Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Electrical Interference

Right on schedule a brutal storm rocked the entire city with an impressive display of nature that shook the streets, homes and buildings with deafening thunder and blinding lightning that illuminated the otherwise dark night sky. Hank and Connor had stayed home during their day off and were now sitting on the couch watching the weather report on television, not that Connor needed to rely on the news for such information thanks to his internal Doppler radar. Heavy raindrops bombarded the roof and strong winds rattled the windows of the house while creating a haunting ambience of natural gusts that kept the two detectives on their guard.

Sumo had wisely taken shelter under Hank's bed out of fear of the powerful storm and had no intention of leaving until the storm had passed. It was a little amusing to see such a large dog cowering in fear under a narrow space, but neither detective disturbed him.

Power outages had been reported throughout the city as several powerlines had been downed by strong winds and fallen tree branches. It was too dangerous for electrical crews to repair the damage at the moment, and as a result the outages were expected to remain throughout the night. In seeming response to the surrounding blackouts the lights inside the house flickered and dimmed as the storm bombarded the modest structure relentlessly.

"I'm going to get some candles." Hank decided as he made his way to the hallway closet after noting the flickering overhead lights. Always prepared for an emergency Hank remained calm and took the storm in stride. "You can see in the dark with your fancy eyes, kid, but I can't."

Connor's L.E.D. flashed from blue to yellow as his sensors indicated that several lightning strikes were dangerously close to the house and were beginning to cause electrical interference. Rising from his place on the couch Connor peered out through the front window by the front door to watch the sky with a childlike intrigue.

Unfortunately, before Connor could react to the impending danger a bolt of lightning struck the power transformer at the top of pole across the street causing it to explode in a cascade of sparks and fire with a deafening blast that shook the entire block and plunged the house into deep darkness.

"Holy shit!" Hank shouted as the explosion shook the house and cut out the power entirely leaving him lost in blackness. From under his bed Sumo started barking at the loud sound and then whimpered as he quieted back down. "What the fuck was that?!"

Wisely and slowly Connor backed away from the window and put his right hand over his chest as the air filled with a heavy electrical charge that made his biocomponents fluctuate unexpectedly. "L-Lightning strike." The deviant detective answered flatly as ran a self diagnostic over his systems. His blue L.E.D. flashed yellow as he informed emergency responders to the scene of the explosion. "A transformer has been destroyed."

"I'll say..." With a burning candle to light his way Hank rejoined Connor in the livingroom and peered out the window for himself. A small fire atop the pole across the street was being doused naturally by the rain itself which helped minimize the resulting damage. A rogue powerline sparked along the ground and street with a dangerously high voltage and amperage, wildly showering the street like a slithering snake. "We're both staying inside. Neither of us gets paid enough to handle damaged powerlines."

"I... I agree." Connor suddenly winced as the electricity in the air built and a strange tightness in chest formed near his Thirium pump. "The... storm is f-far too dangerous f-for us."

"You okay?" Fairly quickly Hank noticed Connor's discomfort, his voice becoming less gruff and softening considerably at the sight of his partner in distress. "You look like you're in pain."

"I'm experiencing s-some... discomfort in my chest." Steadily Connor's hand gripped at the front of his black t-shirt with a desperate grasp as he felt his Thirium pump suddenly start to beat faster than normal. It was alarming and becoming frightening to a point where Connor had to make a conscious effort to not dig his nails into his own artificial skin. "My... My heart is racing."