Hank kept one hand on the wheel, while his other hand twirled a charred quarter over his lap. They were still driving toward the city down a long stretch of road, when Mark couldn't take the deafening silence anymore. Gesturing to the quarter, he asked Hank with timid curiosity. "What's with the quarter?" Hank stopped playing with the coin, curling his fingers around it protectively. Without looking him in the eyes, he answered gruffly. "It's nothing." Mark tapped his fingers on his leg, before trying again. "Well... That's kind of my point. How do you know they weren't taken... by simply seeing a quarter?" Hank inhaled deeply, checking his rearview mirror. When he saw that Gavin was still following them on his bike, Hank finally exhaled out an answer. "Androids don't carry money. Hell, most people don't anymore. Everything is digital. But Connor... He always has a few. He's programed to do these weird coin tricks as a way to make him appear more human. Whenever he's not doing anything, he does these tricks to keep from standing around like a fucking statue."

Mark chuckled softly to himself. Hank's hand relaxed enough to start playing with the coin again, continuing on with a small smirk. "It was annoying at first. But after a while... I realized why he does it. None of the other androids can do it. It's his own unique talent. Something so... useless. And yet to him it's everything." Hank suddenly cleared his throat, mumbling out more collected. "My point is that I know it's Connor's." Mark shrugged, not wanting to ruin the mood but couldn't help blurting out. "I'm just saying that it could have fallen out of anyone's pocket. It doesn't prove-" Hank held out the quarter to him, sternly retorting without taking his eyes off the road. "Not these. This is a minted 1994 U.S. quarter. Any coins handed out today would be stamped with 2038." Mark's eyes drifted from the coin to Hank, bluntly asking him. "Do you love him?" Hank finally looked at him with accusing eyes, defensively asking. "What?!" Mark slumped in the seat without answering.

Hank looked him over closely, before saying truthfully in a softer voice. "Not in the way you think. I mean, there is nothing wrong with how you think... You love who you want." Mark stroked the brim of Sean's hat, asking a bit reluctantly. "You and Connor have been together a while... Do you feel sometimes that...? He's not just a machine?" Hank was quiet for a bit, taking his time to say honestly. "I don't wonder about it as much anymore. Connor is... He's family. I treat him as well as I treat my dog... Maybe a little more." Mark looked at Hank with fragile eyes, questioning him openly. "Is it wrong to feel something for... For them in a... romantic way?" Hank raised an eyebrow, stating out with detachment. "Look, kid. I'm not a therapist. Love whoever or whatever you want." Mark crossed his arms, gruffly snapping back. "I'm not a kid. I'm almost thirty." Hank shook his head, sarcastically replying. "You're younger than I am. That makes you a kid to me." Mark groaned, before the silence fell between them again.

After a long silence, Hank hefted a sigh and said under his breath anxiously. "Ok. Look. I know for a fact that the android likes you. Cause if he didn't... I wouldn't be talking to you." Mark blinked a little surprised, causing Hank to clear it up by telling him flatly. "I've seen what deviant androids do to people that fuck them against their... will? Doesn't usually end well for the human involved. But you're still alive. So, he must like you." Mark scoffed uneasily at the thought. Hank chuckled as his response. With Hank in a slightly better mood, he decided to ask him nicely. "What's Connor to you?" Hank's hands tightened on the steering wheel as he honestly said in a sad voice. "He's... He's like my son. He's curious about everything. And if my son had lived... He'd be about the age that Connor looks like. He'd probably even be a cop. He was always saying things like that and following me around." Mark straightened up more in the seat, gently telling him. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

Hank waved a dismissive hand, casually relaying. "It's fine. Most people don't know. It doesn't hurt as much anymore to talk about it. I blame Connor... He's making me soft." Mark chuckled, mumbling out timidly. "Not necessarily a bad thing. You are rather intimidating to talk to." Hank locked eyes with Mark for a few seconds, before Mark chuckled and Hank snickered a little. Rolling his eyes after, Hank turned on his CD player to play some heavy metal. Mark wasn't a big fan of it, but it was Hank's car. They were just starting to drive into the city, when Hank slammed on the brakes. Farther up the road, RK900s were trying to block off the road and detour people around. Beyond them was a smoke cloud and what looked to be a full on riot. Hank switched over to the radio to check the news. The reports didn't mention anything other than a 'mild accident' in the area. Hank gestured to the smoke and screaming people, snapping back at the radio. "Does this look 'mild' to you?!"

An RK900 smashed the window of Hank's car, ordering him in a rather stern tone. "This is your last warning, Citizen. Turn your vehicle around." Hank leaned away from the window, shouting out in distress. "Son of a bitch! Relax! I'm a cop!" The RK900 leaned down to stare at Hank before droning out seriously. "Impersonating an officer is a serious offense. I'm going to need you to step out of the car and put your hands on the-" A loud 'BANG' cut of the android as he fell to the ground with a bullet through his temple. Hank kicked open his door, glancing back to yell out heatedly. "Oh, that was fucking subtle, Reed! No one will notice a fucking dead android in the middle of the god damn road!" Gavin got off his bike, stashing his gun back into the back of his pants as he snapped back. "Relax! We don't have time for subtle! Come on. We'll have to go the rest of the way on foot." Mark rolled over Hank's hood, questioning Gavin curiously. "What's the plan?" Gavin jogged past the barrier, truthfully telling them. "Get in, get out. Don't get shot and don't get caught."

Hank rushed up after them, snapping over Gavin's shoulder. "That's your plan?! We don't even know if they're here!" Gavin gestured toward the riot, smugly stating out. "That's why we're going IN, Hank. Keep up, old man." Hank looked to Mark, asking bitterly. "Do you agree with this?" Mark only shrugged, before a passing bus caught his eye. Even in a riot everything automated still ran so smoothly. He couldn't believe that. Gavin beckoned them to follow him and they slunk along a café shop corner. The street was in utter chaos. RK900s were being taken down and destroyed by other androids. Humans ran frantic around the street, not sure which side to be less afraid of as they fled. A little girl was hefted into the arms of an RK900, causing Mark to stop short. The little girl screamed and extended her hands out to someone. He couldn't make out the name in the loud noises around him. He did manage to see an android rush to her rescue. The Deviant jammed something into the back of the RK900.

The RK900 fell to its knees and the Deviant quickly took the girl into her arms. The little girl hugged the android like she knew who she was, and she raced off with her to get her away from the chaos. Mark observed the other fights more closely and gawked a bit. The RK900s were fighting Deviants and the Deviants were trying to help the humans flee. One of the Deviants grabbed his arm, yelling at him. "Run! Come on! This way!" Mark resisted almost uselessly, yelling back over the chaos. "Wait! I'm a cop! I'm looking for S34N!" The Deviant stopped pulling on him, asking in response. "You mean Ra9? You missed him. He's gone." Mark patted the Deviant's shoulder, pleading with him. "Which way did he go?" The Deviant shrugged and pointed in the general direction of the CyberLife tower. Mark was about to get upset, when an idea struck him. Patting the android's shoulder, he gratefully told him. "Thank you!" Turning on his heel, he took off to find Hank and Gavin. Gavin was in the middle of trying to explain to another Deviant what Connor and Sean looked like, until Mark grabbed Hank by the arms.

Trying to rapidly regain his breath, he breathlessly panted out to Hank. "We just missed them! Come on!" Hank faced him better, asking curiously. "What? Where are they?" Mark flashed Hank a bright grin, telling him confidently. "The fastest way to travel in Detroit." Hank didn't get it, but Gavin moved in to interject. "No way. They'd get spotted. They'd stand out too much." Mark winked at Gavin, chuckling out. "That's exactly why they did it. Come on! If we hurry, we might be able to make the train!" Hank's eyes lit up as he got it and they all sprinted down the street. While they ran, Gavin snapped out heatedly. "Damn, they work fast! If we don't catch them here... It's over!" Mark and Gavin ran at almost the same speed. They had youth and field experience. Hank stayed with them at a distance, his age slowing him down. Mark started to slow down for him, but Hank panted out sternly. "Don't wait for me! GO!" Mark picked up his pace, until both him and Gavin were dashing across the pavement as fast as they could go.

There was not a moment to lose. They raced around a street corner and saw the bus pulling away from the curb. Mark recognized the bus and if its usual route schedule was right... the train would be leaving shortly. Mark and Gavin shouted for people to move as they bolted for the stairs. Their legs were burning as they raced up the steps two at a time. The conductor to the subway was just starting to close the doors, when Gavin shoved Mark into the train. The extra boost got him through the doors, mere seconds before they hissed closed and the train began to move. Laying on the carpeted floor, Mark panted so heavily that he couldn't move. His muscles had never burned so much in his life. His lungs couldn't get enough air. Standing a few inches away, an RK900 subway conductor, leaned down and asked him in a stern voice. "Excuse me, Sir. Do you have a ticket?" Mark glared at the android, panting out. "Fuck you..." The android opened his mouth to say something, but Mark removed his gun with a silencer on the end.

Pulling the trigger, he shot the robot between the eyes and stiffly rose up onto all fours. Stuffing his gun back into his underarm holster, he winced as he sat up and mumbled out to himself. "When this is over... I want time off. I wanna sit my ass in a beach chair with the ocean at my feet... a cold drink in my hand... relaxing butt naked and covered in sunscreen lotion!" Groaning loudly, Mark grabbed the RK900 dragging him toward a staff closet as he bitterly added to himself. "Instead of doing that... I'm stuffing your heavy ass in a closet! Ugh... Fuck my life!" Kicking the closet shut, Mark took a deep breath before walking through the doors to the passenger cars. He didn't expect that they'd look like themselves. So, that meant stopping at every booth to see if any of them looked familiar. For all he knew, they could be sitting separately to blend in better. He had to hurry. The train would be there soon, and he'd lose them again. He was just about to pass by a booth that had what appeared to be a couple and their friends, until he stumbled.

Grabbing the table for support, he straightened up and noticed a coin rolling across the fingers of the man by the window. All of them were hiding their faces from him cleverly. Glancing more closely at them, his heart leapt with relief. Leaning on the table, he tried to confirm his suspicions by discreetly asking them. "Sean?" All their eyes rose to meet his, but Mark's lingered on Sean's as they peeked over a pair of dark sunglasses. Sean dropped his legs from Markus's lap, his voice quivering with both excitement and shock as he asked in return. "Mark? What the hell are you doing here?" Mark grabbed Markus's arm, tugging on him desperately to get him out of the booth. Markus complied and Mark slipped in to hug Sean. Hugging him desperately, he whispered to Sean in a bit of a panicked voice. "No time to explain. We've got to get you off this train!"  To Be Continued...