Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Appendix

During a brisk and snowy day the two detectives were returning to the city of Detroit after enduring a lengthy and annoying 'business trip' in Lansing regarding the latest protocol revolving around deviant related crimes. During the lengthy drive Hank found himself drifting in and out of a light sleep from the passenger seat as Connor drove the car through a mild, but troublesome snowstorm courtesy of the hastily arriving autumn bringing about a sudden cold snap over the entire lower peninsula of the state. Hank was leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest and the collar of his coat pulled up to his ears to help stave off the cold. The senior detective had his blue eyes closed to try to rest but he was still aware of every little turn and every patch of ice that the large car drove over as the snowstorm quickly evolved into a full-blown blizzard.

The older human felt absolutely exhausted and had experienced some stomach pain for the past two days but hadn't let it get in the way of his job. Connor had insisted on Hank seeing a doctor before they left Lansing but Hank refused as he convinced it was just a mild stomach flu and would pass in another day or two. Even despite developing a mild fever two days prior Hank continued to refuse to see a doctor.

"You look pale." Connor observed with a cool tone of voice as he glanced over at Hank's face while driving over the slick roads carefully. "And you seem to be uncomfortable where you're sitting."

"It's cold as fuck after being hot as fuck. Of course I'm pale, kid. Shitty weather does that to people."

Connor slowly reached his right hand over and pressed his palm against Hank's forehead to gauge the elevated temperature his scanner already noted.

"Hey, hey!" Angrily Hank batted Connor's hand away and sighed with tired irritation. "I'm not that sick."

"Yes you are. You have a fever." Connor confirmed somewhat stubbornly as his L.E.D. turned from blue to yellow with worry. "You've had a mild fever over the past forty-eight hours, twenty-two minutes and forty-one seconds, but now it's increasing to a higher degree."

"You've been monitoring my body temperature for two days?"

"I have been checking your vital signs hourly since you first became ill." The deviant detective explained coolly. "I have an extensive record of your current health history if you'd like me to review it."

"That seems like a huge invasion of privacy, Connor."

"I'm sorry, I should've asked your permission first." Feeling as if he crossed a big line Connor apologized sincerely, his yellow L.E.D. returning to blue as he ended the constant monitoring. "I will stop scanning your vitals if you wish."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't ask me to turn my head and cough." Hank quipped and followed it with a light laugh, only to press his left hand down against his abdomen reflexively in pain. "...Fuck."

Noticing the reaction Connor resisted the urge to begin another scan. "Are you experiencing pain, Lieutenant?"

"Nothing I can't handle." Hank deflected the question expertly as he looked through the windshield at the disappearing road in front of him. The snow was getting thicker and building up at an alarming rate as the roads became slicker with ice. "Hey, thanks for driving, kid. I don't think I'd be able to keep control of the car during these conditions right now."

"You're welcome. Fortunately my scanners have access to G.P.S. mapping allow me to detect where the surface of the road begins and ends without having to visually process it through the snow."

"Damn. I wish I could do that." The old car suddenly made a loud 'bang' followed by a groaning noise that made Hank jump a little in his seat. He had worked on cars long enough to know that a tire had been damaged by the horrible road conditions and had failed entirely. "Ah, shit..."