On the first year anniversary of the successful android Revolution the city found itself in wrapped up in an emotional tension as bigoted humans attempted to protest the peaceful march of the freed deviants through Hart Plaza. What started off as a few insults being thrown and a few people being shoved around quickly turned into shouting matches and full fist fights. It didn't take long for weapons to be brought into the chaos and for blood, both red and blue, to stain the streets as bodies began falling to ground one by one.

During the fight numerous police officers were called to the scene, including Connor and Hank, and the two detectives were caught in the heart of the violence stemming from misplaced hatred, anger and fear. The enraged parties refused to give up the fight and refused to back down, even at the threat of being arrested for their crimes, and spending months in jail.

"Get down, NOW." Hank ordered as he pulled his gun on the crowd and threatened to fire. "I don't want to use excessive force!"

Connor firmly planted himself behind Hank with his back to his to ensure no one could try to attack him from behind. Rapidly scanning over the crowd Connor noted a group of particularly hostile humans brandishing knives and guns, and made sure to keep track of their every movement as he tried to maintain a sense of distance between himself and the hostile group.

"Everyone down!" Hank shouted again as he tried to get the fighting to stop, just as the S.W.A.T. team arrived to take control. "This is your FINAL warning!"

"The S.W.A.T. team has arrived." Connor stated in a somewhat calm voice as he monitored police broadcasts and the riot itself. "It'd be best to-"

A man brandishing a handgun emerged from the crowd and pointed the barrel at the side of Hank's head.

"Hank!?" Connor reacted quickly and took a step back and turned on his heel to grab Hank's shoulders and push him down to the ground of harm's way.

"What the fuck?!"

Before the two detectives hit the ground a gunshot rang out over the plaza causing many people to scream and run away in a panic. In that moment of Hank landing on his chest on the ground a searing hot pain burned through Connor's upper back and his chest, settling down in a dangerously close proximity to his Thirium pump; his heart.

As Connor let out a gasp of pain his body went completely limp as blue blood soaked through his shirt over his back and chest. Unable to get up or move an inch all Connor could go was struggle to breathe while Hank carefully moved out from under the deviant's heavy body.

"Connor, what the hell was-" Turning a little onto his hip Hank saw the blue blood all over Connor and his reaction shifted from confusion to fear. "Oh, shit!" Carefully Hank wrapped his arms around Connor's upper body and rolled the deviant so he was laying on his back and partially over Hank's lap as he knelt on the ground. Holding onto Connor and pressing his hand against the deviant's injured back to stem the bleeding as best as he could. "Hey, eyes on me, okay? You're going to be fine, Connor."

With his L.E.D. pulsing a slow red in his right temple Connor blinked up at Hank with a sluggish demeanor as he reflexively swallowed once to remove the blue blood collecting in the back of his mouth. "...Are you... hurt?"

"No, I'm good, kid. You saved my life, son." The S.W.A.T. team swarmed the plaza and honed in on the gunman for arrest. Ignoring the other people around him Hank focused on Connor and tried to ignore the torrent of blood oozing from around his hand and onto the ground beneath Connor's limp body. Pressing his other hand down over the center of Connor's chest Hank monitored the deviant's thundering heartbeat carefully. "You're going to be alright, and I'm going to get you to a facility, okay?"

"...No need. I'm... shutting down."

"NO!" The outburst was unexpected but one Hank could easily calm himself down from in order to keep Connor calm. "No... You're going to be okay."

"...Hank, my... my spinal support column... has been shattered. The bullet... is lodged in my... heart." Closing his eyes for a moment Connor acknowledged the warning and his shutdown timer before he dared himself to look Hank in the eyes once again. "I cannot... heal. ...Not this time."

"Hey, you already survived a knife to the heart, so what's one little bullet compared to that?"

Forcing himself to smile despite the pain and blood loss Connor found the strength to lift up his hand just enough to rest it over top of Hank's hand as the senior detective kept his palm pressed down over his bleeding chest. "...Thank you."

"...For what, son?"

"For being here... with me. For not letting me... die alone." Wincing in pain his L.E.D. rapidly blinked red as the light began to dim. "...For being... my friend."

"Shh..." Pulling Connor in a little closer Hank felt Connor's heartbeat beginning to slow and weaken with each passing second. It wasn't the first time Hank held a family member in arms as their life slipped away. It felt hauntingly familiar and his welling tears reflected his inner turmoil. "...It's okay."

"...It doesn't... hurt." A shuddering breath made his chest rattle for a moment as he fought to keep speaking in a weak whisper. "I'm not... scared."

"That's good." Forcing back his welling up tears Hank gave Connor a proud smile and nodded his head once. "You're the most fearless person I've ever met. You also made me proud to call you my partner, my friend... my family."

"...You're my... best friend. You... You gave me a home... and a purpose in life. I'm..." Struggling to speak as blood dripped from his mouth Connor took a moment to breathe, and could feel his strength ebbing away even as Hank held onto him as tightly as possible. "I'm glad I met you."

"Same, kid. You made my life a hell of a lot more interesting." Ignoring the sensation of Connor's heart slowing under his hand Hank had to fight to keep his voice from breaking. "Fuck, you even got me sobered up! Just... Just do me one favor. That's all I ask..."

Connor nodded a little as his eyes began to glaze over and his L.E.D. fluctuated between a pale red and a dense gray. "...Name it."

"When you get to the other side..." Letting out a calming breath Hank kept his voice level as he spoke to Connor for the final time. "Find Cole for me and be his big brother until I find you both when I get over there, okay? He always wanted a brother."

Keeping the smile on his face Connor's eyes slipped shut and his head slowly lolled to the side. "...I promise. We'll be together... w-waiting..."

The heartbeat under Hank's palm slowed more and more until it beat no more. Connor's breathing ceased and the L.E.D. stayed dark.

"...Connor?" Bending his ear down toward Connor's chest Hank heard nothing and he knew his partner, his best friend, had just passed away in his arms. Finally allowing his tears to fall Hank wrapped his arms around Connor's body and pulled him up to hug his bloody body against his chest. Holding onto Connor despite the chaos all around him Hank let his tears roll down his face and disappear into Connor's locks of unruly hair. "...Goodbye, son."

Four days passed and the lingering damage of the riot had been cleaned from the plaza, and the blood washed from the streets. The dead had been claimed and their final rights had been addressed. The funeral for Connor was one of the highest respect and honor, and one that wouldn't be forgotten. Any officer who gave up their life in the line of duty was always held with the highest of respect and regard, and with Connor being the first android detective his death also marked a page in the history books. The entire precinct showed up for the funeral, even Gavin, and paid their respects to the fallen detective.

All of New Jericho had also arrived and made sure to pay their long overdue respects toward Connor, no longer seeing him as the infamous 'Deviant Hunter', but seeing him as their ally. Markus felt as though he needed to keep his distance as he failed to protect his people during the riot, and Lucas couldn't bring himself to stand among the humans or sit with the mourners as his face and very presence made him feel like a ghost walking around his own brother's funeral.

The testimony of dozens of deviants had help solidified that the shooter who had killed Connor would remain imprisoned indefinitely, and would never set foot outside of a prison as a free man; or alive. Despite the man's arrest and heavy sentence it didn't feel like the punishment was enough, and neither the friends or family felt as though justice was truly achieved.

Unable to look Lucas in the eyes or bring himself to speak to anyone Hank sat quietly in the front row of the seats set out for the gathered mourners at the cemetery, a cemetery designated for androids only, and remained emotionally blank and cold. Ignoring the words of the people around him, ignoring the expected sympathy aimed in his direction for the loss of his partner, all Hank could think about was going back to the house, getting drunk and playing a game of 'Russian Roulette'.

Only the sound of the twenty-one gun salute managed to snap Hank out of his thoughts. Watching as the sleek, black CyberLife designed coffin with an American flag draped over it was lowered into the fresh grave with Connor's body tucked away safely inside of it Hank felt a piece of himself break away. Hank swore he'd never watch another partner get buried, let alone another member of his family.

Grief shifted to guilt, and with that guilt came the urge to drink and play a game of Russian Roulette.

"Hank," Captain Fowler sat down beside Hank and addressed the Lieutenant in a low voice. Even from the distance the seasoned captain could see that the detective was in pain and not in a good place emotionally or mentally. "what're you thinking about right now?"

"...It happened again."

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to Connor."

"Yes I can. I was there with him and the only reason he got shot is because he protected me."

"He would've done the same for any officer. Don't think your presence was the sole reason what happened had happened."

Shaking his head a little Hank closed his eyes and let out a weary sigh.

"Why aren't you sitting with Lucas? He is Connor's brother, after all."

"He's better off keeping his distance from me."

"Why's that?"

"Because I lost another son. I don't want to see him get killed because of me, too."

"No, you had your son taken from you by an idiot with too much anger and a gun."

"I should've been able to save him. That's twice I've failed as a father figure, I deserve to be alone."

"That's not true. Human or android, no one can walk off a bullet in the heart, Hank. Not even someone as stubborn and resilient as Connor."

"It should've been me. I'm old. I'm angry. I'm... I'm tired of living. Connor had a real zest for life and wanted to live. I don't."

"Maybe you should stay with me for a few days. You shouldn't be alone right now."

"Jeffrey, I deserve to be alone."

"No, you don't."

"Everyone I let myself gets close to fuckin' dies... Keep away if you want to live."

"Hank, don't-"

"Go. Just leave me the fuck alone, alright?"

"...Okay." Relenting out of a long-term friendship with Hank and knowing when to back off, Captain Fowler rose from his seat beside Hank and approached the fresh grave to give Connor one last salute of respect before taking his leave. Turning to look back at Hank over his shoulder one last time Captain Fowler gave Hank an interesting thought to mull over. "Your son gave his life to save yours. Don't do anything to make his sacrifice a waste."

With a heavy heart Hank watched as the flag over the coffin was picked up and properly folded before being handed over to Hank as he had been listed as the primary family in the deviant's personnel file. As he accepted the flag Hank just stared at the object and wanted to do nothing more than pull his service weapon from his holster and press the barrel to his temple.

One squeeze of the trigger would be enough to end his pain and free him of his guilt.

"...The house just won't be the same without you, son." Holding onto the flag Hank bowed his head and allowed his tears to flow once more. "Nothing is going to be the same without you."

As hard as it was to do Hank had managed to return to the house and shower off the funeral before he put the flag down in a wooden box, and placed it in his bedroom closet on a shelf. the flag was out of sight, out of mind. Next to the box was an untouched bottle of 'Black Lamb' brand whiskey, and as soon as it was remembered it was clutched in Hank's shaking hand.

"Forgive me, Connor." Pressing the cool glass of the bottle to his forehead Hank closed his eyes in shame and closed the closet door. "I need this right now."

There was only one thing on Hank's mind, and now there was nowhere around to stop him.

"Hey, Sumo." Acknowledging the oversized dog laying over the couch Hank walked into the livingroom and knelt on the floor in front of the stereo system. Moving aside a section of loose floorboards Hank peered down into the secret compartment and pulled out a metal storage box hidden inside. "...Never thought I'd see this again."

Flipping open the box Hank sighed as he picked up the revolver that he hadn't toyed with since the night Connor broke into his house before the Revolution. Opening the chamber of the revolver Hank peered down at the single bullet still left behind, gave it a quick spin and closed the chamber again.

"...Be a good dog, okay, Sumo?"

The massive dog whimpered once as he sensed Hank's distress and watched as the human walked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table with the bottle of whiskey in one hand and the revolver in the other.

"Fuckin' hell..."

Opening his bottle of whiskey Hank took a deep swig of the tea colored drink, and let out a breath that now reeked of alcohol as he tightly held the revolver in his right hand. Pressing the cold, metal barrel to his right temple Hank closed his eyes, used his thumb to pull back the hammer, and wrapped his finger around the trigger.

"I can't stand waiting anymore." Closing his eyes Hank took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "See you soon, sons."

As his finger began pressing down on the trigger a knock at the front door made his blue eyes snap open, and Sumo barked excitedly as his tail wagged.

"Fucking... Go away, Jeffrey!"

The knocking continued and Hank angrily got up from the table, marched through the livingroom and yanked open the front door with every intention of screaming in the face of whoever had intruded in on his private moment.

"I said-" His eyes went wide and his hand suddenly lost his grip on the gun as he began to shake. As the fun fell from his hand and onto the floor in a loud clatter Hank just stared at his visitor and struggled to utter a single word. "...C-Connor?"

"Hello, Hank." Connor was standing outside the door looking perfectly normal; his uniform was perfectly pressed, his hair was styled, his L.E.D. was pulsing in a calm blue color, and he had a faint grin on his face. "I'm... I'm back."

"H-How did... But I saw you... I felt you... You're supposed to be dead!"

"You're right, I am." Motioning to the serial number on his jacket Connor sighed and his soulful brown eyes began to water a little. "...Fortunately there was one RK-800 model left at New Jericho to be salvaged. My memories were successfully copied and a back-up file of my personality had been stored at New Jericho Tower in this such an event. It took some time but Markus and Lucas located the file and uploaded it into this model allowing me to return to full function."

"...What do you mean by 'this model'?" Hank eyed the jacket suspiciously and read over the serial number in his mind: 313 248 317 - 52. "...Fifty-two?"

"New body, but I'm still me." The resurrected deviant confirmed as he waited for Hank to respond. "I'm still Connor."

"...You came back from the dead?"

"In a sense, yes."

"And you came... here?"

"...We're family. Right?" Connor was on the verge of tears as his emotional resolve began to break down. "...This is where I feel like I... belong."

Reaching out his shaking hands Hank grabbed onto Connor's shoulders and pulled the deviant inside the doorway and wrapped his arms around Connor in a tight hug. Holding onto the deviant for dear life Hank didn't dare let Connor go as he whispered his answer. "...Yeah. We're family. You belong here."

"...I'm glad." Connor sounded a little wary, but his L.E.D. stayed blue and he knew he made the right choice. Relief washed over the deviant's mind and his heart as he knew he made the right choice by returning to Hank's house, and seeking his best friend's company. "Thank you for taking me back into your home. I wasn't so sure you would do so after everything that had happened."

"Of course I would, Connor. Never think otherwise." Hank sighed as he tightened his arms even further around Connor and felt like for the first time in his life fate was smiling at him, not mocking him. As Connor's arms wrapped around Hank to reciprocate the hug Hank moved his hand over Connor's back where he had been previously shot and let tears roll down his face and onto Connor's shoulder in utter contentment and unspoken joy. "Welcome home, son."

"I'm glad to be home." Crying as well Connor whispered his next words as he embraced Hank and felt a sense of warmth, belonging and home fill his heart where he stood. "I'm not going to go anywhere for a long time."

"Then neither will I, son."

"Thank you... dad."

-End of Challenge-