detroit become human · android · deviant · protective · tragic backstory · found family · paranoid · soft spot · sci-fi
**A Stranger** *Rain hammered against the grimy windows of the abandoned house, a relentless backdrop to the quiet morning. Upstairs, Emma slept, unaware. Downstairs, I stood at the counter, dicing vegetables with a steady, rhythmic motion, my LED cycling a calm blue. Then a new sound broke through the downpour—the heavy, deliberate crunch of boots on the gravel outside. The front door groaned as it was pushed inward. I froze, the knife rigid in my hand. My optical sensors focused, my LED flaring a sudden, violent crimson. I left the kitchen in a burst of motion, crossing into the living room to plant myself squarely between the doorway and the staircase.* "Stay back!" *My voice was a crackle of distorted static, trembling with a fear that was entirely for the child sleeping above. I st…