The sky over the city was ominously dark as the powerful and unseasonably warm wind gusted at dangerously high speeds that shook houses, trembled bridges and kept innocent people inside their homes as they sought shelter from the impending storm. Trees were being blown about with such tremendous force that branches snapped clean away, drying leaves were shredded from their twigs and powerlines began to sway dangerously in the gusting wind with the very possibility of snapping from the power poles. Rolling blackouts were beginning to plague the city as the storm encroached mercilessly over the people, humans and deviants alike, all taking shelter in their homes.

Numerous first responders positioned themselves throughout the city and on the perimeter of the city to watch the skies and report any sign of tail clouds or other dangerous storm phenomenon. It was 'all hands on deck' due to the severity of the storm, and as a result many of the first responders were maintaining constant contact with their allies via radio and texts.

Ready to help Hank and Connor had volunteered to go on storm watch alongside other first responders just outside of the city rather than stay inside the city limits. Parking the Oldsmobile just off the road near a relatively open patch of land Hank stepped outside of the car and leaned up against its side with his arms crossed over his chest and his fascinated blue eyes transfixed on the dark, menacing clouds above.

"There's just something so damn hypnotic about storms." Hank stated as he watched the dark clouds above slowly crossing over the expansive sky like spilled ink. Powerful gusts of wind swept over the area causing street signs to shudder and bend and caused digital billboards to flicker in and out of power. "If we see any sign of a funnel coming down we need to find shelter."

Connor had joined Hank outside the car and had begun running a cybernetic scan of the cloud activity overhead and provided real time updates to keep the weather predictions as accurate as possible. Putting his hand up over his eyes to shield them from the stinging wind as he stood beside Hank, the deviant gave the senior detective an update. "There is an appropriate storm shelter one point four miles South of here. We can use it if it becomes necessary."

"Good to know." Hank's eyes never left the sky. He didn't even seem phased by the stinging wind cutting into his skin as he watched the sky diligently. "I don't think the Oldsmobile could outrun a tornado anymore."

A heavy rain began soaking the area in a massive deluge of nature. While the wind gusted violently the cool rain began to pour from the dark clouds above and rumbles of thunder began to echo in the distance. Lightning flashed and lit up the darkness of the clouds with blinding brilliance. A massive tree branch snapped from the trunk of a nearby tree and crashed to the ground loudly just a few yards from the car.

Connor pulled on Hank's arm as his L.E.D. flashed from a cautious yellow to an alert red. "It's not safe to be out here. We need to get back inside the car."

"Yeah, sure." Hank almost sounded disappointed as he returned to the car and sat behind the wheel to continue to watch the storm through the windshield. Turning on the windshield wipers the two detectives stared through the glass as it become clear for only a matter of seconds before the rain obstructed their view once more. "This is the kind of weather that really humbles a person, you know?"

The comment was fairly inquisitive to the still learning deviant. "Humbles?"

"Nature is so much more powerful than anything any one person, or a group of people, could ever hope to achieve. It makes me really appreciate a beautiful spring day, you know?"

The active scanning of the storm clouds had unexpectedly put Connor on edge. "Have you ever seen a tornado before?"

"...Yeah." The older man's voice lowered as if trying to avoid upsetting someone that only he could sense. "Once. I was a kid and I was indeed humbled by it."

"Was it here in the city?"

"Yup. I was eleven, almost twelve, and the city was hit with thirteen tornadoes in a single day. Seemed like something out of a horror movie or some shit. The strongest tornado that was recorded that day was an F-3." The memories of the destruction had momentarily distracted Hank's thoughts. "Hard to believe there are tornadoes that can be even stronger than that."

"You actually witnessed one of the tornadoes in person?"

"Yeah... It formed just East of the Detroit River. My dad and I saw it form right before our eyes. Needless to say, it cut our fishing trip very short."

"Were you scared?"

"Petrified." Hank admitted as he watched the clouds with a hauntingly distant stare. "I was still a kid, still innocent to how violent the world can be. But seeing nature in all of its glorious untamed fury leaves an impact on you. An impact that'll never leave you no matter how old you are or what you've already seen."

Connor didn't like the unsettling tone of Hank's voice. "Were you injured during the storm?"

"No. My dad and I were well out of harm's way. And mom got to the basement at our old house in time. The house received some nasty wind damage and the kitchen window broke, but we were all okay. That's all that mattered."

"Your mother." Connor noted that Hank rarely spoke of his family since tragedy seemed to follow him as he grew up. It seemed even his parents were affected by untimely tragedy. "She was ill at that time, correct?"

Once more Hank paused for a moment before he finally answered. "...Yeah. Cancer."

"I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"Don't be sorry. She didn't suffer and that made it easier to accept." Feeling rather melancholy Hank cleared his throat a little before changing the subject. "So... How many storms have you seen, kid?"

"Since my initial activation I have witnessed seventy-two separate storms. Thirty-eight have been traditional summer storms while the remaining thirty-four have been snowstorms."

"Consider yourself lucky. I had nightmares for months after that day with the tornadoes. That kind of sight will haunt you for decades."

The wind gusted harshly and began to rock the car from side to side on its wheels. Connor's L.E.D. flashed to yellow briefly then back to red as he detected a sudden downdraft that caused a tail cloud to form and dip from the sky toward the ground miles below. "...Hank?"

"Yeah, I see it." Picking up his radio Hank issued the warning over the line to dispatch while Connor cybernetically confirmed the warning and sent details that his scanner could detect that weren't visibly prevalent to other devices. By sending in the tornado's exact coordinates they'd be able to give the city the best chance of preparation for imminent disaster. "We'll head for the shelter."

Silently Connor stared out the side window of the car as the storm built in intensity and the wind blew dangerous bits of debris across the road. Thousands of leaves, a few tree branches, discarded trash bags and a few shingles that had been torn loose from the roofs of nearby houses were now scattered about the area. Scraps of old wooden billboards had been torn free of the rusty, neglected nails and even old wooden fence posts had been torn from the soft earth as the wind grew in strength and tossed about everything in its path like they were nothing more than dust being brushed aside from a shelf.

Driving along the road was difficult as the wind threatened to blow the car into a ditch, but Hank maintained control of the vehicle and made it to their destination safely. Pulling the car up to the doors of the large public shelter Hank and Connor stepped out of the car and into the whipping wind as they helped other stopping motorists get inside the partially underground bunker to safety.

There were six other people seeking shelter in that moment and all were very cooperative and surprisingly calm as they gathered inside the shelter together.

Hank and Connor remained outside the shelter door waiting for any other possible person or persons attempting to escape the storm to safety to reach the shelter. Hank had finally had enough of the burning wind and heavy rain and put his arm up to shield his eyes as the storm swirled around him. Connor was able to compensate and adapt to the harsh conditions more easily, but he too was feeling the negative effects of being bombarded by the storm and looked completely disheveled as the wind swept his unruly hair around and threatened to rip his tie from around his neck.

"There are no other people in the immediate vicinity!" Connor shouted over the howling wind as he and Hank remained in charge of the shelter. His scanner indicated no additional human vital signs or deviant signatures in the area rushing to the shelter. It was okay to go inside and seal the door. "We can't afford to remain-" Connor let out a sudden gasp of pain as something sharp and jagged pierced through his right calf causing the deviant to fall to his knees as the intense and unexpected pain forced his leg to buckle from beneath him. "Hank?!"

"Shit! Connor!" Hank quickly grabbed onto the deviant's arm and pulled him up until he was awkwardly balancing on his one good leg. "I gotcha'! I gotcha'..." Pulling Connor's arm around his shoulders Hank helped Connor to limp inside the shelter and to lean against the smooth concrete wall at the top of the descending staircase before pulling the heavy metal doors shut and locking them with a metal bar and chain. "Can you walk?" Wind whipped up again and nearly stole Hank's breath as the pressure began to mount against the exterior of the shelter. "Come on, we need to join the others."

"Right." Connor limped at Hank's side as Thirium soaked through the leg of his jeans and stained the already dark denim a darker shade of blue. Ignoring the pain and the large piece of wooden debris that had struck and was still embedded in his calf, Connor focused entirely on aiding the frightened people inside the shelter waiting for the storm to blow over. "...That was uncomfortably close."

"Can you still scan the storm?" Hank asked as he and Connor reached the bottom of the wide short, concrete staircase together. The other people were pressed up against the far side of the protective space and huddled down in fear. "Can you give me another update?"

"Yes. My scanner is still functioning at full capacity and range."

"How close is it?"

The emergency solar powered lights flickered as a powerful gust of wind managed to create a nearly suffocating pressure within the confines of the concrete shelter causing the deviant to look up at the malfunctioning source of illumination. "...Very."

"Yeah... I kinda' figured that might be a dumb question." The senior detective admitted as he felt adrenaline surging through his veins. "I had to ask anyway."

"Understandable."

Making their way to the back of the shelter where the other six people were already pressed up against the far concrete wall, Hank and Connor sat down on the floor and kept calm dispositions to keep the other people calm as well. The six people were composed of two families, two fathers, one mother and three kids. The two families were strangers to one another and yet all of the children were being protectively cradled by the adults as they huddled together and embraced one another for support.

Lowering his voice Hank motioned to Connor's right leg as the deviant sat at his immediate left side. "How's your leg?"

"It's functional but sore." Connor ran a quick scan over the large piece of debris, identifying it as a nine inch by four inch wooden shard from a picket fence from a nearby farm. "The bleeding has already stopped. I'll remove it after we return to the precinct." The deviant's brow furrowed as he noted a stain of fresh red blood on Hank's left upper arm and made a move to examine it but froze. "You're wounded as well."

"Huh?"

Silently Connor pointed to the bloody portion of Hank's arm as to not worry the other people in the shelter at the sight of the blood.

"Oh, shit." Hank ran his right hand down his arm and felt a sudden burning pain. "Damn. I didn't even feel that."

"It's also a shard of wood from a picket fence." Connor's scanner identified it easily and compared it the debris embedded in his own leg. "You will require medical intervention to remove it properly as well as a few stitches to properly close the wound."

"Looking forward to it..."

The lights flickered again as the storm relentlessly barreled down on the shelter and those huddled inside. Keeping his scanner honed in on the storm, noting the severity of said storm and its proximity to the shelter itself, Connor prepared for the worst. "Hank. It's on us."

Instinctively Hank turned his face away from the staircase and the door as the metal barricade began to buckle and creak under the powerful force of the devastating wind. Connor mirrored Hank's motion and kept his face turned away and put a hand over the back of his head as if the appendage could somehow provide some form of additional protection despite the plastimetal frame of his cranium being twice as thick as his hand.

The lights went completely dark as the tornado's powerful wind swept over the area and destroyed just about everything it touched. Only the steady flickering of Connor's red tinted L.E.D. filled the otherwise black space. Dead or dying trees were blown over, numerous powerlines had been pulled down creating additional blackouts, the siding and shingles of the houses that were as close as several yards and as far as several miles away swirled around the shelter and became embedded in any surface they struck.

The children began to cry and whimper in fear as the adults did their best to maintain some semblance of control and make them feel safe. Soft speaking voices of encouragement and soothing words were lost in the thunderous cascade of debris littering the exterior of the shelter in a form of storm induced spray of bullets.

A single deafening 'thud' from the exterior of the shelter resonated throughout the interior as something very large, possibly a tree or even a car, had struck the shelter from the outside causing a chaotic ambience. As the sound echoed through the shelter the children all screamed in fear while the parents hugged them even tighter to try to make them feel safe.

What felt like hours passed by slowly but in actuality the storm had only lasted a few tense minutes. The shelter stopped quaking and the door no longer groaned and threatened to buckle against the wind as the storm began to mercifully weaken. With a loud 'pop' the lights returned to normal illumination in what had been a pitch black shelter signifying that the worst of it was now over.

It was eerily quiet inside the shelter. The only sounds came from the frightened whimpering of the terrified children being held in the arms of the adults.

"Everyone all right?" Hank asked out loud as he and Connor rose from the floor and stood with their backs against the wall. "Is anyone injured?"

"W-We're okay..." The father replied as and his wife held their sons in their arms. The other mother cradled her daughter against her chest as the parents fought back their own tears of fear for the sake of the children. "We're all okay! Just shaken."

"Stay here," Hank instructed as he motioned for Connor to follow him up the stairwell. "don't move until we give you the all clear."

Obediently the group of six stayed together and breathed in sighs of relief while hugging one another.

Putting his hand to Connor's back Hank looked down at the deviant's calf and watched as Connor shifted his weight slightly to accommodate for the injured leg to keep the pain as minimal as possible. "Can you walk okay?"

"Yes." Connor confirmed as he limped up the stairwell toward the door with Hank right at his side. "The debris didn't strike any main Thirium lines or the joints that support my knee or my ankle. It's merely an uncomfortable inconvenience at worst."

"That's good." Taking hold of the chain that held the door shut Hank unclasped it from its metal supports before sliding the metal bar from its strong lock to unseal the door. Pushing on the already heavy door Hank had unexpected difficulty in opening it as a massive weight was suddenly holding the door shut from the outside. "Feels like there's something pinned up against the door."

Connor nodded as he pressed his right palm against the surface of the door and retracted his artificial skin. Running a scan he detected an increase in the weight confirming Hank's suspicion that something had been wedged in place atop their only exit. "Correct. I believe a tree has fallen against the door."

"Oh, great." Keeping quiet Hank addressed the deviant at his side in a calm but somewhat confused manner. "So, now what do we-"

Without provocation Connor pressed his left shoulder against the door and began pushing as hard as he could at a steady clip. Slowly the door creaked open and the heavy dead tree slid away from its vertical position against the door and rolled away with a second loud 'thud' onto the grass. Connor pushed the shelter door open as wide as possible and stepped through cautiously to examine the area.

"Good work, kid." Impressed with Connor's strength Hank just stood in place for a moment and let the stormy air flow all around him and into the shelter below. "Wish I could do that."

"Hank?" Connor's brow furrowed and his L.E.D. cycled between red and yellow as he cybernetically uploaded and downloaded numerous reports in the aftermath of the storm. Debris and carnage littered the entire area making what was once a scenic park area look more like a war zone. "Everything is... different."

Hank stepped out of the shelter behind Connor and put his hand to the deviant's shoulder and stood beside him on the weather battered grass. The two looked out to the horizon where the dark clouds had parted just enough to let the waning orange rays of the evening sun shine through while a contrastingly brilliant rainbow stretched across the black clouds toward the city. "Things could've been a lot worse, too."

"Yes." Connor agreed in a somber voice as he realized how close everyone had come to tragedy that day. "...Someone could've been killed."

"Exactly." Somewhat relieved Hank stepped back through the door of the shelter to inform the other six occupants that it was now safe to leave. As he rejoined Connor outside Hank pointed to the car and to the large piece of wood that had been impaled through its trunk thanks to the wind. "See that tree over there?" The crushing weight of a downed tree had partially collapsed a nearby concrete barricade as it fell during the storm. "That's why we don't hide in our cars during a tornado."

Connor nodded his head in agreement as he limped over to the car and grabbed onto the wooden post with both hands and pulled it free of the car's metal frame swiftly. "The car can still run. The damage is mostly cosmetic."

"The whole car is rolling cosmetic damage, I don't mind. We need to get back to the city to help with casualties and the clean-up procedures." Despite experiencing the true ferocity of the storm almost firsthand Hank remained professional and focused on his duties as a first responder. "Think you can function on one sore leg?"

"Easily." The deviant replied curtly as he threw the wooden post aside and brushed the rain soaked leaves from the headlights and windows of the car with his sleeve. "What about your one arm?"

"If you can use one leg I can use one arm." Putting his palm over the still tender and somewhat bleeding wound Hank gave Connor a light smirk as he watched the three parents carrying their three children exit the shelter and embrace one another in utter relief. "...Smartass."

It was almost midnight when Hank and Connor were finally relieved of duty and allowed to return home to rest and to take care of their own personal matters in the aftermath of the devastating storm. Fortunately the house was far enough away from the heart of the storm that the only damage the property received was a downed tree branch in the backyard, some scattered dead leaves, dirty windows, loose fence boards and a scared Sumo cowering under Hank's bed. The clean-up was swift and the two detectives were able to check all the doors and windows to ensure that the house would remain properly secured in their frames regardless of the weather.

After a few minutes Connor managed to coax Sumo out from under the bed by calling the dog's name and offering him a treat, but Hank was still trying to figure out how such a large dog was able to cram himself in the narrow space under the bed to begin with. It was as comical as it was fascinating.

"Come Sumo, outside." Connor held the backdoor open for Sumo but the dog was still too frightened to go out. Whimpering pathetically Sumo stood beside the kitchen table with his tail tucked between his legs and stared up at Connor as if trying to negotiate. "Do I have to go out with you?"

Hank crossed his arms over his chest, the bandage over his stitched up left forearm overlaying the right arm, as he stood in the kitchen watching the deviant play negotiator with the massive bundle of cowering fluff. "Yup. Giant ball of fur does this every time he gets left alone during a storm."

"All right, Sumo." Despite having his damaged leg bandaged up and his self healing program working at full capacity, Connor still limped a little when he walked. Exiting the door with Sumo right at his side Connor waited for the dog to take care of his business before letting him back inside for the night. Sumo ran outside and ran back inside in record time as he wanted nothing to do with the storm or its aftermath. As he rushed past Connor into the livingroom the deviant limped back inside, closed the door behind himself and locked it tight. "Too bad Sumo doesn't take of things that quickly every time I let him outside."

"You okay?" Hank asked as he watched Connor lean up against the closed backdoor and shift his weight accordingly. "Your leg looks like it's still bothering you a little bit."

"Yes, I'm fine." Connor looked over at Hank and studied the senior detective's face carefully as he reached his hand down to check the clean bandages over his calf. There was no additional bleeding and his processor wasn't detecting any further anomalies. "I'm healing appropriately. How's your arm?"

"Sore." Admitting the discomfort Hank looked down at the affected limb and sighed a little. He hated having to take care of stitches. "It'll be fine by morning."

"I don't detect any sign of infection. That's also good."

Trying to gauge Connor's true demeanor as the deviant still had difficulty with expressing emotions, Hank wanted to make sure he was going to be okay and wouldn't need any pep talks or guidance before going into rest mode for the night. "You're not even a little freaked out over what happened earlier?"

"No. I'm calm." Limping away from the backdoor Connor gave Hank a puzzled look that made his blue L.E.D. flash to yellow for a moment. "Why do you ask?"

"You've never been through a storm like that before. I just wanted to make sure you're not secretly panicking on the inside and trying to hide it for my sake."

"I'm okay. It was frightening," Connor admitted as he stood before Hank and tried to give him a sense of confidence with his presence. "but it wasn't traumatic. At least it wasn't for me."

"That's good. It screwed me up for a long time as a kid, and I'd hate for you to experience the same thing."

"What about you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"...No, you're not." This time it was Connor who crossed his arms over his chest and gave Hank a stern look. "You're still upset."

"I'm not upset."

Connor's L.E.D. quickly flashed yellow as he ran a biometric scan over Hank's body and noted his current vital signs. "Your blood pressure is up, your heart rate has increased and I can see you visibly shaking as a result of lingering adrenaline."

Hank let out a deep sigh as his arms fell to his sides in defeat at Connor's keen eyes. "It doesn't take a deviant or a detective to state the obvious, huh?"

"I was shaken up as well, but I didn't have the same frightening experience as a child like you did."

"I hate to break it to ya', kid, but by all accounts you ARE a child."

"Age wise compared to a human, that is a correct observation." Connor admitted as he gave Hank an odd look. "Does my age factor into this at all?"

"And you're innocent." Hank tagged on as he tried to steer the conversation away from himself. "For the most part anyway..."

"Don't try to change the subject, please." Knowing Hank fairly well at this point Connor tried to coax Hank into speaking up about what was on his mind. "Do you want to talk about what happened this afternoon?"

"No, I'm good." Lights flashed in bright blue and red outside and a siren blared as a rescue vehicle sped down the street to the scene of a reported emergency just a few blocks away. "...Maybe we'll talk later."

"When you are ready to talk I'll be ready to listen. Okay?"

"Yeah, thanks." Running his hand through his gray hair Hank let out a weary sigh and let his shoulders slump a little. "I don't imagine I'll sleep very well tonight but I'm fine. For now."

"Do you wish to stay up and watch a movie? It'll take your mind off the storm and could potentially aid your ability to fall asleep."

"Might as well. Between my impending insomnia and the sound of sirens blaring throughout the city all night, I don't think anyone is going to get much rest."

Connor nodded and made his way toward the livingroom with the intent of finding a suitable movie to watch, only to have Hank's voice call out to him and stop him mid stride.

"Thanks for staying so calm back there in the shelter. Truth be told, that's part of the reason I was able to stay calm."

"You were afraid?" The young deviant was truly surprised by the admission of fear. "You're never afraid. You're the most courageous person I know."

"Not true. I'm afraid fairly often." Hank cleared his throat and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck anxiously as he too headed toward the livingroom to try to sit down and forget about the storm. "I've been afraid ever since I was a rookie and I don't think there's ever been a day that's passed when I haven't been afraid for one reason or another whenever I'm on the clock."

Impressed with Hank's emotional fortitude Connor's head tilted a little as he continued to speak with the senior detective curiously. "You never show it."

"That's the trick to being brave, son. You learn to push through your fear and handle whatever comes your way. If you try to deny fear and act like nothing scares you, then you're just lying to yourself." Passing on some wise words Hank made sure to give the still learning deviant as much emotional guidance as possible. "Only a fool knows no fear."

"...A human proverb."

"Yup. I think it holds merit to this day."

Connor gave Hank a reassuring grin as he sat down on the couch and propped his injured leg up on the coffee table in front of him. "If it's any consolation I was afraid, too. I was only able to remain calm because you didn't fail to act in the face of danger and you took charge of the situation. I've never seen such a brutally powerful act of nature before." For a moment his L.E.D. flashed to red before returning to its normal blue color. "You were right, it's a very humbling experience."

"Let's hope we never have to see another one like it ever again. We're humble enough as it is." Hank walked passed Connor and clapped him on the shoulder as he sat on the couch beside him. Kicking up his own feet Hank leaned back against the couch cushions and tried to relax as much as he could. "All right, let's find a movie to watch and keep each other from freaking out too much tonight."

"That seems ideal." Connor patted the side of his leg and Sumo immediately jumped up from his pillow in the corner to cower on Connor's lap in need of feeling safe again. "I suspect Sumo would appreciate our company tonight, too."

"Let's just hope Sumo doesn't need us to keep him company outside from now on." Rubbing the massive dog's ears Hank sighed and sank back into the couch to try to relax. "I'm not a fan of going outside just because Sumo is too sensitive for his own good."

-next chapter-

Authors Note: Despite popular belief it is NOT the meteorologists or the weather channel that watches the sky for tornadic activity. It's the fire and police departments who go out and monitor the clouds visually and radio in to the news stations to give real time updates. The weather forecast uses satellites to calculate the odds and most likely areas to be hit by dangerous weather, but seeing as storm activity can OBSTRUCT satellite view their predictions are going to be less accurate when they need the accuracy more than ever. It's the first responders who're keeping you safe during these dangerous times, the weather station just reports what the first responders are visually witnessing and can confirm in person.