_Requested by Leonixon: What if Connor gets really hurt chasing after a suspect. I.E. he gets shot and the reader has to make a choice between saving him or going after the suspect. of course they choose Connor and are really scared because seeing blood a different color is somehow more terrifying.

Requested by tumblr anon: I know this isn't really a full prompt but you could probably just slip it into an existing request. I really just wanna see Hank being a good comforter and the Voice Of Reason in an otherwise bad situation.

Warning: descriptions of android injuries… could be considered gory? I mean, it's not terribly graphic but still, better safe than sorry ;)

I hope you guys like this one, I struggled a lil bit with it but lemme know if it's okay :)

Detrimental

When it came to working cases, you couldn't deny there was something special about the thrill of a chase. Sure, it was a rush of relief when you acquired a confession from a suspect within an interrogation, and there was quite a large appeal whenever you discovered a connection between evidence or found a discrepancy among witness statements during a cross-examination.

But there was nothing that could beat the sensation of adrenaline pumping through your veins, pushing you to your limits, making you temporarily faster and stronger, more alert and sufficient with your reflexes. Quite often, you found yourself feeling all too giddy when in pursuit of a suspect, leaving you bouncing off the palpable atmosphere, flooding you with excitement when you realised you were gaining on the supposed murderer - it was like a dangerous high.

You weren't feeling giddy now.

Connor was falling, and there was nothing you could do.

You clutched the railing, lungs burning as you stared over the edge, mouth agape. Your android partner was plummeting ten storeys to the ground and all you could do was watch in terror; you hadn't been precise enough, your coordination dampened by the adrenaline rushing through your body. You'd reached for him in a split-second, fast enough to react, but the aimless reaction was nothing without accuracy. Your fingers had failed to clamp around his arm, and he'd slipped out of your clumsy hold, flailing helplessly as he plunged almost a hundred feet downwards.

You'd known your job was hazardous, especially when you were hastily hunting homicidal maniacs through unsafe structures; you'd apprehended criminals in all sorts of places - empty parking lots, ominous scrap yards, derelict houses, deserted warehouses.

Today was no different. The chase after two armed murder suspects had brought you to a hotel - completely empty, the resort had been closed for the winter - specifically ten floors up, around the edge of the building's exterior corridor where there was nothing but a metal, parapet guardrail between yourself and a quick drop.

You'd been just a couple steps behind Connor, pursuing the two criminals as they ran quickly around the perimeter of the building, round a sharp corner - it had happened so quickly. The suspects knew they couldn't outrun an android, so in the few seconds they were briefly out of sight, they both drew their guns and fired as Connor followed swiftly around the bend.

The two unanticipated bullets had pierced his body and sent him off-kilter, he had lost balance as he crashed into the barrier and toppled over it, which was the moment you had failed to save him. You were practically petrified in place, the world slowing around you as Connor hurtled closer and closer to the ground - you were very distantly aware of the two suspects continuing to flee, but you didn't care.

Connor was going to die. Not even an android could survive a fall from this height - the resulting damage would completely destroy his processor. You were filled with panic. A miracle would have to occur for Connor to walk away from this alive.

Your horror-struck tunnel vision broadened out and you became aware of the partially-filled swimming pool in the trajectory of the android's hasty descent, but he was not centered to hit the water - he clipped the edge; you witnessed, with rapidly ascending trepidation, the way his arm detached from his body and went flying off in a different direction as the rest of him disappeared with a splash into the somewhat murky pool-water.

The world around you was deathly quiet all of a sudden, and you only kicked yourself into action when you observed the royal blue colour of thirium exuding from Connor's motionless body, turning the roily water into a far brighter but more morbid hue in context.

You pushed off the guardrail into a sprint, running back the way you came to find the stairwell, and found yourself practically flying down it in a rush. You needed to pull Connor from the water - you needed to make sure he was alive.

You bumped into Lieutenant Anderson on the way down - he'd initially given up chasing the suspects somewhere around floor five and resigned to catch up to you and Connor eventually, trusting that the two of you could apprehend the murderers by yourselves - and he quickly lowered the gun he was holding, his uneasiness melting away for just a brief moment when he realised it was you.

"What happened?" Hank exclaimed upon seeing the distraught expression on your face, but there was no time to explain.

"Connor fell!" You snapped, not halting your step for even a moment as you slipped past him.

"What?" you heard Hank call out, but didn't waste your breath clarifying - there was nothing else that mattered to you in that moment other than dragging Connor out of the pool and ensuring he was okay.

Your heart was pulsing so hard when you reached the bottom floor that you were sure another few steps would have killed you, but you pushed on anyway, bounding through the foyer and into the hotel grounds to locate the leisure area. Your footsteps echoed as your shoes slammed against the external tiled flooring, and your legs grew shaky as you neared the pool; there were puddles where the resulting wave of water had splashed out and coated the once dry surface, and you had to make a conscious effort not to slip and make matters worse.

Rushing down the steps into the shallow end of the pool, you let out a stifled cry as the icy temperature bit at your ankles and rose up your legs the further you waded in, towards where the murky water had clouded blue. At the deep end of the partly-filled pool, the water reached your mid-stomach; you couldn't see Connor through the opaque tint, and stuck your arms blindly into shroud of thirium-laced depths to attempt to locate him. When your numbing hands made contact with the material of his jacket, you scrambled further to secure him in a tight grip and drag him back towards the shallow area.

You rescued the android from his submerged state, hauling him from the pool and onto the dry tiles where you could finally assess his condition; you cushioned his head, gently placing your hand on his chest as you searched his face for any signs of lucidity.

Connor's eyes were half-closed, his jaw slack, and his chest was failing to rise up and down, suggesting that he was not drawing breath into his artificial lungs; your heart lurched behind your ribs and a cry of despair threatened to escape your throat, but you quickly reminded yourself that this was not indicative that he was dead - androids worked differently from humans, after all.

There was a jagged injury on his forehead, possibly caused by the impact against the bottom of the pool - the water had not slowed his descent enough - and the synthetic skin had dematerialised, revealing the cracked white plastic and a glimpse of black and blue wiring beneath. His left elbow tapered to a mess of cables where the collision had forcibly torn the rest of his arm off - it was seeping with thirium, as were the gunshot wounds in his left shoulder and at the base of his throat.

He was still as a corpse, but you stared closely at his LED, your terror only slightly alleviated by the deep red flickering - he wasn't dead yet, there was still life in his processor which meant there was still hope.

"Connor", you choked out, cupping his face in an attempt to rouse him from his seemingly stunned state, "Can you hear me?" You patted his cheek lightly, playing close attention to his dark eyes.

There was no immediate sign of life and you found yourself holding your breath, suppressing the need to break down in tears, but you held yourself together and shook him with just a little more vigour, calling his name once more. "Connor", you exclaimed, voice breaking, "Wake up, please."

This time, his head jolted slightly, eyelids flying open into a wide-eyed stare, pupils darting left and right almost feverishly. "Connor! Connor, can you hear me?" you repeated frantically, and his brown gaze twitched for a moment before resting on you. When he tried to speak, water sputtered from his mouth, and you quickly tilted his head to the side so that the fluid could drain from his artificial lungs and allow him to breathe again. You shakily angled his head back when the rush of water subsided, trying your utmost to appear calm and composed - panicking would do nothing in this situation, and it certainly wouldn't help Connor.

The android squinted as he stared up at you and finally spoke, "I- I'm damaged…" his voice was quiet and full of distorted static, you could barely understand what he was saying, "...one of my o-optical components… is not functioning accurately…" he kept looking past your head as though he was struggling to visualise you.

Your lungs were tight as you tried to keep your breathing even, "Tell me you're gonna be alright, Connor", the words left your mouth before you could really think about them and you inwardly smacked yourself - you should've been the one assuring him. It hurt you to see him like this, vulnerable and loaded with uncertainty, but you couldn't imagine how he must have felt in that moment.

"I can't scan." He spoke, and meshed with the crackling hiss of white noise, he sounded like he was wheezing; Connor's eyebrows pulled together in perturbation. You didn't know what to say - it was as if there was a mental block around your mind brought on by your dread - and you did nothing but stare at him.

His left arm - or what was left of it - spasmed suddenly, drawing your attention, and the unhealthy sound of electrical fizzing emanated from the cables and wires that protruded out of the wound; all of his limbs appeared to jerk and convulse faintly and you quickly took his right hand in yours, squeezing gently in a comforting fashion.

"I- I can't move… I can't…" His fingers quivered spasmodically in your grasp, tightening and loosening without rhythm, and it was clear he had absolutely no control over it, "I… I can't- I can't-"

He was afraid. His eyes were wild, searching for reassurance, and it made your chest ache, a noise of anguish escaping your throat when you realised that he was breathing fast and shallow breaths, similar to that of a hyperventilating human. Connor spoke your name, his voice buzzing with electrical output, "...I- I need help… please…"

You finally managed to pull yourself out of your inward panic attack and found the sense to offer the assurance he was looking for; with a remarkably poised tone, you spoke clearly and calmly, "You're going to be okay, Connor. We're gonna get you help." You glanced up, searching for Lieutenant Anderson, "HANK! Where the fuck are you!?" you screamed, hoping the old man hadn't tumbled down the stairs in his rush to chase after you.

Your name left Connor's lips once again, pulling your attention back to him and you hurriedly returned to comforting him, "Yes, it's okay, I'm here. I'm not leaving."

"I- I'm scared… I'm…" the sound of static seemed to fluctuate for a moment, giving off a quiet, high-frequency ringing noise before the resonance cut out completely. Connor's lips continued to move like he was speaking, but nothing was coming out, and you gnawed at your bottom lip worriedly.

The fear in Connor's eyes grew tenfold when he discerned the fact that he was no longer producing sound - his voice box seemed to have malfunctioned and it only increased your consternation. He kept trying, moving his lips to try and communicate, but to no avail.

You held his hand to your chest, rubbing your thumb across the back of his knuckles, "It's alright, Connor. Don't panic. Hank's on his way, I promise", at least you hoped that was the case - you didn't want to go searching for the lieutenant because that would mean having to leave Connor alone, and that was the last thing you were ever going to do. "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

The android's eyes were sheeny, and you couldn't tell if it was because he'd been immersed in water or if they were actually tears - you didn't want to think about it. You wouldn't be able to hold it together if you knew Connor was crying. You released his hand to cup his cheek.

"Just hold on, alright?" You whispered, "We- we're gonna get you help…" you weren't sure your words were convincing enough anymore.

Connor's lips moved again and despite trying as best you could to read what he was trying to say, you simply couldn't understand. The LED on the side of Connor's head began to rapidly flicker, still an angry red in colour, and you watched with growing alarm as the android's eyes slipped closed, the uncontrollable convulses of his limbs suddenly ceasing.

"Connor?"

He did not respond.

"Connor? Connor, wake up. Please."

The LED finished flashing wildly and instead began to slowly pulse, going bright and then dim repeatedly. The light retained its disconcerting red. You didn't know what to make of it.

The sound of footsteps brought you out of your silent hysteria and you turned around as Hank approached.

"Oh, Jesus fucking Christ", he gasped upon seeing the extent of the damage, doubling over on his knees as he heaved for breath, "Fuck. Shit. Is he-?"

You shook your head, trying to quell your frantic inhalation, "I- I don't know… I don't know. His LED is still on, but it's- it's red. I don't know."

"Alright, fuck. We gotta get him to Cyberlife, right the fuck now. I'll bring the car round." Hank darted off, leaving you clutching the lifeless android in your arms.

The wait was the worst thing.

Being forced to sit in a pristine white hallway in an uncomfortably stiff chair while the android and human engineers at Cyberlife worked to diagnose and repair your badly injured partner on the other side of bland locked door - it was just… the worst. An hour had already passed with no news, and you'd stared at the linoleum floor the whole time, feeling every second of every minute of the hour as it passed. It was unbearable.

One of the engineers, an android by the name of Mason, had explained the gravity of Connor's condition; they needed to find several replacement parts that were compatible for his model, which was not so straightforward given Connor was an advanced prototype and not part of a widely manufactured series. There was extensive deterioration in his voice box, and they needed to rework a lot of the wiring that ran from his processor to his extremities given the considerable amount of water damage.

"We are not yet sure of the severity of the head wound. The hope is that it's purely cosmetic and hasn't done any lasting damage to his processor, but we won't know for certain until we restore power and reactivate him", Mason spoke, her voice soft and sympathetic, "If it's any consolation, the fact that he had enough comprehension to put himself in low-power mode is a good indication that his processor was working as it should be before you brought him here. Not only that, but it may have saved his life."

It had only eased your nerves somewhat, but over the last hour, you had worked yourself up, silently dreading whether or not Connor would still be the same android coming out as he was going in - if he were to wake up at all.

Your hands and clothes were still drenched with his blood. Thirium was smeared across your front and it made you sick to your stomach - you couldn't stop staring at it. It had dried against your palms, making your skin stiff and uncomfortable, but it didn't give off the same metallic tangy scent that human blood did. It was just there, reminding you of the traumatic event that had occurred less than two hours ago.

It was only just sinking in.

He had fallen a hundred feet, lost an arm, sustained critical injuries, and proceeded to muster enough sense to save himself by going into standby mode and you had just stared at him like a mindless moron, unable to do anything but panic. What must he have thought of you?

'...I- I need help… please…'

You'd done nothing. Connor had been begging for assistance, pleading for you to get your goddamn wits together and do something, but you'd been frozen.

Your blue-coated hands were shaking in your lap.

"You okay, kid? You haven't blinked in like ten minutes", Hank's tentative voice came from beside you, jolting you out of your agonising thoughts, and you turned to face him, taking in his troubled expression - the furrow of his brow and the creases of his forehead. He was worried too, but he was much better at concealing his agitation than you were.

Your distress was probably apparent on your face; you felt cold, your fingers tingling with pins and needles - you must've been white as a sheet.

"Hey, it's alright", said Hank, "Connor's gonna be fine, he's in good hands."

You started crying, not even trying to hide your tears, and Hank's arm immediately found its way around your shoulder - a welcomed comfort. The lieutenant was far better at offering solace than you were; you wished you'd had his expertise of consolation when you were attempting to reassure Connor that he would be okay.

"C'mon kid, lets get you cleaned up", Hank rose from his chair and gently tugged on your arm, encouraging you to stand; he looked pointedly to the inky blue caked over your palms as if he was just seeing it for the first time, "there's a restroom back there… we can clean this shit off your hands too."

Hank led you to the toilets with a steadying hand on your arm - which you needed, as you were somewhat wobbly on your feet - and went through the bother of helping you soap up your hands and rinse them in the sink till they were free of thirium. Your face was pale in the mirror, eyes rimmed with red as tears trailed down your cheeks, and Hank took a good long look at you before laying a hand on your shoulder.

"You freaking me out, kid. Will you please say something? Tell me what's on your mind."

You turned your weary gaze on the lieutenant, breathing a shaky sigh before your gaze dropped shamefully to your feet, "I'm useless, Hank."

The old man frowned, eyes narrowing, "What are you talkin' about?"

"I could've caught him… pulled him back over the railing, but I panicked too much and fumbled like a fucking idiot. I let myself get so carried away in the chase that I forgot to look out for my partner", your voice tightened and you struggled to swallow the lump in your throat, "-and then, when I pulled him out of the water, I just- I didn't know what to do. I just sat there- completely fucking useless-"

"Hey", Hank snapped, "Quit being so hard on yourself, there was nothing you could do, okay?"

"But, I-"

"Shut the fuck up, kid." Hank's coarse response made your lips clamp shut, "You're no android expert, it's not like you could've opened him up and rewired him right then and there. You did your part by getting down there and pulling him outta the pool - if you hadn't done that, things might've been worse, so just- stop being so self-critical, you're making my headache worse than it already is."

You stared at him for a few prolonged moments before blinking slowly and dipping your head in a tired nod.

"Good. Now stop fretting. Connor is gonna be fine." Hank always knew just what to say.

You and the lieutenant resumed the wait after that, still anxious, but a lot less hysteric about the whole situation; Hank continued to squeeze your shoulder every so often, reminding you that the fact it was taking so long could have been a good thing - the Cyberlife workers would have realised a lot sooner if Connor was a lost cause, meaning the alternative was that they were merely taking their time and ensuring that everything was properly connected and in place.

It was a good thing Hank was there with you, or you may have lost your mind. After three hours and twenty-eight minutes - yes, you counted - the reconditioning room opened up and Mason walked out, a reassuring smile on her face as she addressed you both.

"I'm happy to inform you that the procedure went well, and Connor's memory is all intact. You are welcome to come and see him, if you wish."

Of course you wanted to see him. You were practically through the door already, slipping past a couple of the other engineers to find Connor sitting on the edge of the 'operating table', looking better than ever, his LED a perfectly functioning blue. He'd been dressed in fresh clothes, just a plain white shirt and black jeans, since his original attire was ruined, and a small smile reached his face when you locked eyes with him.

Your name was the first thing past his lips, and in the blink of an eye you were crushing him in an unyielding hug, sniffling into his shoulder as tears of relief escaped your eyes. When you pulled back to survey his face, his smile turned sympathetic as he brushed a strand of your hair out of your eyes.

"I apologise if I scared you, detective. How are you doing?"

You let out an incredulous huff of breath, "How am I doing?" you practically squeaked, before turning back to Hank, "He almost dies and he asks me how I'm doing!"

Hank shrugged, an amused smile on his face; you could tell he was incredibly relieved to see Connor completely recovered, the alleviation in his eyes was almost tangible.

"Humans do not tend to react well to traumatic events. It creates an intense stress response to witness something so disturbing and can cause adverse effects in behaviour and performance. I was worried you may have experienced some undesirable reactions to trauma-"

"Connor, you talk too much", you cut him off, though you were secretly all too happy to hear his voice, and decided to shut him up with a kiss.

Notes: Thank you for reading! I honestly love you all! Please leave me a review! :D Requests are still closed at the moment!