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Hank and Connor walked through the quiet park, snow crunching under their shoes. Sumo trudged ahead of the two, tugging on the leash held in Connor’s hand. It was March now but still plenty cold, and the big dog was enjoying the weather much more than Hank and Connor. While the android didn’t exactly experience cold in the same way humans did, extreme temperatures could still cause his joints to lock up and lead to damage to his electrical components if they persisted for too long. As it was, a light jacket would have sufficed, but Hank had insisted on bundling him up in a thick wool coat. Now that they were actually out in the cold, Connor found himself grateful. Hank was also bundled up in thick layers, occasionally grumbling about the ‘damn snow’ as they made their way through the park. They were already on their third loop of the circular path that wound its way around the park’s perimeter.
“You didn’t have to come if you didn’t want to Hank,” Connor said, looking over at the lieutenant as he let out another muttered swear, “I can handle Sumo on my own.”
“I’m sure you can,” Hank rolled his eyes, “But I needed to get out of the house for a while anyways.”
It wasn’t entirely the truth. Sure it was probably a good thing to get some fresh air, but Hank didn’t really want to be out in all this snow. It was more that he was a little concerned about letting Connor wander around the park by himself at this time in the afternoon. Sure, the android was programmed to be an adult, but in reality he hadn’t been alive - or activated or whatever - for more than a few months. And while androids did have rights now, tensions were still high from those who resisted the change. Just that week they’d had to cover four more cases of violence against androids from rebelling humans. And this park was pretty low traffic at this time, making it an ideal place for someone to cause trouble if the opportunity arose. Well, Hank wouldn’t let it happen, even if that meant taking an hour-long walk in twenty degree weather. He rubbed his gloved hands together, trying to force some warmth back into them.
“We can head back now if you’re getting cold,” Connor offered, slowing to a stop. Sumo didn’t stop and looked back with a huff as he reached the end of his leash.
“Yeah, it’ll probably be getting dark soon anyway,” Hank agreed. He turned around and began walking back toward where they parked the car, but paused when he did hear Connor following behind him. He looked back to the android, who was still standing where he’d stopped.
“You coming?” He got no reply. The android’s posture was rigid, back eerily straight, and his LED was spinning a tense yellow. Hank frowned and walked back over to him.
“What’s going on son?” he asked. Connor still didn’t respond. His eyes were narrowed, staring off somewhere into the distance. His LED flickered red for half a rotation before returning to yellow.
“Hey-”
“Hank, I think something’s wrong,” Connor suddenly turned to him, eyes wide.
“What are you talking about?” But Connor didn’t respond, only shoved Sumo’s leash into Hank’s hand before bolting off in the direction he’d been staring.
“Connor! Hey wait just- shit,” Hank took off after him. Unfortunately, since androids didn’t get out of breath and Hank was out of shape, Connor ended up several yards ahead of the older man. It was taking everything Hank had not to lose sight of him completely. Sumo bounded next to him, tongue flapping happily in the air.
When Hank felt like his body was on the verge of giving out, he finally saw what Connor must have been referring to off in the distance. There was a small crowd of people gathered around the edge of a frozen lake. A woman was screaming something that Hank couldn’t quite make out. Trees obscured his view from the rest of the lake, but it couldn’t be anything good. Connor had already arrived and seemed to be talking to the woman who had been screaming. Before Hank had any chance to reach him or even call out, the android was walking out onto the frozen surface. Hank picked up his pace, ignoring his protesting heart to arrive at the lake’s edge a few seconds later.
“Connor!” he panted, hunched over with his hands on his knees, “what the f-” he cut off the curse, noticing a small group of children out of the corner of his eye, “what… are you doing?”
“I’m going to retrieve Amy,” Connor said without even turning around. Sumo whined, tugging against the leash to get to the android and it took both hands to hold him back.
“What? Who’s Amy?”
“She’s my daughter,” a woman spoke up behind Hank, her voice watery with tears. Hank looked past Connor, only now seeing a small form huddled at least ten yards from shore on the frozen lake. The woman continued, “she was playing with her friends… I told them to stay away from the lake but they didn’t listen, “ a small sob broke through, “she slipped. She must be hurt, she won’t move from that spot.”
“Did you call 911?” Hank asked, and the woman nodded.
“Three minutes ago,” she affirmed. Hank turned back towards the lake. Connor was already a third of the way there, shuffling slowly across the ice.
“Dammit, get back here Connor! It’s too dangerous, and the firefighters will be here any minute!” Hank shouted. Connor only stopped for a moment to look back at Hank and shake his head.
“The ice will be too thin for them Hank, my plastic frame is lighter. She can’t wait much longer Hank,” he called back to him. He was right and Hank hated it, hated it with every fiber of his being. He should have made them leave thirty minutes earlier, or refused to let them go out at all, except… No, it was a good thing they were here, that the little girl trapped on the ice wouldn’t have to wait for who knows how long for the firefighters to get her back to shore without breaking the ice. But he couldn’t push down the growing feeling of dread building up in his stomach. Sumo seemed to agree as he let out a soft whimper, though he’d finally stopped tugging on his leash.
Connor had gotten further now, nearly halfway to the stranded little girl. He stopped, then got down on his hands and knees before laying fully on his chest. He began a slow army crawl toward the girl. Hank let out a small breath. At least the android seemed to know a little about moving on thin ice. It was slower going, and by the time he reached the girl, the firefighters and an ambulance had finally arrived. The two firefighters jogged up to the edge of the lake, and Hank waved them over.
“What’s the situation?” one of the men asked. Along with Amy’s mom, Hank explained what had happened so far. The firefighter turned to his partner, likely about to discuss what to do from there when a low cracking sound suddenly broke through the air. Hank’s head whipped around back to the lake, breath catching in his throat.
Connor was sitting up next to the girl, with a hand on her back supporting her. At the sound, his eyes had gone wide and he looked back at the crowd, briefly making eye contact with Hank.
“Catch!” he suddenly shouted. With both hands, he grabbed the girl by her shoulders, laying her flat on her back and swinging as hard as he could toward the shore. She went sliding across the ice at a shockingly fast speed toward them and one of the firefighters stumbled forward onto the thicker ice a few feet out from the shore just in time to catch her. A cheer went up through the crowd but was broken by another loud cracking sound. A second later the ice split and Connor disappeared under the surface.
“Connor!” Hank jolted forward, pulled along by Sumo who had the same idea, but a hand grabbing the back of his coat forced him to stop. He pulled at the grip but was yanked back again.
“Let go!” he shouted, on the verge of squirming out of the coat to break free.
“Going out there won’t do any good!” the firefighter who’d been holding him back snapped, “the ice is already broken, you’ll only make it worse.”
Hank prepared to argue more, or even hit the man if that’s what it took to get away, when he heard a splashing sound from the lake. Connor had resurfaced and was struggling to pull himself back onto solid ice.
“There see, it’s coming back,” the firefighter grunted.
“It?” Hank ground out, feeling his blood beginning to boil. The firefighter rolled his eyes.
“It - he - doesn’t matter. Listen, we saved the girl, that’s all that matters.”
Hank wanted to tell this asshole off, tell him how he didn’t do shit and if Connor wasn’t there who knows what would have happened to that little girl. That Connor was more human than this piece of trash would ever be. But that wasn’t what was important right now. Right now he needed to get Connor out of that lake, and he couldn’t do it without help.
“We still need to get him back in,” Hank pointed to the lake where Connor had still been unsuccessful in fully pulling himself out of the water.
“I told you it-”
“Androids have rights now too, so you can fucking help us, “ Hank flashed the man his police badge, “or I can take you down to the station.” The firefighter scowled at him but didn’t have much choice.
“Fine!” he spat, “But I’m too heavy in my gear, especially now that the ice is broken. I have some rope to throw to him, but you’ll have to be the one to crawl out there,” he walked to the firetruck and began rummaging through the gear storage.
“Alright,” Hank waited behind him. He didn’t want this guy going out to Connor anyways. With that attitude, the asshole would probably just shove him back under before actually helping him. Probably being slow on purpose, the guy took a full minute to find the rope. Hank snatched it out of his hands with a glare before marching over to the lake. He only waited long enough to tie Sumo’s leash to a nearby park bench - which the St. Bernard was decidedly not happy about - before he made his way onto the frozen lake. Noticing the lieutenant coming towards him, Connor called out.
“H-Hank, be careful! The i-ice-”
“Just hold on son, I’ll be there soon!” Hank interrupted him, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. Though the android was trying to mask it, Hank could tell he was beginning to panic from the wide-eyed stare and glaring red LED. Connor’s hands were balled into fists on top of the ice and it looked like he was struggling to hold himself up. Hank distantly heard the firetruck departing but ignored it.
Once he was halfway there, he got down till his stomach was flat against the cool ice, feeling the damp cold sink into his chest. He wiggled forward, wincing as the hairline fractures in the ice crackled under him. When he was within ten feet of Connor he stopped.
“Get ready, I’m going to toss the rope to you!” Connor nodded, and slowly opened one of his fists, holding the hand out towards Hank as much as he was able. Hank grabbed one end of the rope and swung as hard as he could, flinging it toward the android. It slid within Connor's reach and he grasped it with his outstretched hand.
“G-got it!” Connor shouted.
“Ok, just hang on as tight as you can!” Hank ordered. Then he shuffled himself backward as quickly as he was able while still being safe. Once he was close enough to the shore for the ice to be able to support his weight he stood up and began pulling on the rope. The ice cracked under Connor a few more times, but eventually Hank was able to pull him from the hole and the ice held. He picked up the pace, dragging Connor back to him until he was only a couple of feet away before he dropped the rope and went to the android’s side.
Connor was trying and failing to push himself off the ground, and Hank crouched down beside him, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him into a sitting position. Even through the sleeve of his coat, Hank could feel the icy chill radiating off of him. Connor reached out, grasping onto the front of Hank’s coat with one hand, burying his head against the older man’s shoulder.
“Hey I’ve got you, you’re all right,” Hank comforted, running a hand through Connor’s damp hair which had already started to crystallize in the frosty air. “What’s your temperature at?” he asked.
“Ninety-three point seven d-degrees,” Connor answered, voice muffled against Hank’s shoulder. Shit, he was far too cold. And Hank could feel the temperature of the air dropping further as the sun began to set. They needed to get back home and get Connor warmed up fast.
“Do you think you can walk?” Hank asked. Connor shook his head weakly.
“Alright, that’s okay,” Hank said. He tightened his arm around Connor’s shoulder and slipped his other arm under the android’s legs, before lifting him up. He was lighter than a human, but there was no way Hank’s back could handle carrying him all the way to the car. Instead, he brought him to the bench where Sumo was tethered, whining and pulling towards them. The big dog leaped onto the bench as soon as Hank set Connor down, laying across the android’s body. But Connor’s hand didn’t let go from where he’d grasped Hank’s coat.
“Pl-please don’t leave,” his voice sounded so small, and Hank had to swallow back the emotions threatening to spill out. He still didn’t have time to freak out yet, it had to wait. Connor needed him to be the calm one, at least a little while longer.
“I’m going to be right back, I promise. I just need to go get the car,” he gently grabbed Connor’s hand and untangled his fingers from his coat. “Here,” he slipped the thick garment off and laid it over both Connor and Sumo. “I’ll be back in just a minute,” he repeated, and then took off.
The adrenaline still pumping through him gave him the energy he needed to run until he reached where the car was parked. Panting, he tore open the door and jammed the keys into the ignition. The tires squealed as he pulled out from the parking space and drove off, back to where he’d left Connor and Sumo. When he got there, he didn’t even bother to turn the car off before clambering out.
“I’m back,” he said, as he came to a stop by the bench. But there was no response, and Connor’s eyes had slipped shut. If freezing androids were anything like hypothermic humans, then sleeping was not a good idea. Hank gave Sumo a small shove, and the dog jumped off of the bench with a huff.
“Come on, wake up Connor,” Hank grabbed the android’s shoulder, giving him a small shake. His face twitched, eyebrows scrunching up but he didn’t open his eyes. His LED was still spinning red, but now flickering out occasionally.
“Hey, come on,” he shook him harder this time, “I need you to open your eyes for me son.”
Something resembling a grimace flashed across Connor’s face and his eyes finally flickered open, but they were half-lidded and glassy.
“...Hank?” his voice was slurring slightly.
“I’m here,” he gave Connor’s shoulder a squeeze, “but I need you to stay awake for me until we get home. Can you do that?” Connor nodded, but his movements were lethargic. Wasting no time, Hank lifted Connor off the bench and brought him back to the waiting car, laying him out across the back seat, making sure his coat still covered the android’s body. He ran back, untying Sumo and leading the dog into the back as well, to lay on top of Connor once more.
Hank broke multiple traffic laws on the ride home, the least of which was speeding. But traffic was thankfully light and he made it back in record time. True to his word, Connor had managed to stay awake for the drive home, but it didn’t look like he could keep it up for much longer. Hank opened the door, leading Sumo out and letting the dog inside the house before running back to the car for Connor. He lifted him up, hopefully for the last time as his back was killing him, and carried him in, closing the door with a kick. Hank set him upright on the couch, and the coat that had been serving as a blanket slipped to the floor.
“Do you think you can change out of these clothes on your own?” Hank asked. Connor blinked tiredly, struggling to keep his eyes open, and shook his head.
“ ‘M sorry Hank, my joints… I can’t move ‘nything.”
“That’s alright,” Hank soothed. He got to work, pulling the now frozen clothes off of Connor leaving him sitting on the sofa in only his boxers. He ran to his room, grabbing the warmest things he could find before coming back into the living room. He quickly redressed Connor in at least five layers made up of thermals and various sweaters, slipping on an oversized gray DPD hoodie last.
“What’s your temperature at now?” he reached his hand up, pressing it against Connor’s forehead. It was still cold, but not as extreme as before. Connor leaned into the touch, letting out a soft sight.
“Ninety-five point four and rising.”
“That’s better,” Hank said, brushing his hand through Connor’s hair. “I think you should be safe to go to sleep now. Connor nodded, eyes already slipping shut as Hank helped him lay down on the couch. Sumo was already up, resuming his position as Hank went to retrieve a thick wool blanket from his closet. He spread the thick blanket over the two, pulling it up to Connor’s chin.
With everything finally calm, all the exhaustion and cold from the night hit him at once. He groaned, pressing his hands into his lower back, stretching until he heard a pop. He went into his room, changing into more comfortable clothes and grabbing another extra blanket while he was in there. He entered the living room and settled into the recliner, pulling it back until he was almost laying down and wrapped the blanket around himself. Now that he knew Connor was going to be okay, he let his tired body relax and finally, sleep took him.