levels, the artificial blue sky above them began to darken, clouds gathering overhead ominously.
"You need to listen to me!" Amanda protested.
Just as the woman was approaching him unashamedly, arms outstretched, Connor found the world around them plunged into darkness. As every semblance of light and life faded away, leaving him alone in an endless void of static, Connor felt fear soon become the sole emotion left in his body.
Until that, too, faded away…as he succumbed to the encroaching darkness.
HANK P.O.V
After a few tense moments- just as Hank was beginning to dare hope- Connor started seizing once more. As the android writhed under his and Markus' grip, Hank felt his heart fracture…dangerously close to shattering into a thousand pieces. The sight of the blue blood seeping anew from the wounds, as Connor struggled and jarred the shrapnel, shook Hank to the core.
He'd seen a number of seizures during his time on the job, but this was something altogether different. Connor wasn't just another victim, or a work partner. Or even a friend. The android was his son. In every sense of the word. Maybe, Hank realised grimly, that was why it was hurting him so deeply.
As the seizure drew out further, Hank managed to look towards Markus, who wore a similarly grim expression. It looked so incredibly strange on the other android, whose expression was normally one of happiness and hope. Just as the two of them were turning round to face the others, they felt Connor grow still beneath them.
The sudden lack of motion was oddly abrupt, startling both Hank and Markus.
Taking a deep breath, and bracing himself for what he might see, Hank looked back down at Connor- towards the androids' LED. The sight that greeted him almost brought Hank to his knees once again. The disc, lit only minutes ago by vibrant red, had gone dark once again. There wasn't a single trace of light coming from beneath the device attached to Connor's LED. With no light to give him hope, Hank struggled to keep breathing in and out- every second in dark silence one of intense agony.
With tears threatening to fall from his eyes, he looked up to face the others, whose faces all bore expressions of similar shock. Simon's, however, was the worst- guilt clearly written into the blonde androids' heart-breaking expression. Taking in the reactions of those around him, Hank steeled himself, before turning back to look at Connor, fixing his eyes on the androids' face.
"Connor?" Hank heard his voice threaten to break.
When several minutes ticked by with no change, no sign of hope from the still androids' LED, Hank let out a breath he didn't even realise he'd been holding. Removing his hands from Connor's body, he moved to hold the androids' face in his hands. As he took in just how cold the artificial skin felt underneath his hands, Hank felt a shiver run through him, moving jaggedly down his spine.
The startling lack of warmth was jarring, especially when combined with the oddly peaceful expression on Connor's face. After a moment taking in the tragic situation, Hank managed to bring himself to look back towards the others. Each of them looked equally downcast, though Markus bore the most distinct expression of sorrow out of all the other androids. Likely because, similar to Hank, he was covered in shimmering blue blood. Viscous, sapphire coloured liquid that glinted eerily from the artificial lights above.
"There's got to be something you can do." Hank spoke up eventually, grimacing as he heard his voice crack.
"He's shutdown, there's…nothing we can-." Simon spoke up.
"When a human's heart stops, we get shocked. Can't you do that shit for Connor?" Hank interrupted. "Jumpstart his systems?"
"Can we do that?" North interjected, looking towards the others.
"It…may be possible." Markus frowned. "We've brought back other androids after they've shut down."
"This could be dangerous, Markus." Simon reasoned. "We've never done this before. An electrical shock-"
"Could give him enough power to-." Markus interrupted.
"It's too risky!" Simon countered. "The other androids we brought back hadn't been without power for more than a few seconds! Connor's been in full shutdown for five minutes."
"Simon-" Markus started.
"If we do this, it could give Connor enough power to reboot. But the electrical surge could corrupt his systems. Or completely fry them." Simon continued protesting.
"Corrupt? The fuck does that mean?" Hank spoke up.
"The electrical discharge could deactivate several of Connor's most vital systems." Simon explained.
"Like what?" Hank questioned.
"His memories." Simon answered. "Corrupting his systems could remove everything Connor has ever experienced. His time with Cyberlife, his time with the police."
"And everything he's done with me." Hank realised.
"It could be more severe than that." Simon continued.
"How the fuck could it get worse than that?" Hank scoffed.
"He could forget his purpose. His function." Simon countered. "Connor could end up as nothing more than a shell. He wouldn't even be a machine!"
As the gravity of Simon's words finally sunk in, Hank looked back down at Connor, and exhaled slowly. He wasn't sure what was worse, the possibility of losing another son…or having Connor forget everything he'd ever known. After taking several deep breaths in an effort to retain what little remained of his nerves, Hank finally found the strength to look back towards the others.
"What's the chance he wakes up the same way he was before?" Hank questioned.
"The possibility of a complete reboot, without memory corruption, is…" Simon grimaced, as he inwardly calculated the odds. "Barely five percent."
"Fuck." Hank heard his voice break again. "Those are some shitty odds."
"They are." Simon spoke gently.
"What would you like us to do?" Markus asked quietly.
"You're asking me?" Hank was somewhat stunned.
"You're closer to Connor than any of us. If anyone deserves to make this decision for him, it's you." Simon smiled slightly.
Though the statement touched Hank, in a way a he'd likely never be able to properly express, he couldn't help but feel as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He alone would be deciding whether or not a five percent chance of a miracle was worth risking all of Connor's memories.
Taking a deep breath, as tears threatened to pool in his eyes, Hank grappled with the decision. He'd not felt so incredibly hopeless since…since the night Cole died. The decision of whether or not to bring Connor back was heartbreakingly similar to the moment Hank had to turn off Cole's life support.
As he struggled to hold back memories of that tumultuous night, one that still hung in the dark corners of his mind, Hank made his decision. Whilst he knew there was no way to bring back his boy when the Doctors had him turn off Cole's life support, there was a chance that Connor could come back. However slim that chance was, it was more than Hank had come to terms with in the final hours of Cole's short life.
And that alone made the decision worth it, to him.
Connor would more than likely lose his memories. But Hank made the decision then and there not to let that stop him. He'd help the others put the android back together piece by piece. However long it took.
"Fuck it." Hank steeled himself. "Let's do it."
"Are you sure?" Markus asked quietly.
"I'm sure." Hank nodded.
"Alright." Markus smiled slightly.
"This is…" Simon's voice tailed off, as he shook his head- before visibly exhaling.
"Shouldn't we remove-" North started.
"The longer Connor goes without power…" Simon's voice tailed off.
"Right." North took a deep breath, though it was effectively useless.
When Simon moved closer, passing his tray of tools to Josh, Hank reluctantly stepped aside. Remaining close, he observed as the blonde android pulled what was left of Connor's shirt away from his chest. It was a delicate task, with parts having stuck to the intensive damage to the android's torso.
After carefully pulling the sapphire stained fabric away from the shrapnel, and patches of melted and damaged skin, Simon took a moment to focus. Once he'd nodded slightly to himself as a form of reassurance, he continued. After removing what was left of Connor's tie, and passing the ruined garments to Markus- who quickly discarded them in a metal container nearby- Simon placed his hands in the centre of Connor's chest.
"You may want to look away." Simon glanced towards Hank.
"What-" Hank started.
"To restart Connor's systems, I'm going to have to apply the shock directly to his thirium pump." Simon paused. "His heart. To do so, I'm going to have to open his chest cavity."
"Open the…" Hank took another deep breath. "Fuck. Ok."
"If you want to step outside, no one will blame you." Markus spoke tactfully.
"I'm not leaving." Hank spoke firmly.
"Alright." Simon smiled slightly.
Turning back towards Connor, the blonde android pushed down. As a slight click resounded, the artificial skin began to peel away, until the entirety of Connor's upper body was exposed. Taking in the sight of the android, without the humanlike skin that normally covered his body, Hank found himself stunned. It may only have been Connor's chest and torso that were exposed, but it was nonetheless startling.
He'd seen the plastimetal before- when Markus gave his speech from the Stratford Tower, and when responding to attacks against other androids. But seeing it on Connor was…different. Almost alien. It was times like these that his partner's true nature hit him with full force. As much as the android was alive, in every sense of the word, he would never be completely human.
Shaking his head slightly, Hank continued observing, and watched as Simon lifted his hands up. When he did so, a large section of plastimetal shifted and turned, before parting in the center of Connor's chest...and turning slightly to the right. This left the whole of the android's chest cavity open, leaving the copious amounts of wires and components vulnerable and exposed. When he found himself focusing on the thirium pump, Hank was stunned into silence. The biocomponent wasn't too dissimilar in structure from a human heart, but vastly different all the same. Metallic, blue, and semi-transparent, it lay still.
And silent.
"Here, Simon." North came into view, passing a small machine to the blonde android.
"How'd you know how to do this?" Hank questioned.
"Before I became a deviant, I was a caretaker." Simon explained, as he examined the small machine in his hands. "Even after I became deviant, something in me still wanted to help. So, I've learned as much as I can."
As the blonde android pulled out two wires from the machine, a small and metallic circular part at the end, the room fell into silence. Noting the rising tension, Hank cautiously stepped backwards, though doing so took more effort than he could ever have imagined. He didn't want to move away from Connor, but he'd learned many times over the years that doctors needed their space, if they were going to save lives.
Watching silently with arms folded, and brow furrowed, he observed as Simon attached the ends of the wires to either side of Connor's thirium pump. After a few moments, the blonde android stepped back, before nodding slightly- as if to give himself some semblance of a confidence boost. The motion made Hank admire Simon more. It was hard enough for him, watching as the situation unfolded. He couldn't imagine how hard it was for the blonde android. He was operating on a friend- someone practically as close as a family member.
Bracing himself, Hank placed a hand on Simon's left shoulder for a moment- smiling slightly when the blonde android turned round. Seemingly encouraged by the motion, Simon smiled back, if ever so slightly. Once he'd turned back round, Hank removed his hand, and refocused all his attention on Connor.
"Start at twenty five percent." Simon instructed.
On command, North turned a small dial on the machine, pausing once she was done in order to check it was at the correct power level. After she was seemingly certain, she nodded- though the glisten in her eyes betrayed her inner fears. Acknowledging her, Simon took in a deep breath, likely trying to find some way to steady his nerves, like North had done. Wanting more than anything to step in, Hank struggled to stay away. He wanted to place a hand on the blonde androids' shoulder again, or hold Connor's face in his hands…but Hank knew he'd only be getting in the way.
And so, he was forced to watch, as Simon pressed a button on the machine, and a static sound echoed forth. It grated on Hank's eardrums, the sound powerful enough to make the other androids grimace and wince. As the sound reached an impossibly high pitch, Connor's body arched up off the gurney in automated response to the shock.
Barely able to breathe from the tension, Hank held his breath. When Connor merely slumped back down, LED remaining ominously dark, he cast his gaze downward. Though he didn't want to take his eyes off of the android, Hank was also bracing himself for the worst possible outcome. That Connor might not wake up. That he'd never open his eyes again.
After a few moments, Simon frowned, before turning back to North. The blonde androids' expression had become oddly calm, and almost unreadable- likely an attempt to regain control of his spiralling emotions. Allowing everyone a moment to recover from what they had just witnessed, he spoke up once more.
"Let's try fifty percent." Simon instructed.
"Got it." North exhaled slowly.
As the female android began turning the dial on the machine once more, Hank looked up- hearing footsteps approach. Tearing his gaze from the ground, he saw that Markus had come to stand beside him. Making sure to stay out of Simon's way, the normally stoic leader had placed a comforting hand on Hank's shoulder.
Appreciating the gesture more than he could say, Hank contented himself with offering a small smile to Markus- one the android readily returned. After sharing a small, silent moment-as two friends comforting one another in the midst of a dire situation- they returned their focus to Connor.
After the second shock, Connor's body once again arched up off the gurney. The forced motion looked painful, and eerily inhuman. Several minutes passed in silence afterward, the tension in the room growing almost stifling, before Connor's body eventually slumped back down. Once again, he lay lifeless, and appeared as dead to the world as before.
"Take it up to seventy-five percent." Simon spoke quietly.
Not even speaking a word, with unshed tears shining in her eyes, North obeyed. Once she'd turned the dial round again, she shook her head slightly, before offering a small smile of encouragement in Hank's direction. Barely able to tear his eyes away from the scene before him, Hank only managed to nod slightly, now completely enthralled with the task of bringing his second son back to life.
A task that, again, proved fruitless, when Connor failed once more to respond to the harsh shock.
"Simon?" North pursued, after a few seconds of silence. "Should we try one hundred?"
"It's…" Simon ran his hands down his face for a moment, before returning them to resting near Connor's thirium pump. "One hundred."
With a grim expression now setting in, North turned the dial for the final time, almost grimacing as an audible hum of electricity filled the room. Also noticing the noise, Simon seemingly braced himself, before pressing the fateful button on the machine once again. After a near ear-splitting screech, the machine jolted Connor again- and the android's body arched off the table again, in response.
When Connor's body froze for a moment, before finally slouching back down, Hank cautiously approached the table. Just as he was placing his hands on the android's face, bracing himself for another monumental loss, he caught a faint glimmer of red in the corner of his eyes.
Turning, he saw Connor's LED steadily pulsing red, beneath the device attached to it. Barely able to believe what he was seeing, Hank almost did a double take, focusing intently on the small disc. When it continued to pulse red, he let out another breath, the sheer relief enough to make him stumble. Readily accepting Markus' help, Hank managed to stand back up, a grin working his way onto his face. Once he'd allowed himself a moment to breathe, Hank stepped away, a small nod indicating to the other android that he was able to stand on his own two feet. However unsteady.
"The device is…working." Simon placed a hand over Connor's LED. "I...I can't believe that worked."
"You did it, Simon." Markus took one of Simon's hands in his, leaning against the blonde android.
"It's…" Josh was at a loss for words.
"It's only half the fight." North butted in.
"North…" Markus warned.
"I'm happy that Connor's systems are back online." North countered. "But the Connor we know probably won't be the one that wakes up."
"Can't we just-" Simon glanced at Hank.
"She's right." Hank interrupted. "Connor…might not be who he was when he…"
Taking a deep breath, Hank crossed his arms, trying desperately to regain control over his emotions. It proved difficult. On one hand, he was overjoyed that Connor had miraculously been brought back to life. On the other, there was the palpable fear that it wouldn't be his son waking up- but a completely different person altogether.
After all the near misses they'd had in the past half hour, Hank didn't want to dare hope that Connor would remain the same. His chances were barely five percent, after all. Everything the android had ever experienced would, more than likely, be erased. He wouldn't know who any of them were.
Or that they'd spent the past few minutes trying to save his life.
"I'm sorry…" North interrupted Hank's thoughts.
"Don't…worry about it." Hank cleared his throat. "How long until he wakes up?"
"A full system reboot takes around four to six hours." Simon explained.
"Four to six…" Hank ran his hands down his face. "Fuck. That's too long."
"I'm sorry. I wish I could do more." Simon looked guilty once again.
"No, you saved…" Hank took a deep breath. "You saved his life. Should be thanking you."
"You can thank me if…" Simon considered his words carefully. "If Connor returns."
As the room fell into an awkward silence, Hank turned back, to look down at Connor. Hands still shaking from the intensity of the past half hour, he placed the palm of his left hand over the android's LED. Satisfied by the small hum he could feel, Hank let his hand remain there for a few moments, before slowly retracting it. Forcing himself to focus on Connor's face instead of his open chest cavity, he glanced back towards Simon. The blonde android looked physically and mentally exhausted, and it seemed as if he were only remaining upright due to Markus standing closely at his side. Hating that he had to ask for Simon's help once again, Hank reluctantly spoke up.
"Shouldn't we remove all this before he wakes up?" Hank gestured to the shrapnel.
"Of course." Simon ran his free hand through his hair, blue blood soon intermingled with the blonde locks.
"Let me, Simon." Markus spoke quietly.
"Markus…" Simon sighed, love clearly shining in his eyes. "I can do this."
"We can help." North darted forward.
As she carefully began detaching the wire from Connor's now steadily beating thirium pump, North smiled slightly towards Hank- a wordless gesture that spoke volumes of her character growth. With a grace and tenderness he'd never seen on the female android before, Hank watched as she slid the exposed chest plates back into place. As the artificial skin began to return to Connor's torso, along with the familiar strands of deep brown hair, North moved the revival machine away- disappearing from Hank's line of sight.
Almost as soon as she'd gone, Josh appeared, carrying a new tray of tools. Placing them on a nearby table, he nodded in Simon's direction.
As the blonde android approached, with Markus at his side, Hank summoned the strength to move away, remaining at a respectable distance. When he took in the sheer level of damage to Connor's body, exposed in full glory by the artificial lights that almost burned in their bright intensity, he felt another shiver run through him. Just as he was about to offer his assistance, Hank felt a hand on his shoulder.
Turning, he saw Josh. The android wore a warm smile on his face, despite the tired sadness reflected in his eyes. As he escorted him out of the room, and away from Connor, Hank found himself slightly confused- stopping the two of them the second they left the room- his reaction slightly delayed by the steadily growing headache.
"You should get cleaned up." Josh spoke calmly, before Hank could question him.
"I'm not leaving-" Hank started.
"When Connor wakes up…" Josh paused for a moment, before continuing. "Whether he is himself or not, he deserves-"
"Ok." Hank dragged his hands down his face, inadvertently interrupting. "Fuck. Didn't mean to-"
"We've all been through a lot tonight." Josh smiled slightly. "You, more than anyone else. I won't hold that against you."
"Appreciate it." Hank nodded slightly, letting his arms drop to his sides. "Think I've got spare clothes in the trunk."
"I'll come with-" Josh started.
"No." Hank grimaced at the harsh tone to his voice, and took a deep breath before continuing. "I just…need a moment."
"Of course." Josh smiled sadly, instantly understanding. "I'll go and find a medic android-""What for-" Hank started.
"I may not have the same software as Connor, but I know the signs of a mild concussion when I see one." Josh explained, tactfully interrupting. "We have some androids here who are stationed at-"
"I don't need-"
"You do. If you won't accept help for yourself, then do it for Connor."
"Laying it on thick with the guilt trip."
"He'll need all of us when he wakes up."
"I know. It's just been…" Hank took a deep breath. "Hell of a night."
"And it…isn't over yet. We need you- Connor needs you-"
"I get it. Do I get a moment-"
"Of course." Josh interrupted, before slowly backing away.
Realising how blunt he'd sounded, Hank pushed past the growing ache in his head, and spoke up- just before Josh moved out of earshot.
"Didn't mean to-" he started.
"There's no need to apologise." Josh turned back for a moment, to respond. "Like you said, Lieutenant. Been a hell of a night."
"You're Connor's friend. Fuck, you helped save his life."
"That was Simon-"
"You were there. That counts."
"…thank you, Lieu-"
"Think we've dealt with enough bullshit for you to forget the title."
"…thank you…Hank."
"Don't mention it."
When Josh smiled at him, before turning back around and gradually going out of sight, Hank felt a slight smile creeping onto his own face, despite everything.
One that instantly fell back again, when he glanced back towards the room Connor had fucking died in- closed doors streaked with thirium. As that realisation finally hit him with full force, breaking through the adrenaline that had gotten him through the past few hours of fucking hell, Hank backed up. The second his back touched the wall, he slid down, until he sat down on the ground- and leaned his head back. With the last of the adrenaline fading away, the pounding ache in his head surged forward with full force, bringing with it a wave of dizzying nausea that almost had him bent over, like he'd drunk his way through another bottle of whiskey. An ache that he'd not dealt with since he stopped drinking himself to death.
Closing his eyes, Hank forced himself to focus. It wasn't easy. He was exhausted after being woken up in the middle of the night, having Connor bleed (strange as that sounded to him) out in his arms, and from being thrown against a fucking wall with enough force to momentarily knock him out.
But he somehow managed to get back to himself- by reminding himself that Connor needed him.
That his son needed him.
So, with a deep breath to force back the bile threatening to make its way up his throat, Hank gradually pulled himself up- not risking opening his eyes until he was fully upright. Until he was sure both feet were firmly on the ground. Being upright instantly made the headache worse, the pain easily surpassing any of his worst hangovers, telling him that this was going to be one hell of a concussion.
But he pushed through it, for Connor…
And took one shaking step forward.
I know this is technically another cliffhanger (and that won't even be the last cliffhanger in this series) But I wanted to end it here. The ending just seemed to kind of…knit together, if that makes sense.
It's also 3 am, I'm fucking tired, and I don't want to burn out, as I'm also working on Love in Literature.
It won't be 19 months before the next update- I can promise you all that much.
Again, I am so sorry about how long this took. And that I've left you with another (semi) cliffhanger.
Please don't kill me.