ALIVE [Connor]

[00] Prologue: Collision

October 20th. 2034.

PM 04:37:11

It was the kind of drizzle that went on for hours. 

Soft, quiet rain that soaked everything right through to the bone. A complete wash over the streets of a cloudy Detroit. Raindrops bouncing off of the concrete and splashing the ankles of pedestrians as they scuttled away under the safety of umbrellas and raincoats. 

Children giggling as they stomped through the cascade of the rainwater sloshing towards the storm drains. Lovers clutching cold hands, pulling each other into the darkened doorways of stores and away from prying eyes. Dogs replenishing their thirst and lapping up hazardously from the puddles along the street.

And androids. Dutifully awaiting at everyone's sides. Left unnoticed to most as they stood in the rain, some unlucky enough to be left out in it as they strolled beside an owner whom clutched their umbrella selfishly.

Droplets slid off of their synthetic skin, remembering to blink once or twice, here and there. Clothes and hair sopping through. But still they remained ever-vigilant. Attentive to whatever was requested of them next.

"Put me through to Hank Anderson," Isla Richards instructed from the driver's side of her car, cool hands clutching the wheel and a piece of bubble gum clenched between her teeth.

"Contacting Hank Anderson..." The car spoke back to her, a politely male, American voice to contrast with her own British one. A series of tones surfaced from the dash, humming out through the cosy interior of the car and over the tunes of retro music.

"Hello?"

"Hank, hi! You'll never guess what's just happened-"

"Is this thing on?" Hank's confused voice rang out, "Hello? Jesus Christ-...Yeah, I'm not at home right now. Or the office, for that matter. Just leave a message after the tone."

Isla cleared her throat, rolling her eyes with a smile as she turned a corner. She caught herself in the rear-view mirror, a pair of brown eyes staring back at her. They were slightly puffy and darkened circles were prevalent underneath them, but none of it mattered now. For at long last - her hard work had finally paid off.

"Hey Hank, it's me," She began, drawing her eyes away from her weary reflection, another excited smile reaching her lips, "I-I got the job! After all that, I bloody did it. And you know what? I showed that prick - uh, what's his name? Uhm...Reed! That's showed Gavin Reed."

Isla slowed to a halt in her car, having drawn close to a red light at the rainy junction, "'Detective Richards' still sounds weird to me. I don't know, I guess I'll have to get used to it. And you'll have to get used to me. Yeah, before you can object I've already put in a word to get partnered with you and the guys, maybe on the Red Ice task force?"

She peered up at the light, the red glow glaring through the droplets on the car's front window, sliced occasionally out of view by the window wiper. 

"I'm just so glad that I got to make something of myself. After...after all that time I spent scratching around, trying and trying." She sighed at the thought. There was a fondness in it, a moment of reminiscence. 

The streetlight eventually switched to amber, and Isla readied herself to accelerate.

"Anyways - call me when you get this. And sort out that damn voicemail, alright?" She chuckled to herself at the thought of Hank's awkwardness, just as the light slid onto green. "And make sure to say hi to Cole for me, I'll be around on Tuesday to help with his Halloween costume-"

Isla felt as though she had barely pulled out from the junction, when a high-pitched ringing sounded in her ears. A searing, drilling sensation passing unrelentingly through her skull. Her body had been slammed into from the front, immediately triggering off the airbag from the steering wheel. It cushioned her ribs forcefully, but it did not stop the nauseating pain beginning to surface in her left leg.

She couldn't move, barely able see or hear anything. Dazed.

The ringing continued, coupled with the pulsing of her own heart beat as blood gushed from her bust lip. Everything was consumed by the pain of being trapped in her own vehicle, the front of her car had been entirely crunched by another on the opposite side of the road. A collision that had happened head-first.

Something was pinning down her leg, tearing through flesh and muscle to keep her from squirming. She was grasping around the large airbag, unable to make out the culprit of the crash in the opposing car.

"Malf-...malfunction. System error--" The car's AI spoke out in fragmented tones.

Onlookers were yelling for help. Dozens of people, once running from the perpetual downpour, were now sprinting towards the two car-wrecks in the middle of the junction.

And then, nothing.

Darkness filtered through her vision, her eyelids giving in as they drooped. She exhaled a breath, falling unconscious at the wheel.

***

A/N: A lil short! But y'know, backstory building and all that good stuff that'll come into proper effect later.