Responding to an emergency call from a deviant in distress had interfered with their afternoon routine of filing reports and handling paperwork. Hank and Connor were the first to arrive at the scene of the address reported and found themselves outside of a decrepit, neglected house in one of the most rundown and dangerous neighborhoods in the entire city. A rusty chainlink fence lined with crudely wrapped barbed wire over the top surrounded the crumbling house's property and barred anyone from setting foot on the unruly grass without entering through the locked front gate. It was a truly foreboding presence that effectively kept any curious onlookers away.
The house itself was a single story building with a crumbling roof, boarded up windows over the broken glass and numerous heavy locks on the front door. There was no porch to speak of, only warped wooden steps leading to the door that was far from inviting. The lawn was as neglected as the house; unmowed, densely overgrown, full of weeds, dead grass and barren dirt patches all around the property.
In the backyard a single massive yet emaciated dog, a mix between a pitbull and a Rottweiler, barked and snarled from its chain as it anxiously pulled on the full length of the metal cable keeping it restrained to the single tree in the rear of the property. There were massive scars along the dog's sides and over its muzzle indicating years of abuse and illegal underground fighting. The dog itself was fearless as it viciously snarled at the unwelcome detectives encroaching on the property.
"This place is atrocious." Connor noted as the Oldsmobile pulled up in front of the house. His scanner immediately honed in on the barking dog and he felt his heart skip a beat. "There is even an abused animal on the premises."
The sound of shouting and heavy 'bangs' inside the house indicated the ongoing disturbance that had elicited the original emergency call effectively drawing the detectives' attention from the dog and toward the house.
"Come on." Hank urged as he pushed open his door and drew his gun from the holster on his right hip. "Whoever's in there is still in danger. We'll worry about the dog later."
"I'm right behind you." Connor kept his own gun holstered around his back and beneath his blazer as he ran a scan over the property and approached the locked gate of the fence warily. Following Hank to the fence Connor's keen eyes swept over the property only to immediately fall onto the sturdy padlock wrapped around the chain that kept the single gateway barred shut. "This is the only entrance."
The gate was secured by a thick, rusty chain and a massive padlock that was keeping the chain in place. Noting the weakest link in the chain Connor pulled down as hard as he could against the compromised link until it snapped open finally allowing the deviant to pull the weakened chain away.
"I'll go first." Ever protective Hank volunteered to take the lead as he pushed through the gate and rushed up to the front door over the uneven steps of the warped, rotting porch. Connor joined him and positioned himself beside the door from the opposite side of where Hank was already standing and lowered his gun toward the ground as Hank alerted the occupant of the house to their presence with an authoritative voice. "DETROIT POLICE."
The loud commotion inside the house continued even after Hank announced his presence. Reeling back one leg Hank kicked down the front door just below the locked doorknob then quickly pressed his back up against the exterior side of the house next to the door opposite side of Connor. Hank retreated to his original place just in case someone or something went barreling through the door, and to keep out of sight.
Nothing.
Entering the house with his gun held low, Hank caught the ongoing assault in the act and lifted his gun to aim at the violent man as he issued his next order before it was too late to help the victim. "DROP THE KNIFE."
The man committing the assault was a short, burly man who looked like he hadn't bathed in weeks. He reeked of cheap beer, body odor and had all the obvious signs of 'red ice' addiction. A large kitchen knife was clutched in his Thirium covered right hand and he was threatening to stab the already battered and terrified deviant cowering on the floor at his feet.
The deviant who had called for help, a 'Jerry' model, was laying on his back with his arms up defensively as he endured the vicious assault. Long cuts marred the deviant's arms and face, and a few lacerations stained his shoulders and chest. Each cut was seeping blue blood and his eyes were wide with fear as he laid submissive on the floor hoping for someone, anyone, to come to his rescue.
The man turned to look at Hank with wild eyes and shaking hands as he slowly raised up his arms and dropped the knife at his feet with a sickening clatter.
"DON'T. MOVE." Hank warned as he approached the man and used his foot to kick the knife away from the man's reach as a precautionary measure. "You're under arrest for assault and attempted murder."
Connor saw that Hank had the situation under control and cybernetically requested a squad car at their location to take the suspect into custody, while also requesting an android ambulance to tend to the victim.
"Come with me outside." Offering the victim a hand Connor helped him up this feet and escorted him outside to wait for the ambulance. "You'll be okay. Your damage is external and none of your main Thirium lines or biocomponents have been compromised."
From the backyard the angry, ferocious dog had pulled on his chain with so much force and impressive strength that he had managed to pull the compromised chain away from the dying tree's thick trunk and caused the weakened links to bend and snap. Breaking free the enraged dog ran toward the front of the house to find the two 'trespassing' detectives and protect his horrible master.
As the dog charged across the property toward the front door Connor found himself being tackled from the front and down onto the surface of the wooden porch as the massive, snarling beast sank its sharp teeth into Connor's right forearm. The angry dog bit down with enough strength from its powerful jaws that it managed to crack the white plastimetal frame of Connor's arm while tearing into the artificial skin, drawing dark blue blood to the surface with a painful gush.
"H-HANK?!"
Connor called out for help as he used his left hand to grab onto the dog's leather collar to try to push it away from his arm and then use his knee to push the massive, snarling beast at bay. He struggled to pull his arm free of the dog's jaws, but it was no use, and the terrified victim could only watch helplessly as his rescuer was being mauled by the enraged dog. Connor's L.E.D. was blinking red rapidly in distress as he tried and failed to free his arm and could only call out for his partner.
"HANK! HELP!"
Reacting quickly Hank dragged and cuffed the surrendering suspect to the thick pipe under the nearby bathroom sink to ensure he couldn't escape or get another weapon while he turned his back and raced outside to help Connor. Grabbing onto the strip of metallic chain still attached to the dog's collar Hank jumped on the dog's back and pried its jaws open wide enough for Connor to pull his arm free at last. As Connor scrambled back along the porch with his bleeding arm clutched protectively to his chest, the wounded deviant ran a scan over the damage he had sustained while also running a scan over the dog to try to determine why it had attacked him.
"I got him!" Hank kept one hand on the dog's collar while using his other hand to wrap the chain around the snarling dog's mouth to keep it from snapping and biting anything or anyone else. "Call animal control!" The senior detective shouted as he watched Connor slowly get back to his feet and process what had just happened while he and the victim stepped off the porch and toward the street. "We're going to need some help in getting this guy wrangled."
"...I-I'm on it." Connor confirmed as he made the cybernetic call and backed away from the massive dog while Hank kept it pinned down to the porch with relative difficulty. With his left hand clasped around his bleeding right forearm Connor was left shaking and his glowing red L.E.D. expressed his fear and shock for all to see. "...They'll be here shortly."
Being attack and assaulted were so common with deviants that the victims almost seemed used to having to deal with it. With a heavy heart Connor sat on the bumper of the android unique ambulance while one of the emergency technicians tended to his injured arm and the second emergency technician took care of the assaulted 'Jerry' model on the stretcher inside of the ambulance. Neither of the two deviants were in critical condition, but they weren't exactly in the best of shape either. Covered in blue blood and looking entirely shaken by everything they had just gone through, the two deviants were clearly ready for the unusual day to come to an end.
Animal control had arrived at the scene within a few minutes and had secured a strong halo line around the dog's neck to secure the dangerous animal in the back of their truck. The massive, snarling beast had barked, growled and snapped everyone during the entire altercation and had been deemed too dangerous to be re-homed and would not be returned to his current owner. The poor animal would have to be put down for the safety of other people, androids and other animals.
"How's your arm?" Hank asked as he stared down at the white bandages wrapped around the bloodied limb that Connor was still clutching to his chest. The gray blazer had been damaged during the attack and the sleeve had been cut open along with the sleeve of the white dress shirt beneath in order to get to the affected limb. It was a pitiful sight to see Connor holding his own arm like a child cradling a scraped knee. "It looks okay to me."
"It'll heal without any permanent damage."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm just... overwhelmed." Slowly the red L.E.D. pulsed back to yellow as he spoke and admitted he felt shaken to his core. "I had never been attacked by an animal before. I didn't know what to do."
"It happens from time to time. Lucky for you that dog went for your arm and not your throat." Putting his hand on Connor's right shoulder Hank motioned for the deviant to follow him back to the car to take their leave of the scene. "Let's get back to the precinct. I want to know why that fuck that guy tried to tear apart this deviant in the first place."
"...Yes. Of course."
With a hesitant motion Connor jumped down from the ambulance's bumper and followed after Hank while keeping his arm pressed up against his chest and flexed his fingers a few times to ensure the limb wasn't compromised. Glancing at the large animal control van where the snarling, vicious dog was still barking and growling loudly, Connor felt a small piece of his heart break in a way he couldn't explain.
After being arrested and taken into interrogation the man admitted that he had attacked the 'Jerry' model because 'Harry', as the victim become known, had found his drug stashed and disposed of it. It was the very task the man had hired Harry to do after seeking help for his drug addiction, and as withdrawal set in his temper flared up. Unfortunately. Harry hadn't been prepared for the erratic and violent behavior often exhibited by humans going through very horrible, and occasionally fatal symptoms of withdrawal. Harry had done his job as the man's live-in sponsor and support, and in the end Harry was horrible abused and nearly killed for his efforts.
Connor had spent the remainder of his shift absentmindedly rubbing his left hand over his damaged right forearm while also thinking about the dog that attacked him without provocation. It seemed so unfair that the dog, who had been abused and neglected by its owner, had been condemned to death while the owner himself would have to pay a fine and spend only a few years behind bars for his act of cruelty.
It seemed like the entire day had been filled with misfortune and grim outcomes for everyone involved. But at least the day had come to an end and the two detectives could finally go home with their case properly solved.
"Connor?" Hank called to the deviant still sitting quietly in the parked car in the driveway beside the house. "You coming inside or what?"
"Y-Yes. Sorry." Pushing open the car door Connor quickly followed after Hank into the house through the backdoor and unexpectedly froze when Sumo ran up to greet him in the kitchen. The massive dog trotted toward Connor quickly and stood before him expectantly as was his usual routine whenever his masters came home from work. "H-Hi, Sumo."
Hank heard the fearful stammering in Connor's voice and looked over his shoulder to see Connor with his back nervously pressed up against the kitchen cabinets as he stared down at Sumo with his L.E.D. blinking a rapid yellow. "Hey, come on." Quick to stop the unnecessary phobia before it set in Hank played the paternal voice of reason the Saint Bernard's behalf. "You know Sumo would never hurt you."
"Y-Yes." Connor lowered his left hand toward Sumo's head and began rubbing the dog's ears with the same affection as he had shown countless times before as Sumo sniffed Connor's knuckles and then licked his hand. "But the other dog attacked me and I hadn't done anything to provoke it. I believe I'm what you would call 'jumpy'."
"You didn't have to do anything provoke that dog." Sighing despondently Hank watched as Connor and Sumo seemed to reintroduce themselves to each other and addressed the bleak issue and results of animal cruelty. "That poor dog had been beaten so severely that the only thing it understood was aggression. It would've attacked me just as quickly as it attacked you. It just so happens he saw you first."
"Why is it okay for that dog to be euthanized but his owner gets to live?" Connor crouched down in front of Sumo and scratched the dog's neck and muzzle as his L.E.D. cycled back from yellow to blue. He knew deep down that Sumo would never attack anyone without a damn good reason. "It's not fair."
"I honestly don't know. You're right, though. It's NOT fair."
Standing back up Connor slipped off his torn up blazer so he could mend the sleeve later on, (yet again). The shirt beneath was a lost cause but it didn't matter, Connor could easily buy other white dress shirts to replace it. "I'm going to change into clean clothes and replace the bandages on my arm."
As Connor walked into his bedroom to change into a clean t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, Sumo followed right behind the deviant as if he could sense that Connor was upset and wanted to comfort him.
Hank had retired to the livingroom and watched as Connor wandered back down the hallway and sat down on the couch with his damaged blazer and a small sewing kit in his hand. Sumo was still on his heels and determined to keep Connor company throughout the rest of the evening.
"Son, I really hope this little experience doesn't leave you with a negative perception of all animals."
"No, of course not." Connor looked down at Sumo who licked a little at his hand just above the fresh bandages over his arm. Threading the needle with a strand of gray silk Connor set about repairing the torn up sleeve of his blazer to the best of his ability. "I understand that what that dog did wasn't his fault. I just wish I could've done something to save him from an unfair punishment."
"Sorry, kid. Animals can't be domesticated once they've been abused to such a severe extent. There's nothing that either of us could've done to save him."
"That human needs to suffer a punishment equivalent to that dog's death."
"I agree with one-hundred percent. I honestly do."
"...That doesn't seem like an overreaction?"
"Nah!" Brushing off the comment Hank knew exactly where Connor was coming from. "At least not after a day like to day, it isn't. It's normal to want to see horrible people suffer horrible fates."
"Maybe. That doesn't mean it's right to wish ill will on anyone though."
"True enough. Guess that's another reason why deviants are going to finally set this fucked up world in the right direction."
Putting his hand over Sumo's head Connor rubbed the lovable dog's ears gently and was rewarded with Sumo licking the side of his hand. "Good boy."
-next chapter-