Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Life

A heavy rainstorm soaked the entire city on a cold autumn night in Detroit. Connor and Hank had finally finished their shift late in the evening after clocking in six additional hours of unwanted overtime. The mandatory overtime was a means of covering the shifts of the other officers who had called in ill with the flu for the past four days and the two detectives were ready to return home. Exhausted from work and eager to get away from the city Hank drove through the rainy streets at a steady pace while Connor monitored the weather with his internal scanner and his incredibly accurate G.P.S. through cybernetic updates in the passenger seat beside him.

The storm had come in out of seemingly nowhere and caught everyone off guard. Flash flooding and slick roads practically guaranteed numerous problems for travelers heading for home during the storm.

"Give me some good news, Connor." Hank pleaded as he drove down the partially flooded streets to head back to the house. It was a slow drive that required all of his attention. "Tell me this storm is going to let up and we won't have to worry about blackouts tonight."

"Sorry, Hank." Connor shook his head at what his Doppler system had picked up. "The storm front is holding its current course and based on the severity of the deluge there is a high probability of rolling blackouts due to downed powerlines or overloaded circuits from citizens trying to keep warm and dry."

"Damn. That's all we need..."

Connor's blue L.E.D. suddenly flashed to yellow as an emergency report was filed. "There is an autonomous taxi broken down two streets away with a single stranded passenger."

"Since when did rain strand someone in a car?"

There was a pause as Connor received more information on the situation at hand. "The taxi engaged emergency shutdown due to an unknown error in the engine and the passenger in question is pregnant. She is also in labor."

"Ah, shit." The tense situation made Hank swear as he stopped at the end of the street and prepared to turn in the appropriate direction. "Which way?"

"Turn left."

Wanting to help the stranded passenger Hank followed Connor's directions and located the disabled taxi alongside the dark road, far from anyone else who could help. While autonomous vehicles had proven to be very useful to people who needed a late night ride home or a designated driver, the vehicles still had flaws. Such problems as suffering from flat tires without a driver to change them or battery failures with no one driving about to offer a jumpstart were the most common. One of those flaws had decided to rear its ugly head at the worst possible time on that rainy night.

"Go ahead and inform dispatch we're at the scene." Calmly and professionally Hank instructed his partner as he climbed out of his car parked behind the taxi and went to check on the laboring woman. Shouting over the rain Hank told Connor what he was doing. "I'll see how our mother-to-be is faring."

Connor obediently relayed the information cybernetically and had received an update regarding the paramedics currently en route as well. Joining Hank at the taxi Connor watched as the senior detective spoke calmly to the woman and showed her his badge to reassure her that he was there to help. The woman in question was very young - only nineteen years of age, and was deep into active labor. Frightened and alone the woman was crying in fear, pain and near panic from the taxi breaking down leaving her stranded without any help nearby.

"What's your name?" Hank asked her in his still very calm voice. The way he spoke one would think Hank was a friend or a member of her family. "As you already know I'm Hank, and this is Connor." Motioning toward the deviant now standing behind him with a thumb over his right shoulder Hank made sure she knew they were both there to help her. "He's my partner at the precinct."