Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Trust

What should've been a peaceful night's sleep during the increasingly cold autumn was rudely interrupted by an emergency phone call directly from Captain Fowler himself. An unusual case was reported at just past four in the morning that required both Connor and Hank to make an unexpected trip out to St. Mercy Hospital to investigate. The two detectives were in charge of Detroit's only deviant division at the moment, and as such they were the only two detectives brought in on a very bizarre and ethically questionable case regarding a deviant's life and the second life she had just brought into the world in a very unexpected and dramatic fashion.

Meeting with hospital security at the front receptionist area of the hospital the two detectives were shown to a secluded area of the hospital's maternity ward where a single female deviant had been physically beaten to a severe degree just before she had given birth to a human infant. The deviant in question, Maya, was barely conscious and being watched over carefully by Dr. Wilson as she rested from the difficult birth she had endured not an even hour before.

Maya had a Thirial activity monitor recording her vital signs and an I.V. of Thirium running into the bend of her left arm. Her right eye was a dark blue and swollen shut from the severe beating she had endured, and her right leg from the knee down was secured in a plastimetal support to keep the limb stationary until the damage could heal. Numerous white bandages covered cuts, scrapes and supported her abdomen after she had delivered the baby.

"Deviants can give birth?" Whispering to Connor as they stood outside the closed door to the private recovery room Hank stared through the observation window at the swollen, bloody face of the new mother who was barely moving as Dr. Wilson checked her over. Never once had Hank seen a pregnant deviant, let alone one admitted to the maternity ward of a hospital. "How the fuck does that happen?"

"Androids have the option to acquire special biocomponent upgrades to properly act as surrogates on behalf of humans." Connor explained things in such a casual manner it was as if Hank had simply skipped over a chapter in a book. "The models of androids also require functioning genitals to give birth without requiring technical intervention, which means Maya, as a 'WR-400', is an ideal hire for surrogacy."

"All right, then answer my next question." Crossing his arms over his chest Hank drummed his right fingertips over his left bicep as he tested the pain threshold of his recently healed broken wrist. "Who in the hell would beat a pregnant woman like that?"

"In most cases the culprit in the severe physical assault of a pregnant woman stems from the father of the child or a disgruntled family member. However, we cannot rule out an attempted theft of the infant by someone suffering from severe psychosis, or this being another hate-crime against deviants."

"Shit." Seeing anyone beaten down and bloody made Hank's blood boil, but knowing a pregnant woman had been viciously assaulted and her unborn child's life was put at stake filled the senior detective with a rage that would make even the bravest of men cower. "Okay. Let's go ask her what happened and see if we can find the fucker responsible for her attack."

Connor pressed his exposed right palm over the electronic panel of the door to unlock the room and gain entrance. Quietly entering the room to speak to the victim was disturbed when Maya herself noticed Connor and began to panic. "It's all right, Maya. We're here-"

"Keep him away from me!" Maya was trying to get up to run from the room but Dr. Wilson had put both hands firmly on her shoulders to keep her in the bed and as still as possible. Her injuries would only become worse if she continued to panic and flail about. "Please! He's the 'Deviant Hunter'!"

The unfortunate nickname made Connor's blue L.E.D. flash to red with shame as he hung back by the door. "I am not here to hurt you or take you anywhere you don't want to go. I am not hunting you or anyone else."