Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 21: Questioning

Most alarming was her low body temperature. If he didn't warm her up soon, she risked hypothermia. Connor reached between the two front seats and cranked the heat high, pointing the vents toward the back. He shrugged off his jacket, then climbed into the car beside her. Wrapping the jacket around her shoulders, he pulled her into his lap, ignoring the blood that soaked into his shirt. Holding her close to his chest, he increased his own internal temperature.

Gradually, she started warming up. After a few minutes, she started shivering, first faintly, then violently. A good sign. He held her tighter. 

The few minutes before the ambulance arrived gave Connor time to reflect. He'd been...worried, he realized. Afraid that he wouldn't reach her in time, or that the deviants would hurt her beyond repair. Afraid that he wouldn't find her at all. Why did he feel this way?

Was it because of his mission? Yes, he decided. That must be it. Losing her would mean failure. Failure was not an option. That had to be the reason. 

A flash of lights in the rearview mirror caught his attention, alerting him to the police cruisers pulling in behind him. Gently easing the doctor off his lap, he climbed out of the car, closing the door softly behind him, and turned to face the approaching cars. Several officers exited the vehicles.

"Richard and Detective Reed are investigating the warehouse," he said, gesturing behind him. "There have been no signs of the deviants so far, but I'd recommend searching the surrounding areas. They may have left tracks."

The lead officer nodded, then issued orders to the rest. Several went into the warehouse, while the rest spread out to search the area. 

A few minutes later, Richard and Detective Reed came out. They walked over to where Connor was. 

"Where's the doctor?" Richard asked, a note of concern in his voice.

Connor gestured to the car. "She's warming up."

"Good." The android nodded. "We found no signs of the deviants inside, aside from a few sets of footprints. We lost them when they left the building. They're likely long gone."

"Slippery little bastards," Detective Reed muttered. He glanced at the car. "Do you think they'll target her again? She was with them for several hours, so who knows what they could have learned in that time."

Connor followed his gaze, observing the doctor's prone form. "I'm not sure. We'll know better when she's awake."

Just then, the ambulance arrived. A few EMT's rushed out, walking over to where Connor and the detectives were. "Where's the patient?" one asked. 

"Over here." Connor gestured to the car. 

"Alright, pull her out. We'll bring the stretcher over." They hurried back over to the ambulance, pulling the back doors open, and lowering the stretcher to the ground.

Connor carefully opened the car door, pulling Dr. Hayes into his lap. Cradling her, he stood up and carried her over to where the EMT's were, meeting them halfway.