Accident Prone - Becoming Human

Grudges

Idling at a red light Hank leaned forward in his seat as he swore under his breath and ran his strong hand over the back of his tense neck with relentless fatigue. Fighting the urge to run through the light he glanced over at Connor, his deviant partner and son, and could tell by the dull gleam of his otherwise bright soulful brown eyes that he too was tired after such a long day. Handling cases of abuse, assault and even murder were wearing down their resolve and making it increasingly difficult to go to work when the two detectives knew that all day long they'd be surrounded by some of the work behavior that both humanity and deviancy had to offer.

Despite the mutual fatigue Hank knew Connor would never admit to being tired and decided to ask him if he had an update on the deviant case they worked on that afternoon. Any positive change could have a drastic effect on his current mood and mental exhaustion.

"Any word on the deviant from the facility?"

"Not yet." Turning his head slightly Connor faced Hank and gave him a slight nod. The lack of the L.E.D. in his right temple made Connor appear far more human, but there were times Hank missed the light since it made it easier to get an idea what was on Connor's mind or what he was feeling. "The wounds were serious but not severe enough to cause irreparable damage or shutdown."

"And his memory?"

"The deviant's statement has remained consistent throughout the numerous examinations and interviews. The damage hadn't affected his memory making his statement completely viable."

"That's good."

The light turned green and Hank pulled through the intersection at a steady clip. Before he could say anything else bright headlights blinded him from the right side of the vehicle and a loud crunching noise of metal deafened his ears.

All within a matter of seconds the car was t-boned by a large, full-sized S.U.V. that pushed the smaller car out of the lane and up onto the sidewalk. The S.U.V. pinned the struck vehicle up against the brick wall of an old abandoned building with a horrible impact. As the windshield and side windows shattered into a storm of sharp glass Hank felt himself hit the driver's side door to his left and then jerk forward enough to slam against the steering column as the airbag deployed. The sound of two loud car horns blaring erupted through the previously quiet night as the two vehicles remained wrecked, a twist mangle of metal and glass along the side of the street.

Lifting up his aching head from the airbag Hank pressed his left palm to a massive bleeding cut over his left eye and forehead, and turned to look at Connor in the passenger seat beside him. "What the... Connor? Are you okay?"

The deviant beside him was completely unconscious and limp in his seat. If he hadn't been wearing his seatbelt Connor would've either slumped forward entirely against the airbag in front of him or slipped to the left toward the driver's side of the car and up against Hank.

"Connor?"

Gently Hank put his right hand against Connor's chest to check for a heartbeat and felt the deviant's Thirium pump beating normally. Moving his hand under Connor's chin he carefully tilted Connor's head toward his direction so he could see the deviant's blank but bloodied face.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry."

The artificial skin over Connor's right eye was missing leaving the white plastimetal frame beneath exposed and covered in fresh Thirium. Bits of glass had cut Connor's face and caused him to bleed from several deep lacerations and his right shoulder had been dislocated from the impact of the other vehicle.

"Connor?"

Calling his name in a loud voice Hank tried to get the wounded deviant to respond.

"Connor."